51 Days Yoga Consciousness Series 2nd May-21st June 2021

Knowledge of Yoga is infinite, boundless and timeless. “Learning Yoga is an everlasting journey that leads you within and Within is where you find the world of immortal bliss”. –Mitraasha

Namaste All My Yoga Yaatris! May Yog Bless You!

The idea behind running this 51 Days Yoga Consciousness series is to proffer my modest learnings and share the divine pearls of Yoga science with people at large. Let’s have a conjoint intent to learn, implement and extend the wisdom of Yoga with a positive co-action and harmonious reverberation amongst each other.

Asanas For Relaxation & restoration: Shavasana

Shavasana-The Corpse Pose

Shavasana and a few other sitting asanas, through their equal contribution of physical stimuli, perpetuate the equilibrium linking the two important aspects of any yogic journey, viz relaxation and meditation.

Shavasana or the Corpse Pose is a yoga pose that resembles the posture of a dead person. It has its roots in Sanskrit words Shava which means corpse and Asana meaning position. Another Sanskrit  name for this asana is Mrtasana  where mṛta means death. The earliest mention of this asana can be traced back to the 15th century in Hatha Yoga Pradipika where it is stated that lying down supine on the floor like a dead is referred to as Shavasana.

Most often than not, people think this position is very easy to practice, however even though it may seem so, it is very difficult to go in as one needs to voluntarily attain complete relaxation both physically and mentally while doing it.

This pose is generally practiced after a dynamic yoga session. Although it can also be done if you feel tired often and want to feel refreshed, rejuvenated and restore your energy immediately. It’s objective is to extend healing to the body from within and relax it, eliminate fatigue, mental agitation and instill calmness of the mind.

Literal calmness would be when the body is wholly resigned to the laws of gravity, mind to mother nature and the exchange of energy happens subtly with each deep dynamic breath. It is a beautiful technique where utter relaxation of the voluntary muscles passes on the energy to the involuntary parts and this relay of energy by voluntary action and involuntary reaction induces the required stability for the restoration of power and vigour.

Limitations / Contraindications

  • People suffering from psychological disorder and depression should not practice Shavasana.

How to practice?

Shavasana is considered just as important a practice as any other exercise and a nutritious diet for a healthy body. In Shavasana, each part of the body is contemplated for any underlying muscular tension and if found, the body consciously releases it and then the control of the breath, the mind, and the body is loosened up during the practice.

Shavasana
Shavasana
  • To begin with, lie down supine(on the back) with legs completely stretched out in front and face towards the sky.
  • Keep your arms loosely by the sides a little away from the body, palms facing upwards and the legs passively kept apart from each other in a relaxed manner. 
  • Stay still and unmoving like a corpse and eyes remaining un-expressive.
  • Now, gently close your eyes and continue breathing normally and rhythmically.
  • Continue being transfixed in the place and avoiding any sort of movement of the body, proactively turn off all nervous stimuli from all body parts EITHER at once simultaneously OR deliberately disengage attentiveness  of the sixteen vital zones (know as Marmasthana in Sanskrit) of the body, one by one going in stages and relax them by drawing awareness to each as described below; 

(1) the tips of the toes (2) the ankles (3) the knees (4) the thighs and the arms synchronously (5) the anus (6) the reproductive organs (7) the navel (8) the stomach (9) the heart (10) the neck (11) the lips (12) the tip of the nose (13) the eyes (14) the space between the eyebrows (15) the forehead and finally (16) the brain . 

16 Marmasthana
  • The aim is to voluntarily and completely forget the consciousness of the physical body during the practice of this asana.
  • Stay in this final position of a relaxed condition, integrating semi-subconsciously, low-pitched, periodic, steady and rhythmical diaphragmatic breathing.
  • To release the asana, slowly deepen the breath, bring back awareness to your body and the surroundings by flexing the fingers and toes, stretching the whole body by outlying the arms above the head.
  • With an exhalation pull the knees to the chest, turn over to one side and stay in Dhradhasana for a minute before getting back into a seated position, then gently open your eyes.
  • It is recommended to practice for at-least 5 minutes daily.

Important:  It is vital to remain in a neutral position during the practice of this asana as it induces rest and relaxation and due to the same one may fall asleep while practicing. Concentration is the key to this asana and the sleepiness or restlessness of the mind while in pose may be curbed or restrained by taking deep, long and fast breaths .

Note: Practice of Shavasana can be done with a modification, by bending the knees and holding the feet hip-width apart on the floor, by those people who suffer from lower back pain, or those who find it difficult to relax while lying straight flat.

Benefits

Shavasana is one of the most pertinent yoga poses and has numerous benefits.

Shavasana reinvigorates the body, mind, and spirit, it deepens the breath and releases the stress.

Practitioner experiences surrendering all other thoughts and any psychological effort and slip into peaceful objectivity and get to reflect on the practice.

Yoga practice proffers the nervous system with an opulence of neuromuscular information and Shavasana aids the nervous system to incorporate this information before the mind again gets entangled with usual daily stress.

It reinstates concentration and focus.

This practice relieves headaches, fatigue, insomnia, muscular and nervous tension and induces a meditative effect. 

It normalises and regulates BP, pulse rate, respiratory cycles and reinvigorates the entire body and mind.

Shavasana is the quickest and umharming short time technique to achieve and boost energy instantly and thereby enhance your productivity.

Physical yoga is similar to a full-length ritual consisting of various steps, that initiates with warm-up series, succeeded by the asanas and concluded with an effect of consolidation in such a manner that the results of the exercise gets to settle deep into the body and the mind. And Shavasana is one of those wonderful techniques that aids to do so.

Thought of the day: “Death is as sure for that which is born, As birth is for that which is dead. Therefore grieve not for what is inevitable”- Bhagwad Gita

Link to day 41: Makarasana & Dhradasana https://kreately.in/day-41-makarasana-dradhasana/

Link to day 43: Pranayama https://kreately.in/day-43-pranayama-mitraasha/

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.