Savasana: the keys to achieving deep relaxation

If you were asked what is the most difficult yoga posture, surely it would not occur to you to think of Savasana, the relaxation posture that is usually practiced at the end of most yoga classes. However, that position in which we lie on our backs on the floor to relax after doing other more dynamic postures is, according to experts, the most complex and deep asana of allthe most difficult to do well.

In Savasana, also known as corpse pose or dead body posewe simply lie on the floor trying to release any tension and focus our minds on the present moment.

It’s a yoga pose designed to achieve deep relaxation, a posture that can also be used to meditate. However, it is rare for us that, when doing it, it is difficult for us to truly relax: we get itchy or achy, the thought goes to things that worry uswe get impatient…

other times just It happens that, as the tension begins to loosen, instead of focusing on the moment and maintaining attention, we disconnect and we ended up sleeping.

Why is Savasana important?

It is said that a yoga practice is not complete if Savasana is not practiced at the end, because allows you to integrate the benefits of the postures practiced just before. “It’s the icing on the cake,” says Eva Roca, yoga teacher and author of several yoga initiation courses at the Cuerpomente School. “Any yoga session should conclude with Corpse Pose, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes,” she says.

Relaxing in Savasana at the end of a yoga session, usually between ten and thirty minutes, allows the tissues to relax and helps the body recover after exertion. But it also delves into the meditative attitude that the practice of yoga requires: we learn to let go and train our attention in the present Putting ourselves in the role of the observer.

Savasana is a posture of acceptance, which helps us to connect with our most kind and compassionate part. “Is the love of life posture. You love life so much that you decide to trust its cycles and transformations…”, explains Or Haleluiya, a therapeutic yoga teacher. For her, “practicing love of life, and more so these days, is essential, both for mental and physical health.”

For BKS Iyengar, Corpse Pose “is the most difficult yoga pose to master, but also the most refreshing and rewarding,” he wrote in one of his books. Savasana is like a small death, a moment of surrender in which we look inside and let what is be.

So, even if it costs you, or even if you think you’re going to waste time, don’t skip it. In fact, some believe that every yoga session is actually a preparation for Savasanafor that little death that prepares us to open up to life.

How to do Savasana to relax well

Whether you practice guided relaxation at the end of your yoga classes at a center or practice yoga at home on your own, some tips when doing Savasana can help to achieve deep relaxation and enjoy this yoga posture even more.

On the one hand, there is the position, that is, the way we stand, which should facilitate relaxation and avoid unnecessary tension. On the other, it is the attitude with which we face Savasana and how we respond to the challenges posed by letting go of control.

It is also important, as in any other yoga asana, how do we get out of the position and we close those minutes of deep relaxation.

1. Make sure you are comfortable

Later we will go into detail on how to position yourself to perform the corpse or dead body pose, but the most important thing is that you feel comfortable. Use a yoga mat that feels good to lie on and take a moment to reposition yourself if you feel discomfort somewhere in the body.

“Support the body until it is completely comfortable, balanced and aligned”, recommends Eva Roca. “Only then will your nervous system completely calm down.”

The perfect posture does not exist, and there will be a moment when you have to start, which in Savasana means to stop moving and let go. Just don’t settle for the first way your body fell when you lay down on the ground, correct what you feel you have to correct.

Then surrender to the experience trying to resist any urge to move and get distracted. “By lying totally immovable, resisting any stimulus to move and distract you, you practice attentive and compassionate observation“, says yoga teacher Or Haleluiya.

2. Have a blanket and the supports you need on hand

During relaxation, the body temperature drops, so can you feel cold. If in the middle of relaxation you start to feel cold, it is likely that you tense up and lose concentration. get one light blanket to cover yourself and, if you think it is necessary, put on some socks.

You may also be interested in having an extra blanket, a small handkerchief or a bolster:

A folded blanket or small pillow to support the head can help keep it aligned and reduce neck strain. place a rolled blanket under the knees to relieve tension in the lower back. Another possibility is to place a bolster or folded blanket on the back, lengthwise, to open the chest more and relax the shoulders. This slight opening facilitates deep breathing. To better isolate themselves, some choose to cover your eyes with a small handkerchief or light towel.

3. Take care of the details of the posture

Savasana is usually practiced in the corpse pose, but as we will see later, there are also some variants. If the corpse pose is not comfortable for you or for some reason you cannot adopt it as it is (for example, in the last months of pregnancy), you can resort to one of these variants.

Lie face up on the floor, on the mat, and cover yourself with a light blanket. Then close your eyes and go correcting the posture until you feel comfortable and ready to begin relaxation:

spread your legs hip-width apart and gently drop your feet out. If you need to, lengthen your legs a little more and relax your feet again. Try to keep your legs symmetrically apart, as long as possible, and relax them.Place your arms at your sides, on the ground and slightly separated from the body, also symmetrical. Rotate them outward bringing the palms up, with the fingers relaxed. As you rotate your arms outward you will be able to bring your shoulders back slightly and your shoulder blades in. Her chest opens slightly.Chin it must be aligned with the sternum, inwards, so that the neck can be relaxed. Also center your head, so that it does not go to one side or the other. You can place a small pillow or blanket on your head, if you find it difficult to keep your head aligned or it is uncomfortable to rest it on the floor.

If at some point a yawn comes, don’t suppress it: the yawn is a powerful message that we send to the body to tell it that we are going to take care of it, explains Dr. Ana Delgado.

4. Drop expectations

The final relaxation in Savasana is done after a series of postures that, ideally, will have helped our body to release tension and be more open.

Can take a moment to remember how you started the session and how are you now Perhaps you had some expectations of the session that have not been met. Or maybe yes. Perhaps you were waiting for this moment to finish relaxing. It doesn’t matter. Feel your body, observe yourself and leave behind what may have happened in the session and what you expect from it.

Is now time to focus on breathing and in the sensations of the body without trying to get anywhere.

5. Help yourself with your breath

Normally, once you are in the pose, the first thing you do is bring your attention to your breath. Observing how the air enters and leaves you allows you to start looking inward.

When there is some external noise that distracts youSometimes it is recommended to simply pay attention to it and then pay attention to other sounds that may be closer, until you reach your own breathing.

Often in guided relaxations you are encouraged to breathe more deeply at first, to help us focus attention on the movement of air and body. The breath is then allowed to soften and is observed without trying to influence itfeeling the natural wave that runs through our body with each inhalation and each exhalation.

By not reacting to impulses to move and just observing what happens naturally, “one experiences that it is possible to choose react attentively and openly also to the cycles and transformations of life herself”, explains Or Haleluiya, trained in psychology as well as yoga. “Practicing that is practicing pure confidence and love of life,” she adds.

6. Do a body scan and observe your sensations

Next it is about focusing on feeling the body and relaxing it. You can start by looking first at the areas of your body that are in contact with the ground, in how you weigh and how those contact areas increase with each exhalation. then you can successively focusing attention on different parts of the bodyfirst observing them and then relaxing them.

when you get to the face you can do it in detail: the forehead, the eyelids, the cheeks, the chin, the lips… Don’t forget the tongue.

If during the scan the mind goes somewhere else, if you get distracted, at the moment you realize it, what is recommended is not to give it importance and simply return to focusing attention on the body. If what has happened is that you have realized that you have tensed something, such as your teeth or forehead, relax them again and continue.

When you are done, stay in the pose without moving, just being.

7. Come out of the pose slowly

If you are doing Savasana with a guided relaxation, after a while you will be invited to take a deep breath again. Somehow, by taking a deeper breath, it’s like we’re slowly rising to the surface.

when you feel ready, move your fingers and toes slightly, then your feet, your legs… If you feel the need, bring your knees to your chest, hug your legs and rock from one side to the other. Let yourself fall to one side in the fetal position and slowly come up from there.

Take it easy. Do not be in a hurry to open your eyes or to get moving or start talking to someone. Enjoy as long as you can the state of relaxation that you have achieved.

Variations of the relaxation pose

If there is tension in the lower back and the supports are not enough, you can practice Savasana resting your feet and calves on a chair.

You can also practice the final relaxation in the reclining goddess pose or Supta Baddha Konasana.

During pregnancy Different supports are almost always used to make the posture more comfortable, avoid tension and facilitate circulation. In the last trimester of pregnancy it is usually recommended practice Savasana on the side,…