I’ve taken a lot of Yoga trainings. Basic Hatha, Intermediate Yoga, Yoga for Arthritis. I learned many poses, even more modifications. Out of all the stretches, backbends, shoulder stands, and balances, the pose students found most challenging was Savasana—aka Deep Relaxation. The pose where you lie down and, well, relax.
Who wouldn’t want to do that? Yet we teachers would instruct people in the preparation for gradually relaxing the muscles, then the mind, and we’d see a lot of un-relaxed fidgeting, shifting, harrumph-ing with impatience, and getting up and checking phones. ←not very relaxing.
Another thing we heard was snoring. We couldn’t blame people for falling asleep, though the true benefits of Savasana bloomed only if they could stay not so much awake as aware. Deep Relaxation is an exercise—in mindfulness. First, you tune into the muscles. Then, the breathing. Slowly, you make your way inward, eventually getting the mind to drift. Both body and mind can experience a blissful, possibly even transcendent peace.
When, these days, does that happen?
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