Want Easy Extra Bliss for Your Yoga Savasana? Try this

Yoga Savasana might seem ineffectual if you’re relatively new to yoga practice or have a distracted mind. Some folks skip this closing practice altogether and dart to the nearest door. (More common in a gym-like atmosphere; uncommon in a yoga studio.) However, skipping your Savasana is like leaving the embers after dousing a fire. 

Why is Savasana Important?

Savasana, aka Corpse pose, closes every yoga class. It’s a time for us to unwind. It’s a time to surrender to our full breath and enjoy a state of peace. Our body temperature resets, our breath and nervous system calm, our mind clarifies – this is when the healing begins. 

Viewed by some as a waste of precious time, nothing is more untrue. What is true is many yoga newbies find it a challenge to lie down and relax. And quiet our thoughts? For those “darters”, silence is foreign to their minds. When, truthfully, we should bathe in it. 

What Our Savasana Does

Savasana (aka resting pose or corpse pose) is taken lying on our backs on our mat 

• Savasana brings us to a mild meditative state of rest 
• It provides us pause to sink our teeth into our day’s practice and respect our accomplishment 
• Savasana enhances the rejuvenation of our body and cells
• Savasana reduces stress or tension, increases blood circulation, lessens insomnia and depression

Seriously, Savasana delivers a whole new transition to your session. Cherished like a divine jewel, it extends beyond your yoga class. Regular Savasana practice will carry you well into your day and future well-being. Its value in the yoga discipline is unequaled.

Regular practice of the resting pose discipline creates emotional balance. Composure overlays prior frustrations. Our responses to adverse or hostile situations become less flammable. (A topic for another day.)

How to get the most out of Savasana 

How does one tiny action become a game-changer to end an asana session? Cover your eyes in resting pose. This is THE conquering touch!

Not only do eye covers block the light, but placing an article on the eyes (or forehead) calms the body AND the mind. Your resting pose is off to an exquisite start. 

Here are a couple of Savasana Eye Tips

• Before you cruise to your next yoga class roll a dry washcloth with your yoga mat. The prize is two-fold. 1) You can swab if you sweat and, 2) later fold it to cover your eyes in savasana – a super treat. Ah, what a difference a washcloth makes!
• Even better, utilize your venue’s eye pillows. 1) These fabulous deliberately weighted pillows relieve eye tension; 2) Plus, the pillow’s light pressure on the eyes stimulates the vagus nerve which originates in our brain. It helps control our mood, regulates our heart rate and digestion.
• For hygiene, we wrap a tissue around the eye pillow before placement so the surface is fresh for you. Or… treat yourself to an eye pillow for just $6 or $10—another easy roll-up in your mat. Weighted eye pillows are also used before bedtime or napping. Some are scented. 

NOTE: Avoid weighted pillows in resting pose if you have low blood pressure.

So That Said…

Leading yourself to the edge, as we say in yoga, isn’t always physical. Immerse yourself fully in your well-deserved yoga class finale… resting pose.

Scoop up these precious closing minutes of peace with every yoga practice’s champion prop, the eye pillow. You’ll unplug from noisy thoughts or personal judgments and melt into the joyful present. With that, you’ll reduce stress, calm your mind, and raise your awareness. 

Appreciate these minutes of paradise. After all, you are in yoga to feel better and function better each day, Right? 

Shoot me your questions here.