Savasana

• Sava in sanskrit means a corpse, and asana is posture. Thus savasana is a posture that stimulates a dead body, and evoke the experience of remaining in a state as in death and of ending the heart- aches and the shocks that the flesh is heir to. It means relaxation, and therefore recuperation. It is not simply lying on one's back with a vacant mind and gazing, nor does it end in snoring. It is the most difficult of yogic asanas to perfect, but it is also the most refreshing and rewarding.

• A perfect savasana needs perfect discipline. It is easy to relax for a few minutes, but to do so without physical movements or without wavering of the intellect requires long training. At the start, a prolonged stay in savasana is not only very uncomfortable to the brain, but makes the body feel like a piece of dry,dead wood. Pricking sensations are felt on the skin along the limbs and they grow more acute if the pose is continued.

RHYTHM

• When savasana is well performed the breath moves like a string holding the pearls of a necklace together. The pearls are the ribs which move slowly, very steadily and reverently, reverent because when one is in that precise state, the body the breath, the mind and the brain move towards the real self (atma), like a spider returning to the centre of its web. At this juncture state of samadhana chitta is felt.

• In the beginning, the ribs do not relax, the breath is rough and uneven, while the mind and intellect waver. The body, the breath, the mind and the intellect are not united with the atma or the self. For correct savasana there must be unity of the body, the breath, the mind and the intellect where the self holds the reins. All four bow down respectfully to the atma. Then the chitta becomes samahita chitta, in which the mind, the mind, the intellect and the ego are balanced. This is a state of stillness.

• This state is achieved by controlled discipline of the body, the sense and the mind. It should not, however, be mistaken for silence. In stillness there is rigidity due to force of will. Here the attention is focused to keep the consciousness still, whereas in silence that attention is expanded and released and the will is submerged in the atma. This subtle distinction between stillness and silence can be known only by experience. In savasana the attempt is to achieve silence in all the five sheaths of kosas; the abbanaya, the pranayama, the manoyama, the vijnanamaya and the anandamaya, ehich envelop the person from the skin to the self.

• A star pulsates with energy and the energy is translated into light rays, which may take many light- years to reach human eyes on earth. The atma is like such a star and it transmits and impurints its likes and desires on the mind. These latent desires, like stellar energy translated into light, may resurface to the mind level, breaching the silence.

• First, learn to achieve the silence of the body. Then control the subtle movements of the breath. Next learn about the silence of the mind and the emotions and then of the intellect. From there proceed to learn and study about the silence fo the self. It is not until then that the ego or small self of the practitioner can merge with his self. The fluctuation of the mind and the intellect cease, the 'T' or ego disappears and savasana provides an experience of unaloyed bliss.

Stages of consciousness

• Yoga teaches four main states of consciousness. The three normal ones are the state of deep sleep or spiritual ignorance the dreamy or indolent state and lastly the state of watchfulness or awareness. There are verying stages between them. The fourth has a different dimension in which the sadhaka is spiritually illuminated. Some call it the eternal now, beyond space and time. Others call it the soul becoming one with the creator. This can be experienced in perfect savasana when the body is at rest as in deep sleep, the senses as in a dream but the intellect alert and aware. Such perfection, however, is rarely achieved. The sadhaka is then born anew or emancipated. His soul sings the words of sankaracharya:

I was, I am, I shall be, so why fear birth and death? Whence pangs of thirst and hunger? I have no life no breath, I am neither mind nor ego, can delusion or sorrow grind me? I am but the instrument, can actions free or bind me?

TECHNIQUES

• It is necessary to describe in great detail the techniques for practising savasana. However, a beginner need to be discouraged about mastering the details. When first learning to drive a car, he gets confused. Yet with help from an instructor he gradually learns to master the intricacies until they all become instinctive. It is the same with savasana, except that the working of the human body is more intricate that that of any car.

• Savasana is difficult to learn as it involves stilling the body, the senses and the mind while keeping the intellect alert. The seeker approaches it by studying the various aspects of his being – the body, the sense, the mind, the intellect and the self. Scholastic knowledge is not enough. Correct practice is essential to master savasana.

• Before starting the practice remove constricting garments, belts, glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and so on.

TIME AND PLACE

• Although savasana can be done at any time, it is advisible to do it during the quiet hours. In large cities and industrial areas it is difficult to find an atmosphere free smoke, smog or chemical pollution. Choose a clean, level place, free from insects, noise and unpleasant smells. Do not practise of a hard floor, or on an unyielding surface or on a soft matters,as the body sinks into it unevenly.

ALLIGNMENT

• Savasana is performed lying down full length on the back on a blanket spread on the floor. Draw a straight line there to position the body correctly. Sit on the drawn line with the knees drawn up and the feet together. Gradually lower the back vertebra by vertebra along the drawn line on the floor or on the blanket. Place the body accurately so that the middle of the spine lies exactly on the straight line drawn on the floor or blanket.

• Press the feet on the floor, lift the hips as well as the sacroiliac region, and with your hands, move the flesh and the skin from the back of the waist down towards the buttocks.

References

The above mentioned information is added from the book called LIGHT ON PRANAYAMA by B.K.S. IYENGAR.