Just about every class ends in savasana at BPY – which is some version of collapsing on your mat after the end of class.  You know, the spot where you start to re-live the argument you had with your spouse before class, where you berate yourself about your performance on your last exam, and oh yea, where you start to wonder if you have enough time to stop for milk after class.

A little tongue-and-cheek for sure, but probably pretty relatable to those of you who have just started practicing yoga and even those of us who have been practicing for a long time.  Savasana is not as easy as it looks.

The reason for that is that the mind just doesn’t shut up.  It keeps going, and going, and going.  And it is more than happy to make the loop a drone of negative talk.  I think that is why a lot of students rush away from savasana or fidget their way through it.  It is very difficult to lie in stillness when your mind is anything but still.

My suggestion is to look at savasana as any other pose in yoga – it takes practice.  Some days you are going to feel like you have the posture and other days you are going to feel like you missed the opportunity.  Lying still takes practice.  Changing the way we talk to ourselves takes practice.  But you have your whole happy healthy life to do that!  We don’t have to figure it all out now.

Here are some things to contemplate now and maybe when you are in your next savasana:

1.  Breathe!  When the mind starts to go haywire, go back to breath.  Feel the belly rise and fall or count your breaths.   Use the breathe as an anchor to stay present.

2.  Use a Mantra – This can be anything from “I’m ok” to “Nothing” to any other positive affirmation.  Just repeat it to yourself over and over.

3.  Be grateful – Think of something or someone you are grateful for and then send them some positive vibes!

4.  Say three positive things about YOU.  “I’m proud of myself for coming to class”  “I worked hard today”  “I am a good person”  Whatever it is, make it positive.