Savasana is important to your yoga practice. It’s the punctuation at the end of the sentence. Without a full-length Savasana, we’re missing an opportunity to improve our state-of-being. Yes, physical exercises and breath work are excellent for our physical health, but without a full-length savasana at the end, what have we done for our mind? Ideally, we should take one minute of “final resting pose” for every 10 minutes that we practiced yoga.
- 60 minutes practice = 6 minutes of final resting pose
- 75 minutes practice = 7.5 minutes of final resting pose
- 90 minutes practice = 9 minutes of final resting pose
Spending more time in Savasana is okay, but not less. When I take a yoga class, if I get no Savasana, I am agitated. A short Savasana (1 – 3 minutes) leaves me unsettled. Receiving 5 – 10 minutes is great. More than that? Wonderful! I recently received 20 minutes in Savasana and was so rested and peaceful afterwards that I didn’t even care that the class ran late! Luckily, I wasn’t in a rush. As far as the quality of Savasana goes, I prefer that the teacher stays quiet during this time so I can attempt to mentally let go. I welcome enhancements such as soothing music at a low volume, foot massage, gentle physical adjustments and/or sound therapy from a symphonic gong, singing bowl or chimes. What type of Savasana experiences do you enjoy?
The Outdoors Editor for Active.com lays out four nice reasons for taking Savasana in the article link below. In addition to her points, I believe Savasana is a nice starting place for a meditation practice. If we can let go for five minutes, just think of what we could accomplish in 10, 15 or even 20 minutes! When the mind is quiet, the body and mind are both at rest, allowing stress reduction and healing to occur. Even though there are many great reasons to take a full-length Savasana, I acknowledge that some people don’t care for Savasana, even if they love yoga. That’s fine, too. I would never force someone to stay.
http://www.active.com/outdoors/articles/why-savasana-is-important-to-your-yoga-practice