The word Sava means a corpse. In Savasana you are meant to imitate a corpse, to play dead. This is often the hardest pose. I know some students who cannot stay for Savasana because they see it as a waste of time; they cannot stay still. By remaining motionless for some time and keeping the mind and body still while you are fully conscious, you learn to relax. In the beginning, you may fall asleep. This is ok. It just means that you are really tired and probably are not getting enough sleep. However, after a while, you should not fall asleep. Conscious relaxation invigorates and refreshes both the body and the mind. With practice, the mind learns to follow the breath, stay focused and fall into light meditation. The posture is then extremely restorative and refreshing.
During the month of December, we will focus on Savasana. It’s not that we will spend more time doing Savasana, we just might focus on different versions of it: supported, side-lying, or prone. The busy days preceding the holidays are often a great opportunity to practice conscious relaxation. It is especially important to maintain your yoga practice and to find some time every day to sit quietly and meditate.