The earliest references to savasana, the corpse posture, are in the 15th-century text the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It is the only pose included in every yoga session; a vital component of practice. In Sanskrit, sava means corpse and asana means posture; it imitates a dead body, bringing deep relaxation and recuperation. Considered one of the most difficult of postures to perfect, also the most rejuvenating and rewarding.
Like a small death, we can practice it daily, and prepare for the actual death we all eventually face. Sleep is also considered to be a small death, from which we wake each morning. Whereas sleep as we know it accounts only for the physical body, yoga considers the body as both physical and energetic, consisting of five layers, or kośas: physical (annamaya kośa); breath (pranamaya kośa); intellectual and emotional (manomaya kośa); intelligence or witness consciousness (vijñānamaya kośa); and the bliss body (anandamaya kośa), which connects with Brahman, the universe, or source.
Savasana encourages a state of deep relaxation, enabling the body to return to homeostasis after strong physical practice. The deepest meditation practices also take place in savasana; Yoga Nidra, typically practiced lying down, brings us to a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. This profound stillness in body and mind is essential for reaching yoga’s goal of samadhi, union with transcendent bliss and universal love, a place where ‘you’ and ‘I’ disappear.
Savasana practice is an excellent preparation for death and dying - our own death or the death of a loved one. It teaches us to let go of everything - ego, desire, craving and grasping for external gratification. Establish this practice whilst physically well, if possible, so it is familiar, embedded and a treasured companion, a safe haven within, regardless of what’s going on in your external world.
With regular practice of Yoga Nidra we experience acceptance, which transforms our lives. The corpse posture reminds us of our mortality and the transience of our bodies; that we are more than our body and our thoughts. This death rehearsal also reminds us how very precious life is, and can inform us how to live well in the present moment. Everything in this world arises, exists for a while, then it is gone; the cycle of birth, life and death.
Savasana is the ultimate teacher of surrender.
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