Celebrate Savasana

Dear Yogis.

Are teachers on Zoom skipping Savasana? Christmas this year has the crazy addition of home-alone-for-all and so Savasana has added importance. It’s especially important to take this time for yourself at the end of class and even, during the day, to take your own break-up-the-day Savasana. Experience nothingness: no shopping, cooking, working, travelling or any obligations… perhaps no celebrating even!

What is the point of Savasana? Why don’t other sports do it? Some teachers say ‘take rest’ and, with that instruction, Savasana has a purely physical purpose of letting the body process all the new information after the stretches, twists, stress and effort. Savasana brings back balance – homeostasis. Yoga teacher Eoin Finn says: “Missing Savasana is like taking the time to mix a cake batter but not stick it in the oven to bake.

There are actually three stages of Savasana, says a post by Ontario yoga teacher Misty Lucas. The first is 'not yet Savasana' just letting the body relax. The second stage is after 15 minutes when Savasana begins, the body feels heavy and the senses withdraw. The final stage is where 'the ego and the mind let go'. Bliss! Sadly, for me, snoring doesn’t wait that long.

Savasana and learning to be still is not particularly easy! The nature of the mind is to wander. Not only that, it can create its own chaos by making up stories, rehearsing arguments, rejecting fact-checking, cancelling relationships, causing wars and dire events! Woah! Savasana can help! It continues the work of the posture practice which is, after all, a moving meditation… Stilling The Fluctuations Of The Mind, as Patanjali suggested. The really nice thing is, as you lie in corpse pose looking for stillness in the body, watching the gentle, rhythmic movement of the breath in the body, bathing in quietude, you’re actually watching the wonder of life. That’s worth a celebration!

Zoom Classes 

Next Friday is Christmas Day. No class… unless you absolutely have to have one. Let me know! For the next two Thursdays I was sure no-one would want an evening class so the Thursday Ashtanga class is at 13.00. Would that suit you? I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be around on Christmas day – if you’re struggling and need a chat, pop me a line. We can chat.

Magical Kapsali Yoga Retreat

Fancy planning a yoga retreat for next September? Fancy treating yourself? And someone else? Pop me a line! If you don’t fancy a full yoga retreat, you can do a half yoga retreat and enjoy trekking or diving.

Yoga in the news 

The Telegraph beauty section has: How yoga can help your hair health. When the beauty director of the magazine did a headstand in the office they asked: 'do you think all that blood running to your head daily is why you look so young?’

Yahoo Finance has: Yoga for Executives Who Can't Touch Their Toes No Incense, No Chanting -- Just 2021 Stress-Relief. The app developer, who created this program of only 12 minutes a day, said: "Those of us who've tried yoga are almost always sold on its benefits. Therefore, I designed this as the perfect gift for the high-powered professional who has everything––except enough time and peace of mind!"