YogiSource.com my account | view cart | customer service
 Search:    
Welcome to the new Yoga.com Forums home!
For future visits, link to "http://www.YogiSource.com/forums".
Make a new bookmark.
Tell your friends so they can find us and you!

Coming soon ... exciting new changes for our website, now at YogiSource.com.

Search | Statistics | User Listing View All Forums
You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )



Why savasana?
Moderators: Moderators

Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]
View previous thread :: View next thread
   Yoga -> Yoga TeachersMessage format
 
tourist
Posted 2008-02-16 9:56 AM (#103570)
Subject: Why savasana?



Expert Yogi

Posts: 8442
50002000100010010010010025
Why is savasana a key aspect to yoga classes? How do you explain it to your students who may feel they don't need to pay someone to "just lie on the floor" for 5, 10 or more minutes?
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Cyndi
Posted 2008-02-16 7:11 PM (#103586 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?



Expert Yogi

Posts: 5098
5000252525
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC
Hmmm?? I smell a big fat rat. This sounds like one of those trick questions,
Top of the page Bottom of the page
asananow
Posted 2008-02-16 7:59 PM (#103591 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


Typically I thought the purpose was to rest and balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.  And I have a vague idea that it seals the benefits of the practice.  Now I'm gonna have to look it up. 

It's always been my favorite part and most of my type A friends look forward to it as well.  So paying for lying on the floor never bothered us!


Top of the page Bottom of the page
tourist
Posted 2008-02-16 9:27 PM (#103595 - in reply to #103586)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?



Expert Yogi

Posts: 8442
50002000100010010010010025
No rat, Cyndi. It came up in another thread and I thought it would be good for us to discuss. While teachers don't have to necessarily explain every little thing they do to a class, they should understand the rationale behind what they do.
Top of the page Bottom of the page

Posted 2008-02-16 9:41 PM (#103598 - in reply to #103591)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


asananow - 2008-02-16 7:59 PM

Typically I thought the purpose was to rest and balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. 



Asananow - could you say more about this?

Thanks.
Vic
Top of the page Bottom of the page
larabear
Posted 2008-02-16 10:26 PM (#103603 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


From what I learned...
It is the nectar of asana class. With every force comes equal and opposite force, so just as we do counterposes, ie. Sarvangasa- halasana, and then -matsanyasana into paschimottanasana- this is a very commone sequence. SHoulderstand- plow, fish, into seated forward bend- you see we are arching the spine, then folding, arching, folding, etc- it's the mirror of the universal beat inhale, exhale etc. all the vigorous effort comes the rest to in fact absorb the benefits of each posture. We die in our busy monkey minds, and rebirth clear and light= yet again...

That is my vague ambiguous definition..
Top of the page Bottom of the page
kulkarnn
Posted 2008-02-16 11:26 PM (#103605 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


In my class, they are not pay me for their lying down 5 to 10 min or sweating 45 to 50 min. they are paying for my Time, as they have decided to take my time for them by paying me.


tourist - 2008-02-16 9:56 AM

Why is savasana a key aspect to yoga classes? How do you explain it to your students who may feel they don't need to pay someone to "just lie on the floor" for 5, 10 or more minutes?
Top of the page Bottom of the page

Posted 2008-02-17 2:39 AM (#103611 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


i think the general answer would be to counteract any sort of irritation of the nervous system, or have a break/preparation before pranayama.
this could include restorative asanas as well as savasana.

in the case of backbends and their related inversions, savasana and restoratives counter the agitation of the nervous system, while in forward bends, chest opening restoratives or a supported savasana could help to open the chest after the forward bending actions.
...
in both cases it could serves as preparation for pranayama and meditation.

additionally, in this world we jump around so much: in asana practice and everywhere else. it is a good practice to just slow the f**k down for a minute and just lay there. it is more a practice of not doing, and a good lesson for our vata/nerve agitating culture.

Edited by dhanurasana 2008-02-17 2:42 AM
Top of the page Bottom of the page

Posted 2008-02-17 10:36 AM (#103621 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


i explain that yoga is a form of energy work, and that the postures "supercharge" the energy body to lead to deep healing and release.

but that the work is so potent, that our bodies need the opportunity to "settle down" the nervous system, to bring it back into balance so that we safely return to our normal lives and move with ease and comfort.

i often tell the story of how i was administrating an astanga yoga workshop for beryl, and part of my job was to leave the class early so that when the rest of the students left the classroom, there would be someone out in the front area to greet them, to organize them to the next thing, etc.

so, i left at the beginning of savasana, without actually going into it, and within 5 mintues of standing outside and doing waht i needed to do for the studio, i started to get the shakes--i mean to shake violently--and not in a way that i've ever done before.

it was just the energy. it was so powerfully going through it's channels, that the body couldn't handle it and started to shake. so, i immediately went into savasana on the floor, and within 3 mintues, everything subsided and i could go back to work.

so i tell my students they need at least 3 mintues of savasana to let the energy body settle after yoga postures.
Top of the page Bottom of the page

Posted 2008-02-17 4:15 PM (#103627 - in reply to #103621)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


I have never had to explain savasana to my students. They all seem to intuitively understand it and look forward to it. I find that any words would be totally unnecessary.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
asananow
Posted 2008-02-18 9:48 PM (#103682 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


victw - 2008-02-16 9:41 PM
asananow - 2008-02-16 7:59 PM

Typically I thought the purpose was to rest and balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. 

Asananow - could you say more about this? Thanks. Vic

Well...I can't say that I understand it deeply enough to explain. It is one of those things that made sense when I learned about it, so I remember the 'theme' but not the details. 

Others here are doing a great job of explaining it! 

Based on my anatomy text, The parasympathetic nervous system and the symathetic nervous system combined control your autonomic or involuntary functions.  The parasympathetic nervous system brings your body to a resting state by slowing your heart and breathing rate.  It is sometimes called the Relaxation Response.  The sympathetic nervous system controls the Fight or Flight reactions, our stress response with quickened breath, faster heart beat, release of adrenaline and cortisol and other 'ready' hormones.

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that savasana brings us to a state of equilibrium, where we are not so extremely relaxed as to be sleeping but we are able to calm the stress responses of our bodies and mind.  Calm Alertness.

Top of the page Bottom of the page
Kym
Posted 2008-02-18 10:03 PM (#103684 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


I have been taught that it's meant to train us how to die in peace, hence, corpse pose. That kind of creeps me out. Sorry!

I personally use it to connect with the universe, to try and calm my mind to the point that I can attempt samahdi. The asana gets you prepped.

But, that's not what you asked. You asked how do you explain it to your students. I usually say that savasana is the most difficult part of yoga. It's the time when we are physically set up to mentally relax. It's when we quiet the mind and notice what happens, fully present. It's when we stop chattering and listen instead.
Top of the page Bottom of the page

Posted 2008-02-19 1:20 AM (#103692 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


Obviously we're discussing beginners.

Savasana isn't a key aspect of yoga classes. It is however a key aspect in asana for some schools.
Since the lessons of the Yoga Sutras teaches us that yoga is about relationship it is in the quiet of Savasana that the student has the greatest opportunity to encounter the Self. While it isn't necessarily so, the student who cannot "be" in Savasana often has a fear of seeing who they really are.

There are many aspects to Savasana. Just as it would be short-selling to say only that twists "are good for the internal organs" it is also short-selling to say that Savasana has only one merit. It is, as mentioned previously, a parasympathetic state which allows the student to close their practice and transition back into the outer world safely. But it is also so much more.

I don't presume students feel a particular way. So they may feel they don't need to pay someone to just lie on the floor but that doesn't really cross my mind. When it does cross the mind it creates an energetic that actually manifests and welcomes such perceptions. So it is my own inner understanding, my own inner appreciation which radiates outwardly for students to feel. To me, this is part of being"clean" as a teacher.



Edited by purnayoga 2008-02-19 1:27 AM
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Orbilia
Posted 2008-02-19 5:06 AM (#103695 - in reply to #103692)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


My Sivananda teacher used to explain the purpose at the beginning of a course (and to mid-0course newbies). Thereafter anyone daft enough to question its purpose used to find the next class so exhausting physically that they were begging (silently) for savasana :-)

Fee
Top of the page Bottom of the page
tourist
Posted 2008-02-19 7:11 PM (#103744 - in reply to #103692)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?



Expert Yogi

Posts: 8442
50002000100010010010010025
purnayoga - 2008-02-18 10:20 PM
I don't presume students feel a particular way.


Absolutely! This is one of the reasons I object strongly to guided visualizations done by unskilled people. Being told to feel the warm sand under my feet on some magical beach that enchants the person doing the guiding does nothing for me if my feet happen to be freezing or I am terrified of the ocean.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
AKBrooker1
Posted 2008-02-21 4:35 PM (#103870 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


I consider savasana to be the most under-taught asana in the Bikram series--ironic in that it is the one we practice the most. Bikram was always clear on this, we work in the posture and the posture works in the savasana after. So as others have alluded to, in the posture we stimulate(constrict, stretch or whatever else you wish to call it) certain parts of the body and it is in the stillness after we integrate the benefits of that posture. I was taught savasana--as part of this process--was as important as the posture itself.

The first savasana in the Bikram series is two minutes long, coming between the standing and the floor postures. I first encourage my students that this may not be like savasanas they're used to in other lineages, those that come at the end of class--or the ones that I really dislike, at the beginning of a class. Our savasana posture is very set; heels in toes out, arms close to the body with palms turned up, eyes open to one point on the ceiling, and focus to the breath. It is deep full-body breathing, feeling the belly rise, the ribs expand, the chest lift, and then following that breath out. It is the process of conscious relaxation, calming the breath, calming the mind, calming the heart, and relaxing the body.

My thoughts--and my teachings--are that rest and sleep are our body's automatic responses to certain conditions but relaxation is something we can practice. And for Americans in particular, it may be the hardest and most important part of our practice. Hardest, in that it may be the toughest posture in which to stay connected(one reason we keep our eyes open) and most important, in that it is the posture that most readibly transfers to our life outside the studio. Something that calms and relaxes us through those every day occurences that kick in our fight-or-flight reflexes and allows us to react or respond as we would chose to.

Most students can find relaxation in this two minute savasana. The practice then becomes can they find it in the following twenty-second savasanas that come between all floor postures. Two full-bodied breaths, pausing between inhales and exhales, finding stillness in that pause.

That's my take on savasana ala Bikram.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
roypotter
Posted 2011-06-16 4:29 PM (#208698 - in reply to #103570)
Subject: RE: Why savasana?


Regular

Posts: 89
252525
Location: Montana, US
Try showing the video given in the link below as to how lay down while Savasana. Hope this video makes a clear picture in your students mind and they find it easy to do Savasana.

http://www.teachstreet.com/yoga/articles/natala/how-to-lay-in-savasana-corpse-pose/pb-1yiisnsw
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]
Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread


(Delete all cookies set by this site)