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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY The Yoga of Connection |
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Week 44: Corpse Pose This is the week of two holidays, Halloween and Dia de Meurtos (Day of the Dead), that celebrate the cycle of life, each in their own way. It seemed an appropriate time to consider the practice of death that we experience in every yoga class: savasana, or corpse pose. We often think of savasana as relaxation pose, but it is more than that. It is intended to be a practice death--letting go of attachments to the external world, and letting go of our internal conditioning. If you usually drop into savasana without much preparation or mindfulness, considering practicing the following steps to fully experience corpse pose. 1) Progressive relaxation: Lying in relaxation pose, systematically contract and relax each part of the body, starting with the legs and feet. When you contract each body part, lift it off the ground and tense it. When you relax each body part, drop it to the ground and fully release the weight. Do this for each body part twice--first as a kind of practice, then as a full letting go. 2) Breath visualization: Keeping the body still, bring your imagination and attention to your feet. Feel the soles of the feet, and imagine breathing through the soles of the feet. Imagine and/or visualize the breath moving up through the legs, into the pelvis and belly, up the torso, and out through the nose as you exhale. Then bring your imagination and attention to your hands. Feel the palms of the hands, and imagine breathing through the palms. Imagine and/or visualize the breath moving up through the arms, into chest and back, out through the nose as you exhale. Imagine both at the same time--breathing through the soles of the feet and palms of the hands, feeling the breath move through the whole body. For a few breaths, part the lips and teeth as you exhale, letting the breath escape from the body with no effort. 3) River visualization: Imagine a river in a simple, beautiful environment. Imagine a river without obstacles--just an easy flow of water. Imagine stepping into the river and floating on your back. Imagine, feel, yourself being carried by the river. Let this be as pleasant as possible. Notice if you feel any resistance to the visualization, and don't continue the practice if it becomes uncomfortable. 4) Empty mind. At a certain point, when it feels natural to end the visualization, turn to the practice of empty mind. This state of deep rest without focused attention is difficult to describe; you can't quite do it intentionally. If, in the state of rest, a thought comes to mind, let it go with an out breath. Throughout this practice, you can use the mantra "I let go" with the out breath. For those of you looking for a light-hearted practice for Halloween, have fun with this practice idea: http://www.openmindbody.com/halloweenpractice.htm Take care, Kelly Share your reflections at http://www.openmindbody.com/discuss\ Explore the class archives and audio files at http://www.openmindbody.com/2006emailclass/archive.htm For both sites, use the Login: yoga and the Password: connect
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