One of my most impactful teachers, Dr. Judith Hanson Lasater, suggested I do a particular practice once a year, during the days between Christmas and New Years: Savasana.
Savasana or corpse pose is the resting pose you get at the end of asana practice, which hopefully lasts for more than 2 seconds if your teacher has any love in their heart. Judith suggests a week of practicing JUST Savasana.That’s it. No other pose. She promises, “It will change your life!”
Louis Armstrong said, “What we play is life,” and it seems fitting that after the year we’ve “played,” fraught with difficulty, strain, and shakiness, we need a good, solid, lengthy savasana … and then maybe a stiff drink (click here for the original recipe of my CORONA Cocktail).
And so, may I suggest this practice to you. Take a rest. Do a week of Savasana.
Close the door and put a “Do not disturb” sign outside. Set yourself up on a yoga mat, couch, or bed. Put a cushion under your knees and head and an eye pillow over your eyes. Incidentally, if you don’t have an eye-pillow, a COVID mask doubles nicely as an eye mask. Perhaps a blanket might feel nice on top of you. Set a timer for 30–90 minutes, so you’re not worried about time. Then lay down and rest. Don’t worry about poses. Don’t fret about burning off all the cookies that Santa didn’t bother to take with him. Just relax.
If you like, download this wonderful, end of the year Yoga Nidra practice (relaxing guided meditation) and let it lead you through past, present, and future as you create what you’d like to see for yourself moving forward into 2021 and beyond.
You’ll emerge from each practice feeling clear-headed, energized, and rested.
“God REST ye merry gentlemen (and women and non-binary folks, thank ye very much)”
Let me know how it goes!
