There i was, cocooned in warmth and dark-
ness, feeling as light as air and as relaxed and
carefree as a million-dollar Lotto winner on a
Caribbean beach. I might have been a space
traveler in suspended animation, rocketing off
at light speed to a new solar system, or even an
infant in the womb, except that I had a vague
sense I was watching myself in a state of what
could best be described as alert relaxation.
Begin to bring awareness to your inhalation ...
That voice ... so familiar. Cautiously, I opened
one eye and found that I was not floating along
on a river of soothing darkness or soaring
through the outer reaches of the Milky Way,
but lying motionless on the floor of Om Tara
Yoga Studio in Massapequa, New York.
When you’re ready, gently roll to one
side ... observe how you feel ... It was Maria
Yakkey, my regular Thursday-morning yogaBY JOHN HANC
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREA COBBteacher. Soon, a half-dozen classmates and I were alert
and energized, sitting in Sukhasana (Easy Pose) with our
legs crossed, bowing to the Divine within.
Namaste. Then class was over.
As I was clearing up my props, Maria came over. “John,”
she said. “You’re really getting better at Savasana.”
I almost dropped a pair of blocks on my foot. Better?
At Savasana? You mean, my ability to imitate a corpse
has improved?
“You used to be more fidgety,” she said.
Understand: I’m an overcaffeinated, Type A New York
guy—and on top of that, I’m an avid marathon runner and
gym rat. Of course I’m fidgety, and it’s clear to me that I
need yoga. Still, I thought, of all the things I haven’t done
well in my seven years of practice—which, to my mind,
was almost everything—surely, lying quietly on the floor
was the exception.
“So,” I said, “I’m getting better at lying on the floor?”
Maria sighed and looked at me reproachfully. “Sava-
sana is a lot more than just lying on the floor.”For the fullest experience of yoga and a
deep connection with your vital energies,
Savasana, or Corpse Pose, is one
posture you can’t live without.
rest
heavenly
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relaxation & meditation