Oftentimes,
After finishing a pre-recorded yoga class or YouTube yoga class,
A teacher suggests you lie on your back in shavasana for 5-10 minutes and then the video suddenly ends.
In the yoga teacher community,
We like to call this self-guided shavasana.
I'm often guilty of this in my own pre-recorded vinyasa classes,
But as a student,
I've found that self-guided shavasanas often leave me feeling abandoned during one of the most sacred and vulnerable parts of my practice.
Without gentle guidance,
My mind tends to wander.
I have potential to get anxious and depart from shavasana much earlier than the suggested 5-10 minutes.
May you find this focused meditation to relax and rejuvenate your body and spirit before stepping off of your yoga mat today.
I invite you to start by lying in a comfortable position if you aren't already.
Traditionally,
Shavasana is taken lying on the back with hands to the sides and palms facing upward to the sky.
However,
I encourage you to find the most comfortable expression of this pose today.
There are 8 key relaxation inducing conditions of shavasana and we are going to try to invoke all of them today to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system,
Also known as the relaxation responses in the body.
The first two relaxation conditions are being reclined and being physically comfortable.
By choosing your own version of shavasana,
You may find more comfort in your physical body.
For example,
Instead of having palms up towards the sky,
You can bring in a sense of grounding by turning the palms towards the ground or perhaps bringing the hands to the lower belly will help you connect with the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
I encourage you to choose a position that works for you today.
The next condition for a relaxation inducing response is warm skin.
If you're not already sufficiently warm,
It may be helpful to pull a blanket over your body or simply visualize a feeling of warmth radiating from your core center out to the extremities.
The next two relaxation inducing responses are darkness and a light pressure around the bones of the eyes.
If you have an eye pillow or a hand towel,
You can start by draping it over your eyes and then gently cup your hands to press into the bones around your eyes.
This gentle pressure around the eyes stimulates your ocular vagus nerve,
Which is directly related to the parasympathetic nervous system.
The darkness removes any visual distraction as well as provides a sense of comfort and sleepiness.
The next conditions for relaxation is muscle release and permission to relax.
So please take this cue as your permission to relax.
You are safe to relax right now.
There's nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing that needs to be done or worried about.
Your presence in this moment is all that is needed.
Feel your eyes start to droop inside their sockets.
Allow your teeth to separate and let the tongue drop away from the roof of the mouth.
Allow the muscles in your neck and shoulders to gently drift away from your head.
Bring a sense of warmth and heaviness to the arms,
Softness to the breath and full muscular release through the torso,
Legs and feet.
I'll give you a minute here to consciously relax each part of your body.
Anywhere you notice tension or tightness,
Soft breath to that area and release it.
Feel the sockets are fantastic,
All oil out and just transfer this feeling into this It's holding the pose for a sufficient amount of time.
In the next few moments,
Honor the sacred stillness of being.
Allow your Shavasana to be your time of full and complete rest.
Remember there is nowhere else you need to be right now.
There is nothing to worry about at this time.
In the next few moments,
I'm going to let you rest in the silence of your own being.
I'll be back at the end of our time together to gently guide you out of your Shavasana.
O<|ta|> Now is the time to gently start bringing awareness back into the body.
Feel movements in the fingers and toes.
Slowly working your way inward you can start to open and close the palms of your hands.
Point and flex your feet a couple of times.
Eventually stretching from end to end as if it were your first morning stretch of the day.
Only when you feel ready you may bend your knees and roll onto your right side in the fetal position.
Take a moment to recognize the significance of this moment.
This movement transforming from Shavasana,
Also known as corpse pose,
Into the fetal position,
The natural position of a newborn baby.
In this moment you can choose to start fresh and invite an intention into your heart as you start to rise into a comfortable seated position with your eyes closed and hands at your heart.
May you be reborn with the pure intention of your highest good.
May you be happy.
May you be healthy.
May you be free from suffering.
I wish you well.
Namaste.
