In 2001 I was teaching my very first real yoga class.  I say “real” because I had taught many practice sessions when I was doing my training.  As I remember it nothing was remarkable about the class.  I had somewhere around 15 participants and the class went fairly well albeit my cues were not so great, something I will talk about in length in other posts.  The class was hosted by a wellness program and so all of the participants were employees of the place where the class was being given.  The class was for 75 minutes and after 60 minutes I started to wind down to cooler poses and I invited students to prepare for savasana.  Without hesitation many of them got up and left. I was flabbergasted. I thought to myself “how can you leave now.  This is what we spent the whole 60 minutes working up towards.” I was operating under the premise that the poses were the lead into savasana; that savasana was the destination or goal of my class.  My students however, did not see it that way.  For them the class was over when the poses were completed; savasana, was an afterthought to the class.  They were not ready for savasana or meditation or resting quietly.

The next class I was more prepared and actually asked them to try savasana.  I coaxed them into a few minutes of savasana.  I was beginning to realize that many of my students were afraid to be quiet with their own thoughts.  They couldn’t calm either their mind or their body.

Well the long and short of it is that it did not take long before there was a complete turn around and savasana became the very reason they came to class.  Several people even asked if they could skip the poses and move to savasana.

In most venues other than studios devoted to yoga there is no savasana.  It does not exist.  There may be a moment or two of relaxing but not savasana in the sense that I am used to incorporating in my classes.

So what exactly is the big deal about savasana anyway?

For me savasana  (pronounced sha-VAH-suh-nuh) is the most important pose of all the yoga poses but it can also be the most challenging.  Savasana in my mind is so important that all the other poses that I guide in a yoga class are a prelude to this one pose.  Here are some of the reasons I think this:

1. Savasana teaches us how to disidentify from our thoughts. Disidentification from our thoughts is important because we believe that we are our thoughts when in reality thoughts are only manifestations of a neurological/chemical response. It is the response to our thoughts that can cause us stress. It’s not what happens to us in our life but how we react to situations.   Savasana which shows us how to not identify with our thoughts is therefore absolutely an essential part of every yoga session.
2. Savasana teaches us how to relax. BKS Iyengar, in his book Light on Yoga, says “by remaining motionless for some time and keeping the mind still while you are fully conscious, you learn to relax.”
3. Savasana allows us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Relaxing the parasympathetic nervous system is also known as the relaxation response. We need a consistent time for rest that many of us do not get in our daily lives, not even when we sleep.
4. Savasana helps to remove any tiredness that results from the other asanas. While I cannot quote any research on the topic I do believe savasana gives the body time to incorporate and drink in all the poses that came before, to begin to strengthen neural pathways that help us to maintain or return to balance or equanimity.

Why 20 minutes or longer?

All the description of savasana that I read suggest that savasana works best if given a good 15-20 minutes. I must admit though that even for me as a teacher it is difficult to put aside 15- 20 minutes at the end of class for savasana.  Yoga classes today are often only an hour or less in length so every minute counts and for most students this time crunch means more of a demand to do the yoga poses leading up to savasana.  It is a challenge.

The stages of savasana have a lot to do with the time

1. Physiological relaxation takes about 15 minutes. This is the beginning of the relaxation process but it is not yet savasana.  In this stage you are beginning to relax.  At first your thoughts may be racing, your body may have trouble finding a comfortable position and you may find yourself planning the rest of the day or evening.   If you stay with this process you may observe that gradually your thoughts begin to slow down, your breathing gets slower, and physical/muscular tension begins to soften. You may even feel like you are melting into the ground.  It is at this point that savasana begins.

2. Next is the stage known as pratyahara or the conscious withdrawal of the senses. In this stage your body begins to unwind from the mind.  You are still aware but less aware of things separately.  You observe things going on but they do not engage you and you don’t feel you have to get caught up in their drama.  For example, you may hear sounds or people talking but everything seems far away and you are not concerned.  This is the place where healing begins.  When you reach this stage you will become hooked on savasana.  While you may not always be able to reach this stage when you do it is most delightful.

3. The third stage of savasana is called ashunya (non-emptiness). The ashunya or non-emptiness stage of savasana is the state where you go somewhere else. The mind completely withdraws from the senses.  This is a state with no content, no ego presence.  This is a state where you only know it when you are not in it.  When you come back you are aware that you have been somewhere but there is no way of communicating it even to yourself because it is a state of no content.

Music: yes, no or sometimes:  I have had many discussions on this one topic.  Many of my own teachers have been adamant in saying NO to music during savasana as it is the time for introspection. But music is also a tool that can be used to start the relaxation process.  As humans we relax with music. This is the reason I do play background music that is soft during savasana.  Sometimes though, in the early morning hours the birds singing the praises of the day to come is my music for savasana.

Silence or guided savasana.  Here again there are many opinions. Most often I give a silent savasana but there are times when the class is not at the point of relaxing and so I offer a body scan or one of any number of guided relaxation exercises.

Final Comments:

To those who use the excuse that they do not have the time to do savasana I would offer the suggestion that they need to prioritize their time differently.  The amount of time we have is the same for all of us.  How we choose to use our time however, is a personal preference.

To those who find it physically challenging to be in savasana I would suggest that they try different options.  In savasana the heart and head are on the same level.  Therefore, there are different positions one can assume other than the classic pose.  For example there is side-lying savasana,and savasana with legs supported with a bolster.

And finally – here are some things you want to do for yourself to have a relaxing experience in savasana:

• Practice in a room where the lights are dimmed
• Use all the props you need to be in a comfortable position
• As much as possible relax your joints (a flexed position is the most relaxing)
• Try not to fall asleep

Namaste and have a wonderful savasana.