I recently completed Lasater Yoga’s 21-day Savasana Intensive. Seems strange that Savasana(relaxation) and intensive can go in the same sentence huh? Well THEY DO! Savasana can be one of if not the most difficult poses in yoga. “Why? You just lie on the floor?” Well yes. That’s where the real work happens. Not the outer body work that we are used to doing in a flow class. It’s more about the inner work. Savasana(or Relaxation Pose) is a place to land and notice. Things will present themselves during this stillness; feelings, thoughts, sensations, the dreaded “judgement” word, etc. In savasana, we can learn to sit through all of it without doing anything. We are so used to “doing” that we forget about “being.” Judith Hanson Lasater said during one of the audio recordings, “savasana prepares us for death.” Whoa. Sit with that for a minute.
Judith and her daughter, Lizzie lead the practitioner through 21-days of rest. Each day has either an audio recording about the art of savasana, or a video tutorial on setting up. A couple of days included guided meditation and breathwork to begin savasana. The expectation is to listen or watch then practice savasana for 20-minutes. You saw that I said “practice savasana” right? This time on your mat shows up differently each day and can be challenging in different ways. It is most certainly a practice.
I started this program in January and committed to practicing each day that I was at my office. I am fortunate to have a very peaceful “Breathe” room that is perfect for just this. I can confirm that I followed my plan. Looking back, I wish I had practiced everyday to really see the effects. The good news is that once you pay for the program, you have access to it forever. I will practice everyday next go-around.
I learned throughout the practice how sacred rest really is. I learned that I can take a break in the middle of the day for rest. I learned that a “real” savasana is at least 10-minutes. I learned new ways to set up savasana. I learned breathing techniques to lead in to savasana. I learned why savasana is so important. I learned that I need rest.
Do this program if:
- You would like to take your understanding of savasana deeper
- You are a yoga teacher(you get 20 CE hours upon completion!)
- You are a practitioner of yoga
- You need rest