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Mindfulness Isn't Always Relaxing

Learning to Love Savasana

By Taucha PostPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
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Savasana, or "Corpse pose," is the final resting pose at the end of a yoga class. You lay on your back in stillness for 5-10 minutes. People generally fall into two camps when it comes to savasana: You love it, or you hate it. And up until recently, I admittedly stood squarely in the "I hate it" camp.

Savasana made me uncomfortable. As soon as the teacher would tell us to get ready for corpse pose, my mind would scream, "Don't leave me here with myself!!!!".

Just yesterday, I did my own yoga practice and ended it with a 10 minute guided breathing practice on my Insight Timer app. Shortly into the practice I could feel myself getting frustrated.

I was having difficulty expanding my torso to pull air in. My belly would hardly move. My chest was tight. I couldn't breathe deeply, and what does this teacher mean by, "Double inhale into the belly. Double inhale into the chest"? What happened to all the exhales?!

By the end of the practice, I was pretty irritable BUT (and this is the important part), I was aware of the fact that I was not breathing well.

It's a common misconception that mindfulness is always calming, and if you feel anything other than that, you're doing it wrong.

But that's just not true.

Yesterday was a reminder for me that savasana and mindfulness are not about being calm, it is about being AWARE.

Yes, it can have a positive calming effect, but if there is something you are repressing, ignoring, or avoiding it will bubble up and your job is to notice it and feel it.

I was getting frustrated with my practice because my expectation was to feel calm and relaxed. Once I noticed my frustration; however, I was able to take a step back from it and watch it happen. I noticed the tension in my body. I realized I was tired and overwhelmed and it was manifesting in short, tight breaths.

This is just a reminder that sometimes you have to sit and watch the discomfort you are experiencing and investigate it with nonjudgmental curiosity. You may not be relaxed, but you will be aware, and that's the first step towards solving any problem.

The other thing that I used to hate about savasana was it seemed like a perfect waste of good exercising time. Hating savasana makes total sense if you think that yoga is just exercise. But, what I realized in my yoga teacher training a few years ago is that yoga isn't just exercise—it's a spiritual practice.

Spirituality is the realization that we are all connected to each other because we are ALL connected to something bigger than ourselves. The practice of yoga is remembering that connection through practices of the body, mind, and soul.

Yoga recognizes that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. In order to develop physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual strength, you also need to take physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual rest. Savasana.

When I kept that in mind, it didn't seem so bad, but that still didn't make it easy.

If you are like me, here are some ideas to help make savasana or meditation more restful:

Get Comfortable

The more comfortable you are, the less likely you will get distracted, the easier it will be for you become aware of what’s going on within yourself. Start by picking the right position for you in that moment. The classic savasana pose involves laying on your back with your arms wider than your shoulders and your feet wider than your hips so that your toes fall outwards. If you would prefer to sit up, find a comfortable chair with armrests so you can rest your elbows and make sure your feet are flat on the floor so they are grounded. If you’re sitting on the ground, sit cross legged. You can relax your hands on your knees, palms up or down, or you can place one hand on your heart and the other hand on your belly to monitor your breathing. Sitting on a pillow or cushion so that your hips are higher than your knees can sometimes relieve pressure on your ankles.

If you have just finished your yoga practice, don’t be afraid to put on layers to help keep you warm. You will inevitably cool down as you sit or lay still so if you want a blanket, your favourite sweater, or socks, go get them. I sometimes even grab my cat. Then close your eyes or take a soft gaze at whatever is in front of you.

Choose the Right Environment

Try and pick a place that you are unlikely to be interrupted. If it’s a room in your home, go ahead and turn down the lights, light a scented candle or turn on a diffuser. Play some calming instrumental music or white noise. Over time, these will signal your brain that it's time to relax. If you have the option, try a nice space outside every once and awhile. The birds and the breeze can make beautiful background music.

Mentally Prepare Yourself

Tell yourself that this is a way to wholly take care of yourself. If you are worried about where your thoughts are going to go, try:

• Tuning into your senses: Notice what you hear, smell, see, feel, and even taste, one-at-a-time.

• Bringing your attention to your breath: Inhale and exhale slowly to equal counts.

• Tensing and relaxing different parts of your body to help them relax more deeply: Scrunch up your face and release, shrug up your shoulders and release, make tight fists and release, curl up your feet and release and then lay still and observe the relaxation.

• Moving: Touch your thumbs to the tip of each finger over and over and over again.

• The Insight Timer app. This app has a variety of recordings made by people with beautiful voices that talk you through a lot of the exercises I’ve listed above. The app also has white noise, calming music and nature sounds. Once you know what works best for you, just apply the filters to find what you need to help you get that rest!

PS. My membership takes care of ADHDers' bodies, minds, hearts, and souls! Seriously. SERIOUSLY!

It includes:

-Yoga classes for all levels with time for questions after each class

-Mindfulness practices and pose tutorials in a HUGE recorded library

-Body doubles so you can work along side other ADHDers to help you do the hard/boring things

-Powerful live guided journaling practices

-Special events to help you set intentions and follow-through

-ADHD-friendly supports to prevent any shame surrounding consistency

-And membership to a non-judgmental, supportive, loving, and hilarious ADHD Slack community (Seriously, I love them SO MUCH!!!)

Follow me at @adhd.yoga and check out my online studio at adhdyoga.ca.

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About the Creator

Taucha Post

ADHDer here! I'm a certified yoga teacher and ADHD coach-in-training. I empower ADHDers to take care of themselves through movement, breath, and the occasional f-bomb. Follow me at @adhd.yoga and check out my online studio at adhdyoga.ca.

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Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

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