The benefits of Savasana

I stretch out on the floor face up, my legs semi-open, my arms slightly apart from my torso, my fingers and toes relaxed. I breathe slowly, relax my jaw, the muscles of my face, legs and back. I patiently review every bit of my body to verify the calm, and I am moved. The awareness of total rest excites me. Savasana -also called the corpse or the relaxation posture- is one of the most important asanas or yoga postures in the class, at first glance the easiest. It is generally practiced at the end and its purpose is to integrate the benefits of the yoga session in that position of absolute and conscious relaxation, and this is what makes it one of the most complicated. It is about slowly relaxing each part of the body, and once that moment of deep relaxation has been reached, sustaining the consciousness of rest, incorporating it and going deeper into it. The benefits of savasana are an excellent motivator to seek to practice it correctly. If we manage to master it, we will be able to relax easily in any circumstance, and we will lay the foundations for a better meditation.

• Calms the mind and promotes relief from stress and depression.
• Relax the body.
• Reduces headache, fatigue and insomnia.
• Helps reduce blood pressure.

In addition, it relaxes the sense organs. Smooth the base of the tongue, the nostrils, the inner ear canals, and the skin on the forehead, especially around the bridge of the nose, between the eyebrows. For those who suffer from back pain, it is best to perform it with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, hip-width apart. For pregnant women, it is advisable to support the head and chest on a pillow. I have found a series of interesting tips to perform savasana, here they are.

• We lay down slowly, softly, on our backs
• Eyes closed or open. If we close them, we can use a eye pad to enhance relaxation.
• Arms slightly apart from the body and palms up
• Feet naturally apart
• Hands stretched towards the feet to move the shoulders away from the ears
• We imagine that the body sinks into the ground to encourage relaxation
• We bring all our attention inward and observe how the body relaxes until we feel light and calm.
• We remain attentive to all the sensations that emanate from our body, between wakefulness and sleep

The complexity of the exercise is not in the form of the posture but in the mental attitude. Practicing savasana is like arriving at an oasis, its magic floods our bodies and minds and makes us happier, at peace, and fairer with our surroundings. Namaste.