Surrendering To The Mat - 5 Lessons from Savasana
So my first yoga class was eventful. After making an entire spectacle of myself, I thought just lying down on a mat sounded insanely amazing. Boy was I wrong. I am insanely terrified of death and anything remotely associated with it (Love me a good horror film though). So when I heard the name of the pose, I cringed. To be more specific, I recoiled internally. I am just lying on the mat! Can't we just have some sleeping name like Yoga Nidra? Do we really have to liken it to a corpse?
And when we did get around to lying on the mat, I was incredibly self conscious and awkward. Are my boobs spilling out sideways? Is EVERYONE really having their eyes closed? Wait, how long is this? My body needs restoration for THIS long? Seriously? Are we done yet? Which part of this is peaceful? How big do my thighs look? Like, exactly how big? OHMYGOD he's yanking on my head (my instructor was trying to straighten my spine by lengthening my neck) HELP. Seriously, someone should have noticed that I look like a piece of ham lying on a mat by now.
That's just five percent of what went on in my head. Of course, this got a lot better with time. Don't get me wrong, I have my days where I can't empty my head and focus on surrendering to the mat. But I have had amazing days - I remember there was this one specific time where I felt like this enormous weight had left me when I sat upright after savasana ended. I felt incredibly light, positive, at peace and oddly, powerful. I stunned myself so much my eyes flew open. I promise you, none of this is an exaggeration.
I'm not here to tell you what to do during savasana, or how you should go about that pose. I firmly believe it's an individual experience that you have to figure out as you go. I cannot tell you how savasana "cures" you from your thoughts and your mind - I have a hyperactive mind myself, and I love it. But that's where savasana comes to play - I used to be extremely impulsive. Largely because my instincts are extremely strong and accurate. 97% of the time. The remaining 3% it's just pure impulse. But I used to shrug off the consequences with a "Hey, you hqve to take the good with the good, and the bad with the bad".
You see, during a savasana, you are essentially marinating in the after effects of your practice, you are letting your body recalibrate itself from all the muscle engagement you just did. And somehow, the more comfortable I got lying on a mat doing absolutely nothing, or rather, the longer I was able to lie on a mat with peace, the better my impulse control has been getting. I don't jump into things as much anymore. I still go with my gut even if my brain insists this is a mistake. But I'm more comfortable marinating in the thought process. This allows me to rationalise my instincts and make better decisions on the subsequent course of action - as opposed to going with my instinct and then thinking "Ok I've made this decision. So, what now?"
And yes, savasana has also helped me be more comfortable with the fact that sometimes, you can only be a bystander for the things happening in your life because things are beyond your control, it has helped me understand and appreciate the value of "balance", and the concept of "now". The list goes on. So what if you are someone who is not into Yoga, a newbie, or simply just don't like it?
Here are some of my lessons and key points from doing so many savasanas. I hope you are able to incorporate them in some form in your daily life:
· We as human beings need regular bouts of periods where we can recharge and refocus. On your goals, your growth, your path. Do whatever works for you, where you can consciously allow your mind and body to focus on nothing but this.
· The more you can't do something, the more you probably need it (That's good for you and doesn't violate your morals and ethics, don't get it twisted guys). And in my case, I needed savasana so much because I could never get my mind and body still, or to be precise, close to stillness.
· Regularly observe. I have spoken so much on meditation, yoga, and how there's so much noise around us in this world. Take the time to tune in to yourself, your thoughts and your body.
· Exercise compassion. I constantly hear people talk about how they fall asleep during savasana, and some go on to talk about how guilty that makes them feel. I have never slept during a savasana. But if that's the case for you, or just in an overall sense, try being more compassionate towards yourself. Try to reduce the amount of guilt, anger or disappointment towards your own actions. You don't need that unnecessary weight and burden. Because if not you, who else is going to be compassionate towards yourself?
· Set clear intentions. Often when ending a savasana, the instructor calls for you to take one final cleansing breath. Personally, I am not sure if this is to call for your attention that practice is ending, or if it's to act as one final enforcement for you to relax. But it's clear. And it invokes a natural response from you. Be that clear with your brain. Whether you are starting your day, ending your day at the office or before going in for a spa treatment. Give it signals to avoid monotony. This allows your brain to respond appropriately, which consequently gives you better outcomes.
And that's it! I hope these are useful for you, and you can use them in some way, even if you don't intend to explore Yoga. Have something that you think would be useful or that I missed out? Leave it in the comments below!
