The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Savasana › Anxiety during savasana
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Savasana › Anxiety during savasana
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How *weird* is that? What I think we presume is the, most relaxing, physically unchallenging pose there is, and I lay there on my back trying not to panic. What is up with THAT? I know that corpose pose is mentally challenging as far as trying to quiet the mind, but feeling borderling panicky seems pretty odd to me.
Any ideas on why this is happening?
Even more important, any ideas on how to work through it?
Namaste,
AmyHi Amy,
I’m curious about a couple things. Does this happen in ALL of your savasanas? Just the first one?
People experience panic in different ways, so I am also wondering if you feel it as a mental thing (i.e., racing thoughts), or more of a physical thing (rapid breathing, muscle tension), or both?
Two important things to work on are your breath (slow and steady) and your eyes (softly focused one spot, not moving). Can you comment on these two areas? What is happening for you?
ideally, you can lay comfortably with no thoughts, but this is tough for a lot of people. Do you use any type of internal statement? (some examples: “inhale belly rise…..exhale belly fall” or “I am here…..it is now” or anything that is just focusing you on the moment). I have in the past counted to 1 (yes 1!) when I find myself thinking of other things. Its a slow count to one, lol….my goal is to very briefly distract my mind, then let the thought drift out and just “be”.
The most interesting thing to me about this yoga, is the series of brief intense postures (especially spine strengthening) followed by the brief savasana. This process is actually a lot like how anxiety is treated by psychologists, and I’ve been impressed with how it works. So that makes me curious about your experience.
I’m just a fellow forum member, so I hope you don’t mind my replying to you. I’m sure others will have some insight for you.
Namaste!
– Kristin
Hi Kristin
“Just a fellow forum member”? Hmmmm. :cheese: Thank you for your incredibly insightful and valuable post. If it weren’t for people like you I would be here FULL TIME answering forum posts. This is a public forum and although a very large number of them need to be answered by me I truly value everybody’s participation and input. I do love hearing others’ opinions and ideas. It helps me grow. So thanks again.
I look forward to Amy’s response.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Kristin and Gabrielle –
Thanks so much for both of your quick responses 🙂
This is probably super-strange, but I find the anxious feeling cropping up at the last savasana; the first and middle ones are generally OK. As I’m lying there, thinking my “anchor phrase” (“You will because you can”) I start feeling like I won’t “make it” through. Kind of like when I was training for a half marathon (got hurt, which is how I found hot yoga, got to a certain point and felt panicky that I couldn’t/wouldn’t finish the route.
MAYBE, and this *just* occured to me, I am feeling anxious because my yoga time is drawing to a close and I have to step back into life which includes a family, a fairly stressful job, trying to fit in a 30 day challenge, and copious amounts of guilt. Yikes. That kind of just poured out there. Sorry about that. Anyway, I just thought of that as a possibility.
Or I’m just overthinking it like I do everything and I can just breathe through it, realizing that panicky feelings will pass eventually.
Back to answering Kristin’s questions: I generally am lying down with my eyes closed and a towel over my eyes and forehead to soak up the sweat (I *hate* when sweat runs into my ears when I’m trying to be still!) When I am lying flat the anxious feelings are more intense, but if I bend my knees so my lower back is totally flat on the floor it helps physically. But then I start wondering if by bending my knees and having the soles of my feet flat on the floor means that I’m “doing it wrong”. But THEN I tell myself (1) it’s pretty hard to mess up savasana and (2) to shut up already, it’s time to relax and turn off the thoughts.
I know it’s just something to work through on this journey, and I’m actually kind of proud of myself for recognizing that this is happening. I never used to be this connected to my body and my thoughts.
Hi Amy
I really like Kristin’s “I am here … it is now”. It is much more present focused. Compare that to “you will because you can”. It may work for you during class but methinks it could be anchored too much in achievement for the end of class. It is future focused (I will). Perhaps you’re unconsciously keying into the activities you’re supposed to be doing when you finally get up off the floor.
Hmmm I realised you say “You will” and not “I will”. Is that right?
Let go of what you need to be doing regarding your legs and body. Just lie comfortably.
Try a different anchor phrase. Even maybe “I am enough”.
Off to enjoy my Sunday
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂OK, so my “Type A-ness” is coming out in savasana too. Not good I guess.
The next moment is new and the next class will be new too.
Thank you for your insights and feedback, Gabrielle and Kristin.
Namaste,
Amysounds like you have some good insight here. And some things to work on. I agree that the “I will…” carries too many expectations, and involves anticipation. You seem to sense that yourself. Achievement oriented people (guilty here!) are prone to this. I notice it in my classes….there are some women who spring out of the last savasana before 10 seconds have elapsed, and rush to get ready for the next challenge of the day. I feel like they are cheating themselves out of the most important part of the class.
I have struggled with it myself, such as anticipating that a certain posture is going to go wrong (and go figure, it does).
Let us know how things go for you!
– kristin
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