Savasana may be the most important pose our world needs right now

There's a whole lot going on during a yoga practice...
Whether it's the resonant sound of AUM, a sweaty booty, desire for spiritual enlightenment, a physical breakthrough or perhaps the admiration of a yogi in a wild & crazy upside down pose,
your mind has a lot to concentrate on. Your body is being called to dynamic action.
You came to your practice for a purpose. So when it's all over, do you hit the ground running? Or do you take time to process what the heck just happened?

No matter where or why or how you practice, you certainly want to include into your routine the best posture ever :::
... S A V A S A N A ... {pronounced SHA-VA-SA-NAH|}. AKA Corpse Pose. Yes it sounds morbid but we are literally practicing "dying". . . as in letting go, releasing, surrendering unattached.

Essentially, you get to lay down on your back & do nothing. Sounds good right?
So why do so many people skip it?!

Savasana is basically the rest after a race, the enjoying of a meal you just cooked,  the happy hour after work, sleep after a long day....the peaceful harbor of love after a crazy thunderstorm.
Without confusing cocktails with clarity, you get the point.
Savasana is the much deserved integration, soft space, rest, rejuvenation, relaxation, unplugging, & reaping the fruits of one's own labor....
it's the cherry on the top of a badass practice!

One time years ago I went to a Bikram yoga class...you know the kind where you feel totally out of place, way OVER dressed, completely wimpy next to that eldery man who has been practicing for years, & unable to breathe because of the hot, sweaty, junior-high-boys-locker-room smell that has permeated every square inch of the carpeted floor.....
yes I said carpet....weird.
What I heard was the instructor saying that we should all take at least a 2 minute Savasana after a long, hot, grueling & quite physically challenging practice. TWO MINUTES? are you kidding me? I mean, at least Savasana was recommended. But 20 minutes sounded way better to me.

Only 2 minutes of rest after a deeply detoxifying practice was the minimum, but in my opinion not nearly enough. It's been recommended by many teachers to offer 5 minutes of Savasana/rest for every 30 minutes of practice. If I just powered my way through 1 1/2 hours of staring at myself in the mirror (locking my knee in dancer....PLEASE DON'T LOCK YOUR KNEES!).....sweating my ass off in the company of 35 determined & somewhat militant folks....my God I need to take it easy for a bit! INTENSE!

Now to each his or her own. A little Savasana is better than none. My homegirl Angela, a most excellent massage therapist, friend & wise ole soul in a young gal's body, said that some people in her hot yoga class don't even take Savasana! We joked how that's like running a race only to run home & do the dishes, take care of kids, pay the bills, what have you. Is your Nervous System even ready for that shit? Hell no. You are totally in fight-or-flight mode / Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). Most folks are living in that mode already, so give your Nervous System a break! That precious time at the end of class is YOURS TO CHERISH! YOU EARNED IT! YOU DESERVE IT! BY GOLLY, TAKE IT! Get yourself into rest & relax mode / Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) & enjoy the calmness of life.

There was a period of time where I would skip Savasana in my personal practice. I didn't have time for it. I thought I didn't "need" it. Within a few weeks my muscles were aching, my body stiff & the progress of my triangle pose was zilch. I was more anxious & I felt like I was wasn't progressing, but rather regressing! At first I thought, "Oh this is when it gets worse before it gets better. Yeah that's it!"
Well it wasn't.

It was just me skipping the integration, the rewiring, the recalibration of my physical & energetic body. There's a lot going on during a yoga practice...yeah that hot girl in tight pants or your powerful sweaty hot yoga moves.....but really you're making changes, moving breath & offering vital life force energy to various parts of your body. You're strengthening your physical form, expanding your perspective, increasing flexibility & getting grounded in your center. You're improving concentration, focus & intention.
But if you skip that seemingly pointless end part....do you really allow those very dramatic changes (they're happening whether you realize it or not) to sink in? Do you let your body, mind, spirit... your life, actually RECEIVE your awesomeness? Your whole practice was probably YANG or physical, masculine, moving & working. The YIN side comes in at the end! This is the cooling, the relaxing, the receiving, the surrendering. Embrace the duality.

. . . Savasana may be the most important pose our world needs right now. . .

. . . So much that I'm reassessing how I offer Savasana in my weekly Hatha Gong. My intention is to share a Gong meditation, THEN offer a quiet Savasana.....ample time to let it all meld together into a delicious cocktail of YOU :) Drink it up....you earned it!

Whether you practice yoga, hot yoga, work out in the gym, hit the weights or walk the treadmill.....consider giving yourself AT THE VERY LEAST 5 MINUTES OF REST AFTERWARD. DON'T SKIP IT!  Let your body heal.

On that note....I'm gonna go lie down.

WORD! XOXO