It does not matter where and how you do yoga – in a gym, a special studio, a real Indian ashram or at home from YouTube videos, at the end of the practice you will be offered to do shavasana. Also called Corpse Pose, the point of this exercise is to relax after a workout. Some manage to do this with ease, while for others, completing the practice becomes a real test. Our heroine told how she understood the true meaning of shavasana and why it is now one of her favorite parts of her class.
The personal story of a girl who mastered the chin stand can be found here:
“I mastered the chin up, overcoming my fear.” Personal story and opinion of a yoga trainer
first experience
Tatiana Zhdanova
Director of Public Relations
I became interested in yoga when I was still studying at the university, that is, around 2014. She was one of the options for physical education, I started walking and I really liked it. So much so that I began to additionally study at home, and in the summer I went to the park to practice various asanas and exercises in the fresh air from classes.
In all classes, I stubbornly ignored shavasana, asana, which usually ends any practice. This is an exercise that seems very simple: with your eyes closed, you need to lie on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms pointing palms up, and breathe. And I didn’t understand why at all. What should I feel? What will it bring me? It seemed to me that this was just part of the relaxation after a workout, but you can also relax while sitting. Why do you need to lie down and why close your eyes?
For the first few shavasanas, I would just lie down, think of something of my own, and wait for it to finish. I wanted to scratch my face, move, open my eyes. Sometimes he would do exactly that and stare at the ceiling. In general, it was very boring. I’m sure many of you are familiar with these feelings.
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
Later, when yoga had already become a part of my life and I did my own practice, I often ignored the shavasana and breathing exercises. I liked complex asanas in which it was necessary to find balance, build the body. And I was not interested in lying, breathing and meditating, and I just deleted this part.
At the same time, I often heard that shavasana, despite its apparent simplicity, is one of the most difficult poses in yoga. It requires a combination of mental and physical efforts. I had no desire to make any effort at all. I just didn’t see the point.
First successful practice
This was until the summer of 2022, but then everything changed. At work, I had the opportunity to attend yoga classes in one of the best studios in Moscow. In the first lesson, somehow everything immediately came together. I liked the studio itself with a nice atmosphere that sets you up for relaxation, and training, and the instructor. In the hall, the lights were dimmed, quiet music was turned on, and incense with an unobtrusive smell was lit. It was hot, it was easy and pleasant to take asanas. The teacher gently guided, prompted, took care of everyone. In general, excellent impressions.
I really liked the main part of the practice, I felt my body, the muscles, how they stretch and work. And in the end, the instructor, of course, offered to do shavasana, but before that, he breathed a little. After a couple of breathing exercises that helped relax and relieve tension in the muscles, we lay down and covered ourselves with blankets so as not to freeze.
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
Before, I sometimes caught a cold in savasana. I didn’t hide anything, so my arms and legs got cold and I wanted to move them. And then we wrapped ourselves in soft blankets, and the instructor said: “Now close your eyes and try to connect your gaze at a point above the nose, on the bridge of the nose, between the eyebrows. Straighten your eyes to this point and lie down.
I did it like that. The body was comfortable and warm under the blanket. The music got a little louder and the instructor calmly said which areas to relax in. If you’ve ever tried shavasana from video tutorials, you know how they say: relax your forehead, relax your cheeks. All this is said slowly, the wave of relaxation coming from the bottom up, from the toes to the top of the head.
In general, I lay down, listened to the instructor, did everything in turn, directed this wave through my body. When there was silence, I kept lying down and at some point I felt a total relaxation. Suddenly it seemed that I did not feel my body at all, it became so light and weightless. It was as if consciousness detached and floated above my physical shell. I know it sounds very strange, but that was what I felt for the first time. And then I felt all the depth of shavasana available to me, its effect.
Look for personal experience with the juice diet at the link:
I sat on a juice diet for three days and lost 2.5 kg. Personal history and doctor’s opinion.
Another very important point is the correct exit from shavasana. For the first time, I was in such complete relaxation that it seemed that if something suddenly fell nearby or someone hit me, I would have had a heart attack. That is why it is very important to gently come out of shavasana. Carefully and little by little. Our instructor began to speak quietly: “Take a deep breath. Come back to your body. Feel your arms, legs…”. In general, she began to return us from a state of absolute weightlessness to this world. After that, she invited those who are ready to open their eyes, turn around and lie down a little more. Gradually everyone eased out of the asana and the training ended.
So I felt a great gratitude towards everything that surrounded me at that moment. It was a very nice feeling to be rebooted. He seemed to sleep well, but at the same time he was conscious all the time. I think I really relaxed at that point. And that was just the beginning.
The first rule of shavasana
Photo: www.istockphoto.com
How long did it take to fully open shavasana for myself? Hard to say. In fact, I first tried this asana in 2014, but I really felt it only after visiting a yoga practitioner at work. Probably, if during this period I tried to do it, looked for my own approach, it would have turned out earlier. But nobody told me how to do it.
I must say right away that in my subsequent practices, I did not always manage to repeat the state that I described above. Little by little I realized that the success of an asana largely depends on the attitude with which I start the practice. If I am nervous and cannot tune in to my body, drive my thoughts away, then shavasana will not work either, even now, when I understand how to enter it correctly. For the experience to be successful, I need to be here and now.
I highly recommend that everyone find their own guide to help them dive into shavasana correctly. Because the feeling of total relaxation, I’m sure, we all really lack in everyday life. And the ability to get into it is priceless.
We collect answers to questions about shavasana at the link:
Photo
Savasana Beginners: 15 Awkward Yoga Questions and Answers
How to correctly enter shavasana: 5 tips from a yoga instructor
hatha yoga instructor
Shavasana appears to be a simpler pose than it really is. The body can be very distracting, turning this exercise into a kind of test, accompanied by cold, discomfort and itching. That is why it is done at the end of the session to eliminate discomfort. It is normal for the head to resist deep relaxation. Shavasana is the end of the lesson, the moment you have to surrender, it teaches you not to fight against the clock and create peace and harmony in your soul.
Prepare for success. Stretch out on the mat and make sure you are completely comfortable. The more comfortable you feel, the better you can relax and let go of your thoughts. Take one last cleansing breath. The cleansing breath will send a signal to the parasympathetic nervous system that relaxation is safe and that you can be yourself. Mentally review all the parts of your body and try to relax them as much as possible, feel peace and lightness, just trust your breathing. Capture relaxing moments of silence between thoughts. Tune in. Before leaving shavasana, try to mentally capture your feelings at each of the levels. Focus on feeling more rested, alert, and alive than you did before the practice.
If you practice calm and surrender on the mat, it’s easier to do in real life. This is exactly what yoga is worth doing.
To learn how to perform another yoga pose, read the link:
Strengthens the spirit and improves the mood. Learning to perform the pose of a warrior.
Want more tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle?
Sign up for the weekly lifestyle newsletter.
Email Subscribe
