Benefits of Savasana

Introduction

Savasana, known as the corpse pose, is used in hatha yoga to relax the body at the end of each session. It is a very important posture in restorative yoga, which helps to retain energy at the end of the session. Savasana is a process of relaxing one body part at a time, one muscle at a time, and one thought at a time.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga is an excellent physical exercise that enhances strength and flexibility and is calm and focused. It helps to relax the stiffened muscles as it involves stretching the muscles. As a result, it improves core strength and body posture. It is an activity that focuses on the body, mind, and spirit, focusing on mental, physical, and behavioral activity. A person can perform many forms of yoga depending on their comfort. Some forms of yoga, like power yoga, is a high-intensity yoga that includes cardio and helps in weight loss; some yoga, such as hatha yoga, is less intense, which improves strength and endurance. Irrespective of practicing any form of yoga, it is very important to practice restorative yoga at the end of any session. Savasana is the most common restorative yoga that helps restore energy and calm the body.

What Is Meant by Savasana?

Savasana is a Sanskrit word that means corpse and is a restorative form of yoga. It helps relax the body and mind at the end of every yoga session. It is performed by lying in the supine position on the mat. It is challenging to practice this posture after stretching, bending, and twisting throughout the session.

Some people sleep after lying down, but savasana is about keeping a conscious mind alert while the body and mind relax. Savasana helps to reduce tension and enter into a state of mediation; hence it is called ‘’magical asana’’.

What Are the Variations of Savasana or Corpse Posture?

Using props like blocks, blankets, towels, or variations can help reduce tension and enter into a state of meditation. Some variations are:

• Placing Legs on the Chair:

Elevating the legs by placing them on the chair during savasana helps to relax the tension and enhance circulation, mostly after an intense workout, sitting or standing for a long period, or after a yoga session. In addition, this modification helps reduce fatigue from the calf muscles by making them rest deeply in this posture.

• Supporting the Head and Back:

Placing a bolster or cushion on the back or head can help enhance the mood and release the tension from the shoulder and back muscles. In addition, it improves the natural flow of breathing by opening up the chest.

• Supporting Knees:

Placing a bolster, rolled blanket, or mat beneath the knees helps to relax the tension and enhance comfort in the hips, lower back, and knees.

How to Perform Savasana?

Savasana is a relaxing posture performed at the end of the session to relax the body and mind, and there is no counter posture for this asana.

1. Sit on the floor with the knees bent and feet on the mat.

2. Lie on the mat by extending the toes.

3. The head should be placed in the center and not fall on either side.

4. Place the hands on the sides with the back of the hands on the floor and the palm facing the ceiling.

5. Broaden the shoulder and ribs.

6. The tongue, cheeks, lips, throat, and neck should be relaxed.

7. Slowly close the eyes and stay later.

8. Stay in this posture for about 10 to 15 minutes.

9. Recall the posture by exhaling and turning to the side by taking a deep breath.

To Improve the Posture:

1. Place an eye cover over the eyes that help to relax the pupil.

2. Place a cloth, pillow, or block horizontally over the lower abdomen, which helps to ease the abdomen.

3. Playing soft music in the background helps to relax the mind and enter the meditative phase more quickly.

What Are the Benefits of Savasana?

There are numerous benefits of savasana, such as:

• Practicing Savasana Helps to Manage Diabetics:

Regular practicing of savasana helps to deal with diabetes; this poster helps to reduce stress which is a main pathological factor of diabetes. Stress leads to hypoxia which is caused due to the oxidation process at the lipid membrane level and enables the release of oxygen. This tissue hypoxia is the early stage of diabetes.

• Savasana Helps Manage Depression:

Savasana, which focuses on mental relaxation and reducing muscle tension, helps deal with stress and depression. In addition, Savasana enhances the release of endorphins by stretching and breathing, which helps to deal with depression and stress.

• Savasana Helps Manage Insomnia:

Savasana helps to enhance better quality of sleep. It is also called nidra- a form of deep yogic sleep. People finding it difficult to initiate or maintain undisturbed sleep or both can practice savasana, which relaxes the body and mind and enhances sleep quality.

• Savasana for Relaxation:

Savasana is the ultimate relaxing posture performed at the end of each session after stretching, bending, and twisting the body muscles. Staying in savasana for more than 15 minutes aims at deep relaxation of the body and mind.

• Other Benefits of Savasana:

  • It helps to deal with headaches as relaxing below the body helps in deep breathing, which enhances blood circulation to the brain and reduces headaches.

  • It helps to reduce high blood pressure caused by headaches, insomnia, and stress.

  • It relaxes the diaphragm and improves breathing.

  • It enhances the scene of physical and emotional well-being as it helps to refresh the thoughts in a relaxed state.

What Are the Risk Factors of Savasana?

Savasana may feel like a relaxing pose, but it is difficult to follow. Following some points helps to avoid discomfort; these are

1. People who are advised not to lie on their back due to medical conditions like spinal injuries and chronic pain in the spine and the hip are asked not to practice savasana.

2. Those who find it difficult to lie flat on the floor can practice savasana with few modifications.

3. During savasana, the stomach and the throat are at the same level, which makes it easy for the acid to flow up the esophagus and can cause heart burning and discomfort, so people with acidity problems should not practice savasana.

4. Savasana is to be avoided by people with pain or injury in any part of the body as it is difficult to relax and meditate with pain or discomfort.

Conclusion

Yoga is a very simple and effective physical activity with enormous benefits that everybody, irrespective of age and gender, can practice. Savasana is a restorative form of yoga posture that aids in the relaxation of the mind and body and also helps to restore the energy at the end of any physical activity or any form of a yoga session. In addition, it helps in stress reduction.