Guiding your students in & out of Savasana
๐ Now more than ever we need rest, quiet, and time to simply be. Savasana is truly the most meaningful part of your class. Do not underestimate its potency:
Here are some of our cues to guide your students in & out of corpse pose, and get you thinking more about the art of savasana
โฉ๏ธ Getting into Savasana:
๐ฎConsider supporting your joints with rolled blankets and bolsters as you create a supported, subtly weightless sensation for savasanaโฆ (many students skip this because โitโs too much effortโ but it makes a seismic difference- consider allotting more time for a better savasana. #rest
๐๏ธ Cue small details that are more of an invitation than a demand: โconsider closing your eyes, or letting the lids set like sunsโ. โWhat might it feel like to remove a pony tail and let your scalp rest too?โ
๐ฆ Encourage agency and self-practice by asking yourself/students: โWhat feels good, what might feel better?โ
โจ Avoid words like โsurrenderโ in favor of language that invites exploration. โHow might it feel to hand over a bit more of your weight to gravity?โ
๐ฆ Walk yourself/students through their bodies, giving them a chance to actively soften tissues that they might be gripping out of habit. Especially the jaw, glutes, hands, eyebrows.
๐Invoke nature. โinvite your body to spreadโฆlike waterโ.
๐๏ธComing out of Savasana โ
๐ฑUse language that supports people exiting the experience on their own terms. โWhen the moment feels right, invite organic movement back into the body.โ โCall the breath to a higher-tideโ, โperhaps a yawn or sigh makes itself knownโ
๐ฃ Offer options for the physical transition: โHug knees in and rock yourself softlyโ โ Find your way to a seated position with the same care you would a baby birdโ โwithout urgency, without ambitionโฆmosey your way back to a seat.โ
๐งโ๐คSave this post for inspo next time you teach, and keep exploring new ways to say the usual!
PSA: Language is Queen, so fill your reservoir with a steady dose of poetry, prose and music.โจ
๐Extra credit- learn more about the radical importance and implications of rest.
This is also an incredible listen as it is read by the author herself: