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Today we will talk about the corpse pose (also called the resting pose) which is the literal translation of Savasana in Sanskrit words.
This position is often achieved following the Tadasana,or the mountain posture, which is among the most famous yoga poses.
We will go through together to know how to practise it better and learn about its long-term benefits. We will eventually see the mistakes to avoid in your asana practice.
What is the corpse pose?
First of all, it is good to note that “the posture of the corpse” is not an inspiring name. However, we must not rely on this, because looking at appearances is often the wrong choice.
This name was actually given to it for a very simple reason: when you practise it you are like a corpse. You are on your back, without moving your body and your mind is calm.
By completing it at the end of the session, you will find the relaxation you need to let go and simply feel good.
Why is this posture so complicated?
The problem with the Savasana is to say to yourself, “It’s easy just to lie back and wait for time to pass”. Unfortunately it is much more than that. It is quite an art to achieve it perfectly and some even speak of the most difficult yoga pose because the challenge is not physical but spiritual.
Not thinking about the others, your life or simply not falling asleep when you are in a group, are things that seem simple but when you start practising it, many thoughts cross your mind: What am I going to cook when I get home? Did this guy really just snore? I hope I’m not going to leave sweat” etc.
And that’s perfectly normal! The mind does not want to let itself go into a state of deep relaxation, it is a process that takes time, you will have to exercise a lot before succeding.
How to succeed the Savasana?
If you want to succed it, you have to go first through a good preliminary session that can tire your body and your mind. The goal is to avoid any distraction and focus only on the present time, which is the real challenge. To achieve this, 5 steps are required:
- Put yourself in the right conditions.
The material you use for this exercise should be just perfect: a comfortable mattress, pillows if necessary, and a towel over your eyes. The goal is to have the best position in which you can perfectly relax and thus help the mind to let go more easily, which will be more beneficial. You can even start with a trataka meditation.
- Take a deep breath.
Your teacher will certainly tell you this but it is necessary to take a big breath of oxygen before starting, like in every mental yoga poses. It’s like saying to your body, “It’s okay, you can relax, there’s no danger.”.
- You need to concentrate.
Visualize in your head your whole body step by step, trying to point the tension, the stress that has accumulated in some parts and simply eliminating it. Shoulders, lower back, hips… until your head, thinking again about the crown chakra meditation. Slowly relax to start the process.
- Now, take a look.
This is the time not to miss. The moment you were eagerly waiting for: you let yourself be carried away by your breath, you don’t think about anything anymore and you forget the present time. At first, this state of relaxation will be very brief but over the time, these they will become longer and longer and you will be more and more peaceful.
Why is it interesting to practice this posture during your yoga sessions?
In our society today, everything is going faster and faster. Life has become a race in which we all take part to simply survive. This relaxation exercise therefore has an incredibly positive role.
Learning not to do anything but make a vacuum is an ability that will help you more than you think in your daily productivity, even if it seems contradictory to you. If you are in a exhausting lifestyle, you can associate this posture with a suitable form of yoga, such as restorative yoga for example.
Of course, it is recommended to have the right equipment to put you in the best conditions, including a quality outfit and carpet that you can find on our dedicated site.
A few mistakes to avoid
We have already listed the main mistakes to avoid. First of all you have to be careful about how tired you were after the session, both ohysically and mentally.
The more you are tired the more it will be easy for you to reach a state of relaxation. On the contrary, if you are nervous or too energetic it will be more difficult.
Then, it’s like a training. You won’t probably succeed the first time but don’t give up. When you finish this exercise, try to think about the different steps and then compare them, session after session, to check how you have improved.
