73
(Side-Lying Corpse Pose)7 SIDE-LYING SAVASANA
1 Place a chair on your yoga mat, with a folded
blanket on the seat.
2 Set up two bolsters in a T shape, positioning the
one closest to the chair horizontally.
3 Sit on the bolster closest to the chair and lie to one side
before rolling onto your back and resting your spine on
the vertical bolster.
4 Support your head with a blanket, if that feels good.
5 Lift your calves onto the seat of the chair and place
your arms alongside you, making sure they’re not
touching anything but the floor. Settle in and connect
to your breath.
Hold this position for at least 10 minutes.
6 To come out, hug your knees to your chest and
roll to your right side.
Like Legs-up-the-Wall, this pose also provides the benefits
of an inversion—including a calmed nervous system,
restored legs and feet, and a relaxed lower back.
1 Lie down on your right side with a folded blanket under your head.
2 Bring your right arm out away from you.
3 Place one bolster between your legs, from mid thigh or knee to your
ankle. Place another bolster in front of your belly, so that your top arm
can drape over it.
4 If your knees and ankles aren’t on the same plane, put a folded
blanket under your calves and ankles to elevate them.
To get the true benefits of the pose, hold it for 10 to 20 minutes.
Side-Lying Savasana is especially effective at relieving fatigue. If you’re
pregnant or need help with digestion, lie on the left, to avoid
compressing the vena cava vein, which moves blood from the lower
part of the body—the uterus—to the heart, and to encourage the
natural flow of waste through the intestines.OUR PROS Teacher Gail Grossman is the founder and director of Om
Sweet Om Yoga in Port Washington, New York, and has been teaching
yoga since 2000. Model Amanda Russcol has been teaching yoga for
about a decade and runs her own studio, Yoga High, in Denver. Writer
Kate Siber is a freelance health, travel, and environmental journalist
based in Durango, Colorado.6 LEGS ON A CHAIR POSE
For more on restorative yoga, including
additional calming poses and sequences, read
Grossman’s new book, Restorative Yoga for Life,
presented by Yoga Journal (Adams Media, 2014).