Just relax…please
If only it was that simple. Our mind usually thinks of relaxation as lying on the couch watching tv, or maybe reading a good book or walking outside in nature. All of those activities can be relaxing but the kind of deep relaxation that happens at the end of yoga class called savasana is more of a true physiological occurrence called the relaxation response, a term coined by Dr. Benson, but actually practiced by yogis since ancient times . Lets take a look at “corpse pose” or savasana and see what its all about and various ways to lead that practice.
“The earliest mention of the pose is in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.32, which states in the context of a medieval belief system that “lying down on the ground supine, like a corpse, is called Shavasana. It eliminates tiredness and promotes calmness of the mind.” Mark Singleton, Roots of Yoga.
Shavasana is one of the most important poses in yoga. A “maha” or great pose that has many benefits to the entire body/mind. It creates and culminates the “holistic “ energy of the yogic subtle body by both physiologically and systematically relaxing all the layers or koshas. In that level of mind/body integration we let go of judgements, expectations, and just allow the witness consciousness of the body feel, relax and allow the energy to flow.
Modern Hatha Yoga has embraced relaxation pose or shavasana as an essential component of the total yogic experience. It is most often practiced at the end of class for anywhere from 8 -15 minutes and sometime offered at the beginning of class as well depending on the types of asana being offered active yang practice virus passive yin.
As with any asana pose there are many ways to guide as student into the experience. Some teachers use a guided relaxation script, or a physical tense and relaxation of muscles, or maybe a simple body scan head to toe. Regardless of your way of guiding students into the pose, sound can be an important if not critical point.
While the posture itself may seem simple the process of guiding relaxation is more complex. Let’s begin with the sound of your “yoga teacher” voice. In Shavasana that voice will soften and become slightly slower, creating more of an invitational tone of exploration in the pose versus that command tone of regular asana. This intentional change of tone in the voice sets the stage for other guiding sounds to emerge, such as the sound of the breath.
Moving into deeper stillness the focus changes to the sound of the breath as it arises and falls away. The yogis call this sound a natural mantra we are born with, a So Ham or Ham Sa internal sound that is part of the larger pranavad or connection to all cosmic sound. We rest in the sound of the breath.
As the breath deepens into that cosmic sound a portal opens for sound as a focus of meditation or concentration. A gentle reminder to stay focused and be present. A vibrational entrainment with the natural rhythms occuring both inside and outside the body. Maybe that’s the simple sound of a soft singing bowl drone or a chime, an ocean or panda drum calling us back to ourselves. It doesn’t need to be complex. In fact the simplicity of repetitive sound and drones allows the mind to relax even deeper.
If you are inspired to learn more about integrating sound meditation into your Shavasana for deep relaxation, I encourage you to join me for my upcoming six hour yoga alliance contact hour approved workshop. It is a fun and simple way to add new dimension to an ancient practice and begin offering “sound bytes” to your yoga and meditation students. So now we can all just relax….. please
Namaste
Judy Grier E-RTY 500, Sound Therapy Practitioner, Sound Reiki Master, LMT
