During January while I teach my college course at Williams I always re-fall in love with savasana. Partly its because I am exhausted from teaching so I savor the moments I choose to carve out for rest and integration, but there is much much more to this love affair.
Because I work with college students that are so energetically taxed the majority of them sink in very deeply into the corpose pose. Actually, they fully embody it. The room feels literally dead, with only the majesty of the breath present in the background.
As a teacher I experience utter contentment, sitting, holding space, and being witness to what feels like a very vulnerable and sweet moment. It seems so simple and for me its one of the most fruitful gifts of being a yoga teacher.
And while we’re on the topic I have been on a CRUSADE recently. I am amazed at how many people lie back for this final posture without covering their eyes. I recently worked with student-teachers who concealed their eyes for the first time and said their relaxation was completely different.
I could go on and tell you the physiological reasons to create darkness for the eyes, but I won’t. TRY it, ENCOURAGE it…and make the world a better place; one savasana at a time.
The most important pose of the practice, for sure