Relaxation position - shavasan - how to relax?
No yoga class ends without the ultimate relaxation position. Shavasan allows your body and mind to process what happened during the yoga class. It provides the necessary relaxation for the efforts you make while practicing asanas.
Yoga teachers often say that shavasan is the most difficult yoga position because some people find it really difficult to relax and can not stand being in one position for long.
If shawasan is a challenge for you too, try to scan the whole body from the tip of the toes to the top of the head while you are in position, bringing awareness to each part of the body and then releasing it. Your body needs time spent in shavasan to absorb the new information it has gained through practicing asanas.
Often, the mind wants to stay active even when the body is relaxed. When your body is at rest, the mind has the ability to learn how to maintain the same state of calm as a resting body. If your mind does not stop thinking, then try some meditation techniques, such as observing your thoughts. As with any yoga exercise, this meditative technique requires practice. After a while, you will notice that when your body enters shavasan and your mind enters a relaxed state.
Although shavasan is a relaxation position, it is not a sleeping position. You should try to stay present and aware all the time while you are in a relaxed position.
Instructions:
1. Lie on your back.
2. Spread your legs slightly. Do not keep your legs clenched so that your feet can open, each on its own side.
3. Bring your arms close to your body, but slightly apart from your torso. The palms are facing up, but do not try to keep them fully open.
4. After adjusting the limbs, relax them. Relax your whole body, including your face. Feel your body lying on the floor.
5. Breathe naturally. If your mind wanders, you can direct the consciousness of breathing, but just observe it, do not try to deepen it.
6. Stay in shavasan for at least five minutes. The longer you stay in position, the more you will feel the benefits of relaxation.
7. When you are ready to get out of the position, focus on breathing and deepen it, take a few full inhales and exhales.
8. Then, shake your toes and toes and slowly, gently move your whole body.
9. Bring your knees close to your chest and turn to the side, keeping your eyes closed. Use your lower arm as a pillow while briefly lying in the fetal position.
10. Using your support arms, straighten up in a sitting position.
Tips :
The use of props during shavasan can make the position more comfortable and relaxing.
-If you have pain or numbness in the lower part of the spine, bend a few blankets and place them under your knees, which helps to bring the pelvis into a more comfortable position;
- to emphasize the feeling that the body is rooted in the ground, put a folded blanket on your thighs. You will achieve the same feeling with a block that you will place under your navel or if you cover your eyes;
-If it is cold in the room, cover yourself with a blanket or wear socks and a sweater. It is very difficult to relax if you are cold.
