Let it Land: getting your yoga to last longer
(photo by Chuck Savage)
Have you ever been totally relaxed in śavasana? Blissed out. Floating in the clouds. So relaxed and aware of your body that it melts away. Drenched in sweet peacefulness.
Then. Your teacher calls you back. You sit up and the bliss completely disappears. Suddenly you’re thinking about the next thing on your to-do list, worrying about how you’re gonna talk to your sister without offending her, and wishing your teacher would finish up so you can put your props away before anyone else.
I’ll bet that the effects of your yoga don’t last very long when your brain turns on after śavasana like that. You probably say a quick goodbye as you head out into your day. In the process you leave your yoga - and your inner peace - behind. Yoga is just one more thing you’ve checked off your list, but it doesn’t really have a lasting impact on your day.
Before we go further let me just say: I GET IT. Sometimes we all need to rush out of yoga into the next thing. Last weekend I had to run out immediately after a class because I needed to get my kid to and from a birthday party. I barely squeezed in the yoga class during the party. IT’S FINE TO LEAVE CLASS when you need to. It’s fine to leave class quickly.
What I’m going to recommend though, is that you pay very close attention to the transition.
In Śavasana
When you’re in śavasana at the end of your practice your boundaries expand. You forget the room you’re in. Unconscious contractions in your body and mind release. Your breath deepens. If you feel safe, your parasympathetic nervous system turns on to help repair your cells. Your Heart expands. In a great śavasana you experience feelings of peace, bliss, and freedom or have intuitive hits. You also lose your sense of being a limited individual self - and recognize yourself as a Being in the Oneness of all that is.
During this time your mind/body is integrating everything from your practice. Integration means more muscle memory and awareness in your next practice. Because of the integration happening, deep śavasana is a major way your practice evolves. All of this happens when your mind gets quiet and your ego moves into the background.
After Śavasana
As your teacher calls you out of śavasana you become more aware of the boundaries of your body. You remember where you are. And most importantly, your mind starts thinking again.
When you move from being horizontal in śavasana to sitting up vertical your mind turns on even more. It’s used to being up top and being in charge. Then your ego rushes forward from where it’s been resting. Suddenly that expansive Being becomes a very particular human again. This is an important moment of transition. Ignore it and your yoga stays on your mat.
Let it Land
If you can pay attention during this transition you have a greater chance of taking your yoga with you. You’ll feel it for longer.
Catch this moment by doing two things:
First, notice that your mind is coming back online, bringing your ego and personality.
Then, return to the śavasana feeling while you’re sitting up. Intentionally connect with the śavasana feeling instead of whatever your mind is going on about.
This can be extremely quick. Sit up, notice your mind, return to the śavasana feeling and move into your day. Even if you have to leave class quickly, you can be mindful of the transition.
It doesn’t take time, but it takes powerful witnessing and attention. Your mind is strong and it’ll pull you into the future. Resist the pull. Stay relaxed. Stay present. Continue to expand.
Integrated Practice
When you stay present for those extra few breaths, your practice lands in you. All of the integration that happened during śavasana has a moment to find its home before you go to the next thing. Then when you move off your mat you carry your practice with you for longer.
Of course, this isn’t just for yoga practice. If you meditate or practice Sit Spot you might jump up the second your timer goes off. But taking a second to pause and move out of your practice slowly will integrate it. Same for any other practice: Art, Music, Dance, NIA, Nature Walking… all of it will stay with you for longer if you stay mindful as you transition back into your day.
Present for Life’s Transitions
These days a lot of us feel like we are always checking items off a never ending to-do list. Taking a moment to pause in transitions so that life can land intentionally slows you down. It puts gaps between the things on the list. You get to feel when things end, you get to integrate them, and then you get to move on. Life feels less like a run-on sentence more like a collection of integrated moments.
Ultimately, we want to carry our practices with us always and everywhere. Ultimately we want them so integrated into the way that we live that all of life becomes practice. Eventually there is no separation between life on the mat and life off the mat. Eventually, the great teachers say, we become so established in the inner peace that we always feel it within us.
Until then, allow your practice to land. Keep it alive inside for as long you can. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
A note to teachers: This is a tremendous gift to give your students. Most folks don’t realize that the pause is so potent. It can be useful to explain WHY you’re slowing them down in the moments after śavasana (to help them integrate and experience the benefits of the yoga for longer). Try it out and see how your students respond.