Savasana…My favorite Part of Yoga
At the end of every yoga class, you often hear the teacher instructing you to lie still on your back with your eyes closed and legs long for “Savasana” or “Copse Pose”. This is the moment I am able to let out a big breath and finally allow my hour-long yoga practice to sink in. This is the best moment of my yoga practice.
But as I start to travel and teach yoga to more and more athletes, I started to realize that not many people understood the power of this pose, or asana. B.K.S. Iyengar explained in his book Light On Yoga “By remaining motionless for some time and keeping he mind still while you are fully conscious, you learn to relax. This conscious relaxation invigorates and refreshes both body and mind.” Believe me, for years the idea of laying down and clearing my thoughts seemed impossible. But once I was open to the idea of savasana, I slowly felt how beneficial this was for my everyday life.
Why do savasana?
Savasana allows the breathing rhythm and heart rate to steady and rest. In all of our hectic lives, this is very rare. With heightened heart rates, people loose control and often result in anxiety problems and stress overload. As athletes, we are really good at heightening our heart rate and pushing our bodies to the limit. It’s important that the body and mind get a few minutes to rest a day for balance. By practicing savasana, one can train themselves to slow down their heart rate and breath with complete control. I know that I can run farther distances and snowboard longer powder lines knowing that I can have complete authority over my heart rate and breath. Because of techniques learned in savasana, you learn to become aware of those things around you, and observe from a calm and pleasantly detached place. The word “hectic” and “stressed” are slowly eliminated from your vocabulary.
So take 2 minutes after your yoga practice to complete your workout. Your mind (and body!) will thank you.
California Yoga Sport 