Why is savasana important?
You may be tempted to skip Savasana after your yoga practice, but it’s worth giving it a second thought. While Savasana may appear to be an ‘easy pose’ or even a ‘waste of time,’ nothing could be further from the truth. Savasana not only ranks among the most challenging yoga poses, but it also holds immense significance and offers us numerous benefits.
Learn more about this beautiful yet challenging posture in this post!
What Is Savasana?
Firstly, for those who are familiar with this pose, let’s clarify the spelling and pronunciation. “Savasana” is closer to the spelling of the word in Sanskrit but the pose is pronounced “Shavasana”.
When we translate the word ‘Savasana’ into English, we get ‘corpse pose’. Don’t let the name scare you away, this is a powerful and beautiful posture that we can learn so much from.
Many tend to skip Savasana or question its significance, dismissing it as ‘just lying there’. While this is true to a point….this extremely oversimplifies this pose and masks its true nature. If you find yourself disliking Savasana, it’s likely that you genuinely really need this pose.
Before I became a yoga teacher and before I started to walk a more spiritual path, I used to dislike Savasana as well. I enjoyed yoga for the physical aspects of the practice but couldn’t stand the Savasana at the end. Now that I have grown spiritually, I can see why. It was because I hated those moments of quiet because for me, they weren’t quiet. They were filled with thoughts. I also hated lying there feeling like I was doing ‘nothing,’ but it felt like that because at that point in my life, I didn’t realize the importance of moments of stillness and silence.
I have come a long way from that girl and now, Savasana is my favorite part of a class. Sometimes it doesn’t feel long enough! You too can come to love this pose and in this post, I hope to help to change your perspective!
Why Is Savasana The Most Challenging Pose?
Savasana can be more challenging for some than the physically challenging postures since it lacks the distraction of movement. Quieting the mind is often easier during movement based yoga flows because you have a specific focal point for your awareness.
In Savasana, there are no distractions so you become very aware of what your mind is doing and it can be challenging to quiet your thoughts.
In Savasana, we work to let go and find moments of quiet in the mind and the body but this is no easy task, it takes practice! I encourage you to meet this challenge and practice Savasana for the intended time at the end of your yoga class.
Don’t let your ego or fear of still moments hold you back from this challenge. Accept that it may be difficult to quiet your mind at first or that you may feel restless, that’s ok! Just like it takes practice to be able to do an arm balance, it also takes practice to be able to do Savasana.
And remember, even if you do have a bunch of thoughts that come up while practicing Savasana, that doesn’t mean that you are unsuccessful at the pose. If you hold an arm balance for a few seconds, doesn’t that still count? You still had success, you did the arm balance! Maybe next time you will be able to hold it longer. Same goes for Savasana, maybe next time you will be able to find longer moments of quiet. The important part is that you’re showing up for the pose and working towards improvement.
Another challenge that comes up in Savasana is being able to relax the muscles of our body. While it may seem like relaxing a muscle should be easier than strengthening it, that’s not always the case. In Savasana, we are working to relax the entire body, and this can be challenging! Many of us hold tension in certain parts of our body unconsciously so working on releasing tension is not always easy.
Being able to let go, relax your body, and quiet your mind are the challenges that we are faced with in Savasana, but a challenging pose can also be exciting. Just as it feels great the first time you hold that arm balance, it also feels great the first time you truly find rest and stillness in Savasana.
Benefits Of Savasana
There are many benefits that Savasana offers us.
From a physical standpoint, Savasana is a wonderful way to allow our muscles to rest after a physical practice. Taking time for rest is just as important as taking time to exercise. In Savasana, we work to let go of any muscle tension that we may be holding onto in the body.
Savasana can also help to calm your nervous system. So many of us live in a constant state of stress which greatly impacts the nervous system. Savasana can help to bring you back into a state of balance.
It’s also a wonderful pose for facilitating a sense of calm and peace. Though it may be difficult to quiet your mind at first, with practice, this gets easier. Finding moments of silence and stillness in your mind are magical. These are the moments where you can really feel your soul/spirit connection.
When Savasana is performed after a physical yoga practice or flow, it allows you the time and space to integrate your physical practice into your soul/spirit. This is where you pause to really feel the effects of your practice on your entire being beyond just the physical body. Savasana is a wonderful place to feel into the subtle energy shifts that may have occurred as a result of your physical practice.
Savasana has been around for a long time...
Many of the yoga poses that we practice today are relatively modern and did not exist in ancient yoga traditions.
Poses like the half-moon pose or flying lizard pose were not part of ancient yogic practices. While modern poses like lizard pose do offer their own set of benefits, there is great power in engaging in a practice that has endured over time.
Savasana is one of those ancient yoga poses. It is documented in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, an ancient yogic text. The fact that we still practice Savasana so widely throughout yoga practices today shows that this is one of those practices that has stood the test of time.
The Deeper Meaning And Purpose Of Savasana
Savasana is conscious rest. It guides us to a state of peace while we are still within our wakeful consciousness.
It invites us to surrender to the unknown and to invite in peace and love.
Although the translation of “corpse pose” may initially seem daunting, in yogic tradition, death is not viewed as such a depressing thing. Yogis maintain a keen awareness of mortality, acknowledging that one day, we will shed this human body—which is basically like an outfit that our soul wears during our current earthly existence.
By honoring and recognizing our mortality and by understanding that death is an integral part of life, we open ourselves up to living more fully within our current human experience.
Embracing the cycle of life and death helps us to release fear, enabling us to live consciously and with intention. It creates space for a genuine connection with our spiritual self, guiding us to acknowledge that our body and mind are merely tools for our soul’s interaction in this world, while the soul embodies our true essence.
How To Practice Savasana
Now that we covered Savasana in detail, let’s look at how you actually go about practicing this pose!
Savasana is often the posture performed at the end of a yoga class. It’s your resting posture and it’s the most important posture of the practice. This is where you allow your practice to integrate into your entire being – mind, body, and soul.
Savasana Step By Step Instructions:
- Begin by lying on your back on your mat.
- Your feet should be hip-width apart, and your arms should be extended alongside your body with your palms facing up. Don’t be afraid to take up space!
- You can place a pillow underneath your knees if this feels better for your lower back.
- Close your eyes and work to let go of any tension in your body, including the muscles of your face.
- Shift your focus to your breath. Breathe naturally.
- If thoughts come to your mind that’s ok, just bring your attention back to your breath.
- Try your best to stay still while in this pose.
- When you are ready to exit Savasana, begin by gently wiggling your fingers and toes. Gradually start to move your arms and legs. Bend your knees and roll to one side.
- Use your hands to slowly push yourself back up into a seated position.
- Offer gratitude to this pose and to the yogis who came before us who passed on this knowledge 🙂
I hope you come to love the pose Savasana as much as I do and that you start to see how important Savasana is to our journey as yogis!
Namaste
Read This Next: Common Yoga Misconceptions
Discloser: Links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links provided I may receive a small commission.