Shavasana (corpse pose): Lie down on your mat, on your back, arms and legs apart, palms turned upwards. Let the feet be as wide as your mat. Draw your shoulders away from your ears, and your tailbone toward your heels; this lengthens the spine on the mat. Close your eyes. Relax your body.
Shava = corpse; Asana = posture or seat
Allow your body to sink, melt, dissolve into the mat. Your body can relax like this in shavasana because it is fully supported, because the floor holds your body up – in some ways, like a mother holding her child. In shavasana, there is no falling or drifting; there is complete support; you are held, grounded and safe.
Noticing this, really feeling this, we can begin to let go of the body’s tension and effort. Paradoxically, our effort in shavasana is to release effort, to release control. This release is vitally important to our health and well-being. In the normal flow of life, we tend to hold effort in the body; the body readies itself for the next movement, the next task. This constant state of readiness, though, can lead to tightness, weakness, postural problems, etc. Also, mental and emotional stresses are expressed in the body; stress often creeps its way into the jaw, neck, shoulders and hips, tightening and closing the body. All this is completely normal – but not completely natural. The practice of shavasana allows us to return to our more natural, open, peaceful state.
Relaxing the body is one thing; relaxing the mind is another. Relaxing the body helps immensely with relaxing the mind, but it’s not always enough. Even with your body still, your mind may be busy planning out your week, or analyzing a conversation you just had, etc. To let go of its efforts, the mind need something to rest on too, just as the body rests of the floor.
Last year, I attended a Satsang (a gathering with meditation, singing and philosophy) led by Swami Sivabhaktananada of the Sivananda Ashram in Val Morin. He spoke of the “three pillars of the mind.” This has stuck with me ever since. The mind, he said, needs support to steady itself. And yoga offers us these three pillars to keep the mind steady and calm: the breath, a focal point for the eyes, and a mantra.
So, in shavasana, or in seated meditation, we can invite the mind to rest on the breath. Follow the flow of your breath into and out of the body. Notice where and how it moves. Be aware of every in-breath, every out-breath, and the moments of space in-between.
We can also direct our gaze, with eyes closed, at heart centre (anahata chakra) or at the space between the eyebrows (called ajña chakra, or third eye). Simply pick one of these two points, and maintain a steady gaze in that direction. It is best to practice with the same focal point each time.
And we can mentally repeat a mantra. Often, we can link the mantra to our breath. For example, repeat “om” with each in-breath and each out-breath. Or repeat “so” on the in-breath, and “hum” on the out-breath. (This is the “so hum” mantra; it means “That I am.”) If mantras in Sanskrit don’t really work for you, you can use English words. Lately, I’ve been working with “open heart” on my in-breath, and “open mind” on my out-breath. The mantra does not have to be linked with the breath, nor does it have to be an ‘official’ mantra; if there is an affirmation or prayer that is meaningful for you, use it!
So, as your body rests on the mat in shavasana, invite your mind to rest also – rest it on your breath, on a a focal point, and/or on a mantra. If the mind drifts, just bring it back as soon you notice that it has wandered. Watch as your body and mind become still and deeply relaxed. And then the magic of shavasana begins… There is nowhere to go, nothing to do, except to dwell in this state of stillness and silence…
As you emerge from shavasana, bring this peace that you have touched deep within you back to the surface layers of your daily life. Let this peace infuse your body as you begin to wiggle fingers and toes. Let it infuse your thoughts, words, and actions.
A final note: Each practice of yoga postures should culminate in shavasana. The many different yoga postures prepare us for and deepen our final shavasana. Did you ever notice that your shavasana at the end of a yoga class is different than the one at the beginning? (If you don’t usually start your asana practice with shavasana, try it, then make this comparison.) All the postures you practiced have helped to balance and relax your body more fully and deeply. Some say that shavasana is the most advanced of all the postures, the most important. What’s your experience?
And a final, final note: It is possible to extend this “effort to release effort” – this letting go of control, this sinking in to the support beneath us – into the flow of our everyday life. Michael Singer’s “Surrender Experiment”, which I discussed last week, is a beautiful example of this!