CSN-CommunityPost-Why You Shouldn’t Skip Savasana

The most inactive part of yoga class might just be the most powerful.

By Julia Dellitt

As a yoga teacher, there’s nothing better than seeing your students settle into Savasana, a restorative posture, at the end of a challenging class—and nothing more frustrating than seeing someone skip that pose to leave early.

Savasana, also known as Corpse Pose, typically involves lying faceup, eyes closed, arms at your sides, and legs stretched out. You’re supposed to be completely still and focus on quieting your mind and noticing the sensations of your body. Sounds easy enough, right? The reality is, my students often react in three different ways to the invitation of Savasana: They’re grateful to finally be done moving; they find it somewhat difficult, but give the mini-meditation opportunity their best shot; or, they GTFO as quickly as possible, because they think Savasana is boring or pointless or getting in the way of whatever’s next on their to-do list.

I understand that life is chaotic; occasionally, those extra minutes are crucial for getting back to work on time or picking up your kid from the babysitter. Considering yoga is all about doing what’s best for you, customizing your yoga routine or practice makes sense—some days, there’s only room for a shortened practice, which is better than no practice at all.

However, every time you pass on this pose, you’re missing out on a handful of physical and mental benefits. Here’s why experts say Savasana is so much more than simply lying down—and worth sticking around for when you can.

Savasana is a brief opportunity to take a break from the constant busyness of life.

Practicing yoga in general offers a break from daily life, and most people appreciate the chance to connect breath to movement. But Jenay Rose, a yoga teacher in Los Angeles, says that all that movement is not the end game; it is actually intended to prepare us for Savasana and “the ability to be totally still without the pressure of the mind.”

“[Savasana] is a time to relax our efforts, stop ‘doing,’ and rest. Sometimes the few minutes of Savasana at the end of class is one of the only times we stop in the day for conscious rest,” Mariana Caplan, Ph.D., a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and the author of Yoga & Psyche, tells SELF.

Melody Moore, Ph.D., a psychologist and yoga teacher based in Santa Monica, California, views Savasana similarly, as a chance to be present with yourself amid the modern go-go-go mentality. “The body has been working and stretching, opening and releasing, and finally has the opportunity to relax, fully take in [the yoga practice], and appreciate the physical and emotional benefits of releasing tension, breathing mindfully, and moving with intention,” she tells SELF. It’s a chance to lie with your thoughts and emotions without trying to change or manipulate them. “But perhaps the greatest benefit of Savasana is that it requires us to be still, to listen, to receive. We get so caught up in the doing, in the performing, not only on the mat but in life as well.”

Savasana doesn’t have to be long; you can start small in increments of 20 or 30 seconds and work your way up to a few minutes, Iowa-based yoga instructor Olivia Zurcher tells SELF. For a shorter time frame, she suggests focusing on steady inhales and exhales, minimizing distractions, and relaxing your body. As you become more comfortable remaining in Savasana for longer periods of time, you may begin to shift into a state of meditation or deep relaxation known as “yoga nidra.”

As a form of meditation, Savasana can have some incredible mental health benefits.

Research suggests that meditation and mindful breathwork has the potential to optimize your body’s response to stress, cause positive changes in mood, and reduce fatigue.

Yoga is, after all, considered a powerful mind-body exercise for a reason. “When you are free from sensory distraction, your central nervous system has the ability to calm down,” Nicole Anders, Psy.D., a psychologist who leads a post-traumatic stress disorder clinic treatment team for veterans in Nevada and offers trauma-sensitive yoga classes, tells SELF. “This is the part of our body that keeps us up at night with insomnia or anxiety throughout the day. When we have a calm and regulated central nervous system, parts of the brain such as the amygdala, which is in charge of emotions and your fight/flight/freeze response, also calms down, allowing for clearer thought processes, better memory, and less overall stress.”

Savasana feels hard because it is.

One of the most common reactions I hear to Savasana is that it’s hard—and as a yoga teacher and a student, I think, “Well, yeah. That’s kind of the point.” It’s hard to sit still and just be, which is why we need to do it more often.

“One of the common concerns many yoga students have expressed to me over the years is that they think they are doing it ‘wrong,’ because during Savasana they find themselves thinking about many things, or they feel restless rather than peaceful,” Caplan shares. “One of the most important things about Savasana and all yoga practice is that practice really is the goal.”

When I asked Richard Miller, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, researcher, and yoga teacher, why he thinks people are so resistant to Savasana, he laughed. “When I started doing asana [the physical practice of yoga], I wanted to kill my teacher. It brought up all these feelings I had never dealt with, and then all of a sudden, I had to lay there quietly and deal with it? No, thanks," he says.

“We aren’t groomed in our culture to be with our thoughts, and so people don’t really know what to do; they’re busy, they want to get going,” Miller continues. “What I want to do is help people see Savasana as the entryway to deep meditation, and understand that it takes a while to get into a practice of Savasana before feeling the healing benefits.”

If you do have to skip out of class early, there are some right and wrong ways to do it.

“Skipping Savasana is like skipping out on an internal and emotional massage for your body,” says Anders. “You’re leaving the class in an activated state from physical activity, with no rest and reset. I highly, highly encourage students to challenge themselves and learn to lie in the stillness of Savasana.”

Still, both Rose and Zurcher know that telling students to never duck out early is somewhat unrealistic, and in the grand scheme of things, making it to your mat at all matters more. If you have to miss out on Savasana, just make sure you do it without interrupting the rest of the class.

“First, tell the instructor and ask if they would be willing to put away your props after class so you do not disrupt other students,” advises Zurcher. “Second, leave all of your personal belongings in the locker room or your car. Limit your extra stuff: water bottle, articles of clothing, towels; the less stuff you have, the easier it will be to leave. Third, position yourself by the exit. If that spot is taken, explain to your fellow yogis you unfortunately have to leave before Savasana today. Fourth, leave when the class is cooling down. If you absolutely have to leave early, the rest of the students will appreciate you doing so before they arrive on their backs. Lastly, be as quiet as possible as you roll up your mat, walk to the door, open the door, and close the door behind you.”

Prioritize Savasana, argues Miller, and you’ll be better equipped to handle any challenge life throws your way.

In the short-term, you’ll simply be able to go back into the real world a little more prepared. “[Savasana] is a moment to pause at the doorway between the yoga studio and the busy world that often awaits us just outside,” Caplan says. “In that pause, you can bring the balance, energy, insights, and awareness you experience on the mat into the world.”