Yoga is an excellent exercise to increase strength and flexibility. Yoga is done in a calm and focused manner. It works by stretching that helps our stiff muscles to move better. Yoga can help in building core strength and focus on better body postures. It makes us aware of bending our body or slouching and helps us to adjust our pose. It is not about performing complex poses but habituating our body to simple poses.
Yoga represents harmony, togetherness and an overall healing process. It is a connection between mind and soul that teaches the management of all physical, mental and behavioural activity.
Although some of the styles, like power yoga and ashtanga (also known as eight limbs of yoga), that help in improving muscle tone do require immense physical effort.
Whereas some less rigorous forms of asanas, like hatha yoga, can also provide strength and endurance. Irrespective of practising any yoga style, it is important to perform restorative yoga poses, at the end of the yoga session. Savasana is the commonest pose recommended to relax our body and maintain calmness.
This pose gets its name from the recumbent posture of a dead body. It is a position of rest and relaxation, and is usually practiced towards the end of a yoga session – a session that typically begins with activity and ends in rest; a space or pause when deep healing can take place.
How to do the Savasana / Corpse Pose
Lie flat on your back, preferably without any props or cushions. Use small pillow below your neck if absolutely required. Close your eyes.
Keep your legs comfortable apart and let your feet and knees relax completely, toes facing to the sides.
Place your arms alongside, yet a little spread apart from your body. Leave your palms open, facing upward.
Taking your attention to different body parts one by one, slowly relax your entire body.
Begin with bringing your awareness to the right foot, move on to the right knee (as you complete one leg, move your attention on to the other leg), and so on, and slowly move upwards to your head, relaxing each part of the body.
Keep breathing slowly, gently, deeply and allow your breath to relax you more and more. The incoming breath energizes the body while the outgoing breath brings relaxation. Drop all sense of hurry or urgency or any need to attend to anything else. Just be with the body and the breath. Surrender the whole body to the floor and let go. Make sure you don’t fall asleep!
After some time, about 10-20minutes when you feel fully relaxed, keeping your eyes closed, slowly roll onto your right side. Lie in that position for a minute or so. Then, taking the support of your right hand, gently sit up into a seated pose such as Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
Keep your eyes closed and take a few deep breaths in and out as you gradually become aware of your environment and the body. When you feel complete, slowly and gently open your eyes.
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Benefits of Savasana:
Savasana offers several benefits to the human body. Some of them are mentioned below:
1. Managing Diabetes:
Savasana or corpse pose may have a potential benefit in managing diabetes. Savasana practice over a period of time can help in decreasing stress, an important pathological aspect of developing diabetes. Stress activates the oxidation process at the lipid membrane level and helps in releasing the oxygen from the tissue creating a situation known as hypoxia. This tissue hypoxia is reported as one of the early events in diabetes. Kumar et al. 2017 conducted a study involving 20 patients with diabetes (increased glucose level) subjected to 40 days of yoga, involving Savasana as one of the postures. The study revealed an increase in insulin levels with a decrease in blood glucose level.
2. Managing Depression:
Tamilpulavendran and his colleague conducted research in hospitals at Puducherry to assess the effectiveness of Savasana on patients suffering from depression. Thirty patients were selected and assessed by answers in the questionnaire before and after performing Savasana or corpse pose for eight days. He concluded that there were remarkable changes in the stress levels of patients post practising Savasana. This might be due to increase in endorphins by stretching and breathing that decreases the physical exhaustion.
3. Managing Insomnia:
Savasana or corpse pose may help in promoting quality and deep sleep. It is also called yogic Nidra – a form of deep yogic sleep. An individual suffering from difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep or both can practice Savasana. It helps in calming the mind and body to provide better sleep at night which may decrease the doctor’s visits or intake of sleeping pills.
4. Relaxation:
Savasana or corpse pose is the ultimate resting pose practised after performing active asanas involved in opening the chest or airways, stretching muscles and releasing the tension. Remaining in Savasana pose for more than 15 minutes everyday conditions the body to release stress and relaxes the body by reducing fatigue.
5. Other benefits of Savasana:
It may help in decreasing the headache. A relaxing position supported by the ground below the body helps in focusing on deep breathing which increases the oxygen flow towards the brain, thus reducing the headache.
It may help in lowering the high blood pressure due to headache, stress and insomnia. Savasana may have potential benefits in managing the above factors involved in increasing blood pressure.
It may help in opening the airways by relaxing the diaphragm and allowing the breath to flow freely.
It may help in improving the sense of physical and emotional well-being, as it deeply refreshes the thoughts keeping the body physically still.
Risks of Exercise
Savasana or corpse pose is a relaxing pose with minimum contraindication yet it is difficult to master. Certainly, one can keep in mind the following points in order to avoid discomfort.
People who are not advised to lay on their back by their doctors or physiotherapist should avoid practising Savasana.
Those who find it difficult to lie flat on the floor can practise Savasana variations to relieve stress.
People with severe acidity should not practise Savasana. During this position, the throat and stomach are at the same level which makes it easy for acids to flow up the oesophagus causing heartburn and discomfort.
Avoid doing Savasana or corpse pose if you are having pain or injury. Pain in any part of the body can make it difficult to relax and meditate.
Yoga will help tone your body but while it’s doing that, it also helps you to be truly in the moment and infuses your spirit with positive energy. Meditation is a huge part of yoga. If you’re looking to introduce some soothing meditation into your life, you could sign up for the online yoga programs. Your mind, body, and soul will soon start enjoying the benefits! A gym workout is focused primarily on improving your body’s physical condition.
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