Welcome to your Shavasana practice.
Let's lie down on your mat or bed or floor.
And stretch your legs out and stretch your arms out.
Let your head rest comfortably on the floor.
This is a practice either after your yoga practice or sports,
Walk or any activity during your day that you feel you need an extra break.
So stretch yourself out and give yourself the comfort to not move anymore.
For the next 15 minutes,
Your body does not need to move anymore.
Your legs fall slightly outwards,
All five toes falling slightly outwards.
Your hips entirely relaxed.
Make sure that your arms are relaxed with your palms facing up,
Thumbs facing out and are not touching your body.
Now relax your shoulders and make sure that your neck,
Your shoulder region,
Front of the neck,
Back of the neck are letting go.
Shavasana is also called the corpse pose,
Where the only thing you do is to not do anything.
So not moving but also not tensing,
Giving your muscles a rest to let blood circulate,
To expand,
To release and to refuel and rejuvenate.
So relax every part of your body that still might feel tense,
Maybe the soles of your feet,
Your calves,
Thigh,
Release your hips.
Relax your belly and maybe naturally,
Upon releasing your belly,
There is a deep inhale,
A deep drawn in of energy,
Of air and a big release.
Drawing the air deep into the diaphragm and releasing and exhaling,
Letting go of every muscle in the back,
The shoulders,
Back of the neck as well as the front of the neck.
And then let your head get heavy and adjust that head position so that you really feel your head being free and held and touching the ground.
Now let your arms go,
The forearms,
The hands,
The fingers,
Let go of both of your thumbs and relax your palms.
Your hands do not need to do anything right now.
So by focusing and deepening the exhale,
You can teach and tell your body to let go.
Very good.
This shavasana practice is a way to help our bodies to restore and repair and rejuvenate.
Giving our bodies the time to get back from our active nervous system,
The sympathetic nervous system,
Back into the passive parasympathetic nervous system that is made for digestion,
Repairs,
Taking care of our immune system,
Taking the trash out and in this break,
In this pause,
We also find ourselves in a state of creativity.
So let your mind drift off without focusing on anything specific.
If you want to focus on something,
Just focus on your breathing.
Breathing in through the nose,
Breathing deeply and then exhaling slowly through the mouth.
Focus on the sensation of the air coming in through the nostrils and blowing out through the mouth.
Just let this feeling really be with you,
Be your companion in your shavasana relaxation.
And during shavasana,
In this corpse pose,
We allow a maximum of our body to be grounded,
To be held,
To be comforted,
To let go.
And there really is no need to do anything.
So while your body is allowed to let go,
Also allow your mind to let go.
No need to think or plan.
No need to solve any problems or think ahead for the future right now.
Just give yourself this little break.
And while you are in this held state of being able to let go,
You are given the chance to let go of everything that burdens you,
That doesn't serve you.
That simply isn't you or for you anymore.
Or that is not for you to even think about.
So while you are held on the ground,
This ground also receives everything that you want to let go of.
Consider this shavasana as a form of rebirth,
Of allowing your body to be in this relaxed state that works like a reset for your body.
Allowing your body not only to let go of tension,
But also your mind to let go of thoughts and preoccupations.
And in a few minutes,
When we begin our journey back,
We consider that the phase of rebirth,
Where you can decide what you leave on the floor,
What you leave on the mat,
What you leave behind and let go of.
And what you are taking with you.
Or what new thing you are taking with you.
So in this break,
In this pause,
We tap into our creativity.
We just let our mind be without the director always trying to conduct a new piece.
Always giving instructions,
Always giving directions.
We now pause giving instructions and we listen to what we have to say.
What do you have to say?
What do you leave behind?
And what is it that you want to take with you?
So take a deep inhale now and become aware of your surroundings.
So let's begin the phase of rebirth.
Keep your eyes closed.
Draw the air in one more time and take a deep inhale.
And see very clearly in front of you what you are leaving behind and let the air out now.
And exhale everything that you are leaving behind.
Let it go.
And on the next inhale,
Now see very clearly in front of you what you are taking with you,
What you are picking up,
What you are starting anew.
And draw this in with the breath.
And then roll yourself onto the side.
In embryo position,
Like a baby being ready to be reborn.
And gently in your own time,
Gently like you are taking care of your own inner baby.
Press yourself up into sitting.
And just take a few moments here in sitting to welcome this new face of yours.
Welcome this new body.
Welcome this new mind.
And welcome everything that you picked up,
That you invited.
And if you need so,
Also to say goodbye of what you left behind.
Keep focusing on your breath.
Take a deep inhale.
Take a deep exhale.
And open your eyes.
Thank you very much for your practice.
