Savasana

Not at all related to the topic of this post: Saturday I spent the majority of practice with the sun on (and in) my eyes. A 9am class and in the midst of November, which tends to be very cold and foggy in this part of Washington yet it was blue skies with the sun in my eyes. I loved it. You know how we tend to (or at least try to) spend our practice gazing at our own faces in the mirror, today I chose to look past noticing the sun in my face and stare at my own blue eyes that were glowing from the suns rays. I'm not one to toot my own horn, especially given that I struggle often with liking myself but I felt so beautiful in those moments. During the whole standing series, I felt love. Love for myself and just love.

At any rate, due to this post's title, I spent a lot of time noticing how my body feels in Savasana. Has any one else done this?

For example, when I come out of camel and lay in savasana, my body feels like the floor is rising up to cradle my body.
Or after fixed firm, feeling my body very warm from the increased circulation.

Savasana is really the most fascinating posture to me. It is the place we receive benefits, instead of trying to work for them. And the harder we try to work, the less we receive. We breathe and breathe and notice the tension in our bodies that doesn't release.

And what happens when we work or move in savasana? We don't receive. I like to think of the stillness as the act that prevents me from perpetual hell. No joke. We move to release the tickle from sweat in our ears or the lingering hair on our shoulder, but those little things are only temptations. Temptations to keep us from receipt of great emotional healing, beautiful body restoration, and mental stillness. Only to throw us into that perpetual hell of what our bodies currently feel like.

What does your perpetual hell feel like?

I can honestly say that my perpetual hell, which is the current state of my body that I continually work to come out of, feels like constant back aches. And rightfully so, having a broken spine really isn't wonderful, as some might think ;). My lower back aches, I have muscle spasms almost hourly, I am constantly leaning forward or backward to release tension. My left side is very inflexible (although some would argue that my half-moon is more than sufficient), and my right knee makes a grinding sound when I bend it. The idea that comes to mind as I lay in Savasana is that if I move, even an inch, I start all over again.

And in all of this time spent in yoga, how much have I given thought to the stillness in Savasana. Not enough. If I have any chance of wanting to release my human body from those pains, a quiet mind and body in Savasana is where I will find it.