Many people think they should skip our last pose, Savasana, because they aren't "doing anything." That's the point! The less time you think you have for relaxation, the more you need to do it.
Savasana, also called Relaxation Pose, is essential in a Restorative practice. Most of our life is spent moving, thinking, talking, and doing. Even while sleeping, we move around either through muscle contractions or consciously trying to find a comfortable position. Is relaxation even possible?
It is. As the props relieve your muscles and bones from their roles of support and action, your nervous system sends and receives fewer messages and calms down. Tension melts away, you are able to cultivate awareness of your body, breath, and mind.
At the end of a Restorative yoga class, the teacher will invite you to come into Savasana or any pose that allows your body to totally relax -- your weight sinks down into the earth as your body softens and your breath becomes peaceful and calm. You will be in this pose for 6 - 12 minutes.
Savasana can be a time of silence or perhaps quiet music may be played. Often the teacher will share a guided meditation, body scan, or relaxation practice.
Here is an example:
Slowly, breathe all the way in … and all the way out.
From here we will reconnect to the intention you set at the beginning of our practice. Let this arise once more and repeat it to yourself 3 times… Know that with practice your intention shall surely come to pass.
Adjust your body so that you feel completely supported by any props and the earth... Wiggle around as much as you need to. And, then, when you are ready, come to a place of stillness.
Adjust your body so that you feel completely supported by any props and the earth... Wiggle around as much as you need to. And, then, when you are ready, come to a place of stillness.
Slowly, breathe all the way in … and all the way out. With each exhale, begin releasing any tightness or tension you may have whether it be in your body … your breath … or your mind.
Bring your awareness to your hands. Curl your fingers into gentle fists. No white knuckles here. Take a slow, calm breath in … on the exhale unfurl your fingers … slowly, calmly. Sense the space inside your hands … soft, clear, open.
Feel the air around your hands. Sense where your skin meets the air. Imagine your hands are porous and you can breathe through the skin of your palms.
For the next several breaths, imagine your breath flowing in through your palms up to your heart, and then from your heart back out through your hands. Imagine the path from your hands is clear, open, and spacious. Pause in this open moment …
As you relax deeper and deeper, allow yourself to enjoy this calm, soothing time … Open hands, … open mind, … open moment.
Breathing in, peace … breathing out, release.
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