Skipping Shavasana? Think Again.

Published on July 23, 2014

When I was in my teacher training, there was one thing that I couldn’t wait to learn. It wasn’t a handstand, or a complicated arm balance—I couldn’t wait to learn how to give Shavasana assists. I loved the teachers who were able to bring me into a deeper state of relaxation during Corpse Pose by cradling my head and running their thumbs down my forehead, pressing gently on my temples, melting my muscles deeper into the floor. Whatever magic was in their hands, I wanted some of it!

As a teacher and a student, I consider myself something of a Shavasana enthusiast. Many teachers share my enthusiasm, stating that Corpse Pose is the most important posture there is in yoga. They say that all you have to do to “master” this pose is … well, nothing! Simple, right?

Not always. Not everyone shares my love for Corpse Pose. While some students revel in that blissed-out realm of relaxation, hoping for an extra few minutes on the floor, others fidget on their mats, flicking their eyes open and closed, waiting for the torture to cease. During my teacher training, I remember a fellow trainee saying that she always hated the idea of restorative yoga. “I just can’t bring myself to pay money to lay around for an hour,” she said. Some students take that attitude a bit farther. Though a typical Shavasana only lasts for 5 to 10 minutes, some students refuse to stick around for that final resting pose, opting to roll up their mats and jet out after the last backbend.

I would never fault a student for leaving early (sometimes you have to pick up your kid from daycare, etc.), but when it does happen, I can’t help but think: You’re missing the best part! With our hectic schedules, stressed out nervous systems and monkey minds, Shavasana may just be the best medicine.

The physiological benefits of Shavasana are many. Among those benefits are a decrease in heart rate, relaxed muscles, decrease in anxiety, decrease in blood pressure and even deeper and sounder sleep at night. Unlike sleep, where dreams might have us tossing and turning, Corpse Pose is a rare form of conscious relaxation. The relatively short time spent in Shavasana allows the body to release and relax and the nervous system to integrate all the work that came before it.

As with all asana, there is more to Shavasana than can be felt in the physical body. Sava means corpse. Shavasana is also called Mrtasana, and mrta means death. To me, the meaning of this is far from morbid—entering this pose during our yoga practice is a profound ritual. (As a fellow teacher recently said to me: “If we’re just exercising, I’m going home!”) To complete this ritual, the yogi lays down for a rest that is both literal and symbolic. We quiet down inside and out. We rest our bodies, and release our habitual thought patterns. As Shavasana comes to a close, we slowly bring sensation back to the body by deepening our breath, feeling our bellies rise and fall with each breath. We wiggle the fingers and toes, and slowly come up to a seated position—and  we are reborn. The ritual is complete.

Are you a Shavasana lover or a Shavasana-phobe? What is your ideal Shavasana length? Two minutes or 20?

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5 responses to “Skipping Shavasana? Think Again.”

  1. martisure Avatar
    martisure

    I belong to the “Savasana lovers” group! Not only I give rest to my body and mind, but it is like I can absorb the benefits of the practice I did right before it. Like a ball of bread dough with brewer’s yeast…it needs to rest in order to rise.
    The duration? It doesn’t really matter to me as long as it is well done.

    1. Lea McLellan Avatar
      Lea McLellan

      Great metaphor! I wonder what you mean by whether or not a savasana is “well done.” Are there cues etc you like teachers to do to get their students set up for a good rest?

      1. martisure Avatar
        martisure

        To me a good Savasana is when I hear a soft voice guiding me through the deepest relaxation, preferrably with the sound of Tibetan Tingsha …the echo that comes from this magic instrument creates such a deep atmosphere that relaxation comes nearly natural.

  2. Erika Avatar
    Erika

    I always worry that I can’t do shavasana right. I try to just focus on my breath but thoughts come into my head contantly and I worry that my posture is not right or I’m not relaxing enough or should I try to scan the body again… It’s a real conflict for me.

    1. Lea McLellan Avatar
      Lea McLellan

      Isn’t it funny that the simplest things can cause us stress! My advice would be not to worry about it (though I realize it’s easier said than done). Thoughts will come and go, and that’s fine. That’s going to to happen for everyone, so there’s no use fighting it. The key is just to notice the thoughts, don’t judge them, and don’t get too caught up in them. Each time your mind wanders, you can bring the focus back to the breath. Sometimes putting some heavy blankets over the hips or the whole body, as well as bolsters under the knees can help to aid relaxation and make people feel more secure.

      And remember, shavasana is simply for relaxing, there’s no getting it “right” or “wrong.”

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Lea McLellan Avatar
About the author
Lea McLellan is a writer and yoga teacher living in Asheville, NC. She experienced the wonder of her first downward dog in college in Burlington, VT where she also studied Buddhism and Asian religious traditions. She completed her 200-hour, vinyasa teacher training in Boston in 2012 and has been practicing and teaching up and down the east coast ever since.
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