Stay in Savasana and you will receive many benefits.
People were popping up all around me! The noise level was rising! Was I the only one staying in Savasana? Was there something wrong that I did not know about? Should I be concerned and end Savasana now?
In 2002 I was attending a workshop in Montreal as part of the Pattabhi Jois World Tour. There was about 300 people in the room and every day it was the same thing. Lots of people wanted a chance to talk to Pattabhi Jois that they would only stay in Savasana for seconds before they popped up and went over to him.
This was very disturbing for those of us that were staying in Savasana and it made it difficult for us to focus on the mental aspects of the pose.
What is Savasana
Savasana is the last pose that you do in your yoga practice. It is a reclining pose that has a degree of difficulty of zero for the physical aspect, but the mental aspect of the pose is very challenging to master. You can find out more about how to do Savasana and why it is included in your practice in an earlier article.
There are three reasons that you should stay in Savasana for more than a few seconds:
- Avoid disturbing others
- Take time for your system to equalize
- Work on improving your meditation practice
These are all important reasons for staying in Savasana but the first one is the only that impacts the people around you.
1 – Do not disturb others
You are expected to spend about 5 minutes in Savasana working on your meditation. When you get up right away and start a conversation with your teacher you will be disturbing your neighbours and make it more difficult for them to get the full benefit from the pose. This was definitely the case at the workshop that Pattabhi Jois was leading.
Even if you do not talk to your teacher, but are just leaving early, you will still be disturbing others as you pack up your mat and props and head across the room towards the door.
Leaving Savasana early will result in you missing one of the many benefits of an extended stay in Savasana.
2 – Give time for your system to equalize
During the practice you mind has been engaged and very active. Which muscles should be engaged, which muscles should be relaxed. Where should you be looking. Is your breath flowing easily. There is lots to engage your mind.
Also your body has been very busy as well. Stretching muscles here. Compressing muscles there. Twisting this way and that. Stimulating all of the organs of the body and focusing your gaze in many different directions.
After all of this mental and physical activity your body and mind need a period of time to calm down and relax.
In addition if you have been doing a vigorous practice then your heart and breath rate will be well above normal and you need to give your body the time it needs to bring these back to their normal levels.
If you take only a short Savasana at the end of your practice you will be jumpy and scatter brained for the rest of the day. You will find it difficult to focus on a task.
Finally if you do an evening practice and skip Savasana you may find it difficult to get to sleep later in the evening.
Giving time for your physical and mental systems to settle down and relax is important, but taking the time to work on your meditation is important as well.
3 – Work on your meditation
Taking the time now in Savasana to work on calming the mind and keeping it focused on the present moment will help with your ability to do meditation.
Working on keeping your mind focused for longer and longer periods of time on the state of your body will not only help with your meditation but it will also help you to manage stressful situations when they arise.
Being more aware of the state of your body when you are at rest and relaxed will help you to recognize the differences when you are in a stressful situation.
Once you become aware of your stress you can then focus on your breath and start breathing properly to help manage the stress in your body and make it go away.
It is the practice that you take in Savasana that will make this stress management easier.
As you can see there are three good reasons that you should stay in Savasana for more than a few seconds. But from time to time life does get in the way and you will have to leave your yoga practice early.
What to do if you have to leave your yoga practice early
There are few things that you should do when you have to leave early. If you follow this approach you will still be able to get your time in Savasana and still leave when you need to.
First you need to let your teacher know that you have to leave early today. Your teacher will be able to tell you when in the practice that you should stop and move into Savasana. Even as the others in the class continue on with the practice you take the time now before you leave to enter Savasana for the normal amount of time.
The second thing you do is to setup your mat near the door. When it is time for you to leave, you will be disturbing the minimum number of people as you pack up and leave the practice room.
In rare cases you may not be able to include Savasana before you leave the practice room. In that case promise yourself to do Savasana as soon as possible and definitely before you go to bed.
Summary
Savasana is an important pose to finish your practice with. There are many benefits that Savasana brings to your life off of the mat that you should not skip it.
- Calm the body
- Calm the mind
- Practice meditation
- Manage stress
Leaving Savasana early will disturb the people around you and deprive you of the benefits of the pose.
So what should the people in the workshop have done? They could have stayed in Savasana like everyone else and had their conversation with Pattabhi Jois after everyone had finished. He never had anywhere to go after the workshop and always took the time to talk to everyone that wanted to talk to him.
Next Step
Stay in Savasana for as long as possible even if you have to go somewhere right after class. If necessary end your practice early and do Savasana before you rush out the door to your next event.
