I just had a pretty amazing savasana yoga experience. I was in a class at Lifesource Yoga with Deirdre Sargent, and she led us through a fun practice with lots of stretches and hip openers. She has a great way of structuring the class so it is challenging for some and restorative for others. It was one of those classes that I enjoyed so much that when it was time for savasana, I was surprised that the class had gone by so fast.
Once I stretched out on the floor in savasana position I noticed right away that my back was comfortable. This rarely happens and when it does, I’m ecstatic. Typically, the curve in my back makes it uncomfortable to lie in savasana, and I have to shift around to get comfortable or use a prop under my legs. When my back doesn’t hurt in this position, I know the instructor has taken me through all the right moves to stretch my back.
The song playing was “Aqueous Transmission” from Incubus, a smooth, calming song that perfectly set the mood for the dreamy nap to come. Deirdre started off with a few nuggets of wisdom to set us on our savasana journey and said something to the effect of (it’s hard to quote someone when you are lounging in a state of relaxation, so, Deirdre, I hope I come close to what you said), “Lose your expectations for today. In fact, forget about your expectations for the rest of your life and just relax, breathe, and let your body rest and renew itself.”
This message really hit home for me. I spend so much time worrying about what I have to get done each day and what I need to accomplish this year that the thought of just putting all the angst aside for a few minutes and focusing on renewing my spirit and my body was totally freeing. I did it too. Forgot everything and just lay there in utter bliss, with a cool breeze coming in from the window, listening to beautiful music, my body warm and tingling from the amazing stretches. How amazing to just let it all go, even if only for a few moments.
At the end of savasana, Deirdre sang to us in Sanskrit, and it was a beautiful way to be awakened. I don’t know what she sang to us, but whatever it was resonated with me for the rest of the day. I was thankful for the practice of yoga for not only opening up my body, but for opening up my mind to all of life’s possibilities.
Here’s hoping you have an amazing savasana meditation experience this week. Have you had an amazing savasana experience? If so, I’d love to hear about it!
This was post savasana, but in my class Saturday I had my students doing lots of twisting and strengthening to access the 3rd chakra. After their savasana I had them come to seated in a way they could see the studio wall were we have the Gayatri mantra painted. We all sang the Gayatri together and it was so beautiful. It was a spontaneous decision on my part, but I could see that they were so surrendered that this would be the perfect close to class.
Meredith I have got to make it to one of your yoga classes – they sound amazing!
Hi M! I used to have the same issue in Savasana — I’m super back-bendy and the arch in my lower back would ache when lying down. The trick is to lie down with your feet on the floor + knees bent (pointing at the ceiling). Press into your feet to lift your butt and torso slightly, then slowly drape your body back down to the ground, from your upper back to your booty. It has to be back to booty, not the other way around (booty to back exaggerates the arch). This gently removes the overarch and makes Savasana MUCH more comfy. Hope that helps and isn’t confusing. Some of these things are hard to describe when you can’t demo them! 🙂
I think your magical experience in that class had lots to do with the focus on hip openers (in addition to the other yummy stuff, of course!). When you realllllly get in there, so many things you didn’t realize were stored up just melt away.
Hey Lo – Thanks for this tip! I’m picking up what you’re throwing down and I’m definitely going to give it a try. I think it will help a lot!! Back to Booty, Back to Booty – my new mantra 🙂
Some people say that savasana can be the most difficult pose for us to do. In order to be still, to quiet the mind and to allow ourselves to be so open can be a challenging task. But, I look forward to savasana. One of my favorite ways to get into savasana is when the teacher asks us to tighten up our muscles – moving from our feet all the way up to our heads – and then to relax those tightened muscles. It really loosens me up and reminds me that with a little bit of effort, we can in fact let it all go. Of course, it’s always nice when my teacher comes up to me in the middle of savasana and massages my temples and rubs the base of my skull 🙂 Thanks for this lovely post!
Oh yeah – the little massages are the best! That is something I need to embrace and carry forward when I become a yoga teacher.
My teacher very often sets us up for savasana in a similar way which I love. She will say ‘ there’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, just be’ and it really makes me forget about what I will be doing once savasana is over, worrying about the next thing or task. Instead I chill and really try to be present. She also sings to us, a short sanskrit chant, that I love and look forward to at the end of every class.
I had such an amazing Savasana the last few classes. I blogged about them here!
http://rvthereyet.ca/2014/01/21/savasana-bliss/