At the end of a yoga class, you’ll likely hear the instructions, “Come into corpse pose.” Corpse pose — or savasana as it is called in Sanskrit — is arguably the most important pose in any yoga class. It is the final posture, and is a chance for our bodies and minds to integrate the benefits of all the poses we’ve done in our practice. It’s a time for the body to completely relax, and come into a meditative state.
But why the name “corpse pose?”
It is said that after each yoga practice, we emerge anew. We come into the present, refreshed, and as a different being. We leave our old body — and any tensions, negative habits or thought patterns that we have let go of — on the mat. What we leave behind is the metaphorical “corpse” of our old selves. Through shedding this “corpse”, we can step off the mat and into the world as a new person.
I think this is a beautiful concept. And I can tell you I’ve shed a mountain of corpses on my mat over my 20-year yoga practice. So, how about it — will you join me in corpse pose or savasana today?
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