67
april / may 2017
yogajournal.com.sg
is an important time for students to assimilate all the benefits from the
practice of asanas. During Savasana, there is a complete recharge and
rejuvenation of the body, mind, and spirit.”
the beginning of the end
According to Aadil Palkhivala, founder of Alive and Shine Center in
Bellevue, Washington, Savasana is real yoga—defined as an “act of
union” between your “self with a small s, your ego, and your Self with a
capital S—the spirit.” Because you’re encouraged to release your mind’s
occupation with the distractions of daily life, “Savasana is conducive to
making that connection,” he says.
Of course, simply assuming Corpse Pose will not in itself make the
connection between the small-s self and the capital-S Self for you. But
one of yoga’s promises is that if you live your life with the intention to
closely observe yourself with as much honesty as you can, the union
of self and Self can truly be forged. Savasana creates the space for that
quiet reflective inquiry and that union.
I admit that my ego is far from integrated with spirit: My male ego
in class eagerly shows off my proficiency in Plank and Chaturanga, the
only two poses I’m convinced that I can do “better” than my female
classmates, who are far more flexible and adept than I am. Still, even
though I’m far fromperfect, I can feel perfectly at peace in Savasana. In
Savasana, Friend says, “the spirit, the very essence of our being, is not
clinging or caught in the physical realm.”
rest in peace
Savasana’s success starts not with instruction, but location: “You want
a place that is quiet, somewhat dark ... a place that is comfortable yet
stable,” Friend says. These conditions will help foster what he calls
“an internal drawing in and settling” that helps clear the deck for the
Savasana voyage.
Then comes a careful positioning of your body. Savasana, I
discovered, is not just lying on the floor. “What’s really important for a
good Savasana is to lie in a neutral position,” says Richard Rosen, a Yoga
Journal contributing editor and Bay Area yoga instructor. “Your head
should lie square and equidistant from each shoulder.” Arms should be
by your sides, at a 45-degree angle relative to the torso. (This keeps your
shoulders loose and your breathing unrestricted.) It also means lying in
a straight line, with your arms or legs not tilted or bent to one side, and
your head not drooping. “Stay in line as much as possible,” suggests
Palkhivala. “Energy flows in smooth lines. So if your head is crooked,
your pelvis is tilted to one side, and your body looks like a serpent, the
energy won’t flow.”
Are you comfortable? Straight, balanced, and relaxed as you lie on
the floor of a still, dark room? Wonderful. Now comes the real work and
pleasure of Savasana. “This is the time to go inside and find the spirit
within,” Palkhivala says.
Good luck, if you’re anything like me.
“It’s hard to stop the mind from wandering,” Rosen acknowledges.
“You have to continuously back off from your thoughts.Try to withdraw
and look at them from above.”
1,000 ways to die
The Savasana experience can be as diverse as the yogis who teach
it. Maria, my teacher at Om Tara, creates a warm and comfortable
atmosphere for Savasana in our Thursday classes. She draws the blinds,
drapes us with blankets, places eye pillows on us, and allows Corpse
Pose to unfold in silence.
Jeff Logan, a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, does it a bit differently
at his studio, Body & Soul Fitness and Yoga Center in Huntington, New
York. Savasana with him is peaceful but not quiet. He talks the class
through a systematic relaxation of jaws, arms, hands, abdomen, and
legs, encouraging us to “let go” of our tongue, ears, and skin. At the
end, Jeff asks each of us to lie in a fetal position—“like a newborn,” he
says. After he brings us up into a seated position, he invites us to open
our eyes and greet the world around us like a reborn child.
This idea of Corpse Pose as a symbolic rebirth is intriguing. In Jeff’s
class, I ran with it. Like an infant, what I wanted to do now was eat. So,
having thought about nothing, I started to calmly observe that I was
thinking about lunch. Having successfully been a fidget-free corpse,
I was ready to go about my day as an even more fully functioning,
self-observing, live human being ... with a little help from a well-done
Savasana.
John Hancwrites for Newsday in New York and is a contributing
editor to Runner’s World magazine.
AUDIO: Listen to Savasana Music
Get a free download of Savasana music by Stevin McNamara here
http://tinyurl.com/jvjakzq