How to Relax in Savasana?

There are people who feel comfortable in Savasana starting with their first yoga class. They follow the voice of the teacher slowly relaxing their body and quickly achieve the state of complete relaxation.

But for many people, this conscious relaxation can be quite challenging. It’s hard to stop the whirlwind of thoughts even if for just 10 minutes.

By removing distractions, finding ways to get comfortable and putting the nagging thoughts to rest you will be able to get more benefits from Savasana.

Let's start with a quick reminder on how to do Savasana. Lie on your back, your legs relaxed, toes pointing outward, put your arms alongside your torso, palms up, close your eyes. Relax every part of your body and stay in the pose for 5–15 minutes. To exit the pose, slowly roll to your side. When you are ready, press your hands against the floor and slowly lift your body. Finish your practice with a few quiet breaths in Perfect pose.

And here are some more things to pay attention to when preparing yourself for Savasana.

Make yourself REALLY comfortable

Is it cold in the room? Then make sure to put a sweatshirt on or cover yourself with a blanket. If you have some piece of jewelry that’s distracting you, take it off. Once you are in Savasana, you shouldn’t move. So make sure to make these adjustments before you get in the pose.

Use props in Savasana

Props can make Savasana so much more enjoyable. If you need to fix rounded shoulders, put one block under the back of your head and the other block under your shoulder blades. If your lower back is aching, put a bolster (or a folded blanked) under your knees to alleviate the tension. 

Relax your face

Feel your eyelids getting heavier, relax your jaws, stop tightening your lips, take your tongue away from the roof of the mouth, relax every muscle in your face.

Try Advasana

If you absolutely can't make yourself feel comfortable in Savasana, try Advasana which is also called Reverse corpse pose. Start with lying on your stomach. Put your forehead on the floor, try not to touch the floor with your nose so as not to hinder your breathing. Stretch your arms forward and your toes back and relax your mind and body. 

Take your time in Savasana

Not all yoga classes are organized in a way that there is enough time for Savasana. It might be that you’ve never been in Savasana for longer than 5 minutes. So try doing yoga at home and allow plenty of time for Corpse pose. Also, try not to schedule anything important right after the yoga class.  

Realize the beauty of Savasana

Don’t be skeptical about Savasana. Don’t think about it as wasting your time. Enjoy the feeling of letting go. Let the results of the practice sink in. And think of the benefits this pose offers: relieved headache, calm nervous system, reduced stress levels.

Let go of anxiety

Music, imagining yourself as a cloud, the relaxing voice of your teacher. While all these work for some people, it sounds like a complete nonsense to others. For some of us, the sudden quietness and just a few moments of "doing nothing" may feel quite unsettling. What may work for you is listening to your breath. Not trying to control it, not consciously slowing it down, just being attentive to it. Focusing on relaxing different parts of your body is also helpful for taking your mind off everyday worries. 

No matter how jam-packed your schedule is and how tough your life has been lately, let yourself relax in Savasana. You deserve these moments!