Monday Mantra

IN SAVASANA I TRUST

"any fool can be fussy and rid himself of energy all over the place, but he has to have something in him before he can settle down to do nothing." (J.B. Priestley)

Shavasana, Savasana (shah-vah-sah-nah; Sanskrit: शवासन; IAST: śavāsana), or Corpse Pose is an asana.
The name comes from the Sanskrit words Shava (शव, Śava) meaning "corpse", and Asana (आसन, Āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat".
It is intended to rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit.

are you looking forward to the last part of Yoga class? are you dreading this moments in final relaxation, make up your shopping list or simply press your eyelids together and want time to pass quickly?

yes, the final relaxation, spend in Savasana, can be tough. not only for the ones who have troubles being still, relaxing, allowing their body and mind a break. also for the ones who do look forward to it, it might be easier to relax the body and let it be still, but to quiet the mind is always a different matter.

I usually try to give my students at least 10min in Savasana, best 15! for me as a teacher this is not an easy task as well. in a time where all people want is move and sweat, be powerful and strong!

luckily most students, especially with time, start to see the necessity of this relaxation time and usually start to look forward to it, allowing themselves this special time at least when in Yoga class!

still, there is always a few who have big troubles. first of all to keep their body still... the oh so simple can be quite hard for some, who, for example, simply can't allow their eyes to close.

for me as a teacher, this is where all my energy is needed.  this students need time to learn how to relax, and most of all need good guidance towards doing so. most of the time I notice one of this students in class, I'd do guided deep relaxation at the end.

adjusting the students body in Savasana also became more important to me over the years.

when I started teaching, as I wasn't trained to do so, I would guide relaxation but never adjust in Savasana. now, and especially as I love to be adjusted in Savasana myself, I think it is very important to do so. why?

some students are just not aligned. mainly in Savasana I see neck and head not in line with the spine, arms totally uneven, shoulders pulled up... in any case I would start with guiding the class through tensing and relaxing body parts before settling in and for most students that would do the trick. nevertheless there might still be one or the other misalignment and that's where I'd definitely go hands on!

honestly I do in most classes, as in my opinion it gives extra energy. there is a lot of strong feelings out there towards hands on adjustments and one should definitely know what you do. now I do not want to discuss this further, but tell you that this is how I teach and prefer to be taught - if done properly of course!

most comments after class are usually about my adjustments in final relaxation  - so far only positive. and as much as I give energy, especially by adjusting and guiding final relaxation, I do get energy back as well. when I feel that a student can let go and trust my hands, relax just a little further, I can see faces soften and worry-lines get a little less...

sit down and be still myself.

so I do trust in the power of Savasana and mostly tend to skip doing another pose towards the end of class,  to have enough time left for proper relaxation.

really allowing the body to rest completely in this time. allowing the mind to be as still as possible and just gently keep pushing away all this thoughts that for sure will find their way in. knowing that with every practice it might get easier :-)