Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Sava means corpse and asana means posture. You lie flat on your back and stop doing anything at all, so the body can take in the practice that came before it.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Savasana
- Pronunciation
- shah-VAHS-uh-nuh. It is often written Shavasana, and the stress falls on the second syllable.
- Family
- Restorative
- Practised in
- Restorative yoga
- In pregnancy
- Adapt
- After birth
- Adapt
Savasana looks like the easiest posture on the mat, and for many people it is the hardest to do well, because it asks you to stop. Every private lesson I teach closes with savasana. It is where the mini massage for the neck and shoulders happens, and where the sound healing brings the lesson to a quiet end.
If rest is what you need most, private restorative lessons spend much of the time in savasana and the supported shapes that lead into it.
How to do Corpse Pose
Sit on the mat with your knees bent, then lower your back down one part at a time until your head rests on the floor.
Straighten your legs one at a time and let them fall a little wider than your hips, with the feet flopping open.
Rest your arms a hand's width away from your sides with the palms facing up, and draw the shoulder blades gently under you so the chest feels broad.
Lengthen the back of your neck by tucking the chin down a touch. If the chin points at the ceiling, put a folded blanket under your head.
Close your eyes and let the breath go back to its own rhythm. Stay for five to ten minutes.
To come out, deepen the breath, move your fingers and toes, roll onto your right side and rest there for a few breaths before pressing up to sit.
My cues
- I ask you to let the floor hold you. Notice where you are still gripping, often the jaw, the hands or the belly, and let that one place soften.
- There is nothing to get right here. If your mind wanders to a to-do list, come back to the feeling of the breath at the tip of the nose.
- Stay warm. I would rather cover you with a blanket than have you lie there cold and waiting for it to end.
Modifications
- Place a bolster or a rolled blanket under your knees if your lower back aches when the legs are straight.
- If lying flat does not feel good, bend your knees and let them rest against each other with the feet wide on the floor.
In pregnancy. Adapt. From the second trimester, many OBs and midwives advise against lying flat on your back for long, so rest on your left side with a pillow between the knees and one under the head, or recline on a bolster propped on blocks. Ask your OB or midwife what is right for you.
After birth. Adapt. Savasana is usually one of the first things you can return to, but let your doctor or midwife clear you before a full practice. A pillow under the knees takes pressure off the lower back and belly, and side-lying is fine if you are nursing or sore.
Common mistakes
- Skipping it to save time. The minutes of stillness at the end are part of the practice, not a bonus.
- Sitting straight up at the end. Roll to the side first so the blood pressure and the head have time to catch up.
Pairs well with
- Legs Up the WallViparita Karani
- Supported Child's PoseSalamba Balasana
- Reclined ButterflySupta Baddha Konasana