SAVASANAThe state of complete relaxation...Savasana is the most important yoga posture you can do. It looks extraordinarily simple, but many beginning students have trouble holding this pose for more than a few minutes. Savasana literally means “corpse pose” and the goal is to let everything go as if you were dead.
"Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest." Ashleigh Brilliant The first stage of this posture is finding the right body position so you can relax into the floor. The arms should be a few inches away from the hips and lower than shoulder height with palms facing up. Legs should be in a place that is comfortable and allows you to completely surrender into the pose; either straight on the floor and slightly apart, with feet flopped out to the sides; knees bent with feet flat on the floor; soles of your feet together with knees open (Supta Baddha Konasana); or Effortless Rest with feet wider than hips and flat on the floor, inner knees resting against each other. The eyes are closed, the breath is slow, smooth and deep. In the second stage the body relaxes from the toes to the head. This stage combines conscious relaxation and focused awareness, as you need to become aware of tension to be able to release it. Start at the toes, feeling them and letting them relax and release. Then move your awareness up to the foot and let it relax. Slowly move up the body to the ankles, legs, hips, torso, arms, shoulders, neck and head; become aware of each muscle and let it relax. Then have awareness of the whole body, feeling it soft, heavy, and sinking deep into the floor. See if there are any remaining places of tension and let them relax. Once the muscles of the body are relaxed, then bring your awareness to the internal organs, and let them soften and release any tension. Feel the intestines, stomach, spleen, liver and kidneys soft and relaxed. Feel the heart beating slowly and gently, feel the lungs breathing with as little effort as possible.Then let the brain and the nervous system relax and release. Savasana should be practiced for at least 5 minutes after doing yoga. This posture allows the energy that was created and released in the yoga postures to flow freely through the body allowing it to heal and be nourished. Savasana releases stress and tension from the body and can be very useful at the end of a hectic day. Chakra PowerChakras are energy centers in the body that relate to different aspects of our being. These energy centers are associated with certain glandular and organ systems. Chakras aren't physical structures, but energy vortices that exist along the midline of the body--from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, that store, channel ,and release life energy. The universal symbol for medicine is two serpents twining around a staff. The serpents' bodies cross in seven different places. These seven places represent the seven chakras or energy centers. They are the vortices of the body.
The Chakras are described as "whirling disks of light", and each Chakra radiates a specific color and energy. As each Chakra relates to specific spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical issues, the conscious awareness and the balancing of these energy centers lead to well-being.
Chakra 1: Muladhara Chakra |
