savasana or "corpse pose"

A little post-Thanksgiving-day-coma relaxation :)

Sanskrit: savasana                                    Western Term: corpse pose

Origin of Word

Sava = corpse; asana = posture or seat

Type of Asana: supine posture

How To:

1. Come to lie comfortably on your back with eyes closed.

2. Separate the feet (more than hip distance) and arms (wider than shoulders). Allow feet to splay open naturally and palms to face upward in a receptive position.

3. Allow breath to come naturally while staying present and aware in body and mind.

To get out of the pose:

1. Deepen your breath, wiggle your toes and fingers bringing the mind back to the physical body. 

2. Stretch arms above head and roll to the right side in a fetal position. Lay on side for a few breaths. 

3. Using your hands roll yourself up to a seated position allowing your head to be the last thing to come up. 

4. With hands in a prayer position in front of your heart (anjali mudra), bow your chin to your chest to thank yourself for your practice. 

Body Points:

*go through a body check relaxing each muscle from toes to top of your head

*even relax the muscles of the jaw and brow           

*focus on your breath, staying present in the moment, and attempting to allow any worries to be pushed aside as you concentrate on your breath and self for several minutes

Emphasized Body Parts: whole body and mind

Perhaps even rejuvenated enough to sing and dance along to this turkey dubstep.

Mental Achievements: rejuvenates mind and body while giving your mind and body time to absorb the practice

An aid for beginners: kramas or levels of a pose give us yogis with various levels options. For any given pose, there are various levels of difficulty. This krama that I offer is for beginners to the pose:

-if you’re having trouble staying quiet in the body or mind-choose a mantra such as so hum translating to “I am that.” Each time you inhale think “so” and each time you exhale think “hum.” If this mantra does not help, you can also count your breath inhaling for three counts and exhaling for three counts.

Chakra: opens the channel for energy to pass through each chakra

Ancient Sanskirt Proverb: To best describe corpse pose Pattabhi Jois, student of Krishnamachrya said “Most difficult for students, not waking, not sleeping….every day, a little ‘bit dying.’”

To best exemplify this earth element: a photo from hiking around Patagonia with my best friend, Katie, and boyfriend, Jasper. Tremendous moments and picture like this sure can make you feel pretty small...

Element: earth

After your relaxation, treat yourself with this delicious and light post-Thanksgiving dish. Enjoy!  

Ingredients: 4 pounds pie pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks, 4 large sweet-tart apples, such as Empire, Cameo or Braeburn, unpeeled, cored and cut into eighths, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper,1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted, 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil

1.     Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.     Toss pumpkin (or squash), apples, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, for 30 minutes. Stir in sage and continue roasting until very tender and starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.

3.     Transfer about one-third of the pumpkin (or squash) and apples to a blender along with 2 cups broth. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a Dutch oven and repeat for two more batches. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and heat through over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent splattering, for about 6 minutes. Serve each portion topped with hazelnuts and a drizzle of hazelnut oil.

Gobble gobble! Enjoy :) 

Sources:

http://www.iyengar-yoga.com/articles/savasana/. Viewed 11/22/12.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/pumpkin_apple_soup.html. Viewed 11/23/12.