Waking Up with Savasana

Who doesn’t love savasana? It’s the dessert at the end of the yoga meal: the sweet release from doing, thinking, controlling, processing - the part of the practice where we simply STOP and LET GO.

The Sanskrit word savasana is translated to “Corpse Pose” (sav - corpse, asana - pose - pronounced “shavasana”, since in Sanskrit, the “s” has a dialectal mark indicating a “shh” sound instead of “sss”). It’s usually the last pose done in asana-based yoga practices like hatha and vinyasa; in the Yoga Nidra (“yogic sleep”) tradition, it’s the only pose, practiced as an energetic meditation.

At the end of an asana practice, savasana allows the body and nervous system to integrate the processing work experienced during the active asanas. The mind is given permission to meditate instead of thinking. The body is allowed to feel the experience of death: full release and relaxation of all muscular action, giving oneself over to earth/gravity.

The way you emerge from savasana is as important as the non-doing of being in it. Allow yourself to stay in the relaxed state you reached; keep your eyes closed as you feel movement and action slowly return to your body. Feel your breath deepen, and maybe shift back into ujjayi. Make small, feeling movements with fingers and toes: not just squeezing and stretching them, but truly feeling the air around them, moving them like seedlings emerging from earth. You can allow that movement to slowly make its way up arms and legs toward the torso, letting your body feel it’s way back into the space it inhabits.

This practice can be really useful on days you struggle to wake up and get out of bed! If you’ve hit snooze a couple of times and know you need to get up soon, instead of falling back asleep for 9 minutes, turn onto your back and start to consciously feel your breath deepen. Feel your fingers and toes slowly moving - feel the sheets and blankets, feel the warm and cool areas of the bedding or air, and let the movement slowly travel up your limbs. Let yourself continue to lay as your body begins to stretch it’s way into an awakened state. Shifting into ujjayi - consciously breathing - reengages the body and mind on a subtle level, allowing the mind to gently awaken before opening eyes.

This week, consider how you emerge from savasana during yoga practice. If you have a tendency to “jump” out of it, try slowing yourself down and allowing the “release” of savasana to stay present as you bring yourself back to conscious reality. If the opportunity arises when you’re waking up the morning, treat it like coming out of savasana and feel your way into your day!