Saturday, December 4, 2010

a note on savasana.

Savasana.




Pronounced "Sha-va-sah-nah", this is probably one of, if not my favorite yoga pose ever. This definitely stems from when I first started practicing (around 4 years ago). I was attending an intense Ashtanga class that absolutely ripped me up, and by the time we hit the end of the series each class, it was such a relief to lay down and do nothing. I've only ever been to two classes that started with this pose, and I did not like it at all. I think it's because I have such a strong association with a feeling of ending, or relief, that the idea of actually getting up and doing an entire series (instead of slowly rolling to my right side, and slowly rising, bleary eyed and rumple-haired) is repulsive to me.

When this pose completes the class, it's quite common for students to quickly put on a sweater or socks (or both) or cover themselves with a blanket to preserve body heat generated by the class (and on a less yoga-ic note, it just feels cosier!). One class I was in, the instructor knew one of the students very well, and when it came time to do Savasana at the end of class, she went over to the student and actually tucked in her blanket around her. I was sort of hoping she'd come over to me and do the same thing, because it looked so calming and peaceful. So now whenever I use a blanket, I make sure to tuck my feet in. Chilly toes does not a cosy Savasana make :)

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