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The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Savasana › Final Savasana
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When my bikram class is over, and we are all in final savasana, the teacher always recommends staying there for at least 2 minutes. I’ve noticed in all of my classes, the second the teacher walks out of the room at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the students just get up and leave. I try not to pay attention and just relax, and actually count in my head to make sure I stay long enough, but when I stay for just 2 minutes, the classroom is usually almost empty (maybe one or two people left in there with me). I know that I shouldn’t even focus on this, because it’s MY class, and it doesn’t matter what other people do.
My question, however, is how important is the final savasana? It’s always seemed to me to be stressed by the teacher that it is very important. Is this because of the relaxation, the slowing of the heart rate, or the meditation, or all of them? Could the same results be reached by leaving the room and sitting down while waiting for your heartrate to stabilize?Gummisteph, do you find that your heart rate needs slowing by the end of class? I haven’t found that, not after the final few postures, which are quite relaxing, Head to Knee with Stretching, Final Spinal, Blowing in Firm…
I have noticed the same thing, not many people stay for more than a minute after the teacher leaves. Some teachers say things like, “Do you find you’re doing things like dropping your keys if you rush out of class? Stay, relax, and be a safe driver.”
I’ve tried both ways and haven’t noticed any difference in how I feel after, whether I stay and relax or get up and leave right after the teacher. I rarely leave right after the teacher, maybe I’ve done that a couple of times.
My main reason for not hanging around in there too long is that I usually do the 8:15 p.m. class, so it’s almost 10 by the time I’m outta there.
Hi Stephanie
An excellent question! Savasana is important for all those things you mention and more.
After any exercise it is important to recover. So waiting until the heart and breathing rate return to normal is important.
So what about doing it on the bench outside?
Well, you can. But that will only recover your breath and your heart rate? And as you know there is a lot more to the savasana than that. The integrative effects of lying still taking advantage of being supine and allowing gravity to work on your totally worked out body is worthy of mention.
There is also the distraction of getting up, even the decision to get up, and sitting down to recover. These activities require interaction. You have to negotiate your way around people and then probably sit and comment on the experience or look around and comment on what is going on (make sense of it) either internally or verbally. Yes you may even feel compelled to socialize. All this stuff would in all likelihood take you away from that valuable meditative state. Probably. It is possible to meditate while doing this but it is more likely that your interactions will zip you right out of that state.
One of the most powerful reasons to stay in your final savasana is to take advantage of the anchoring of your physical and your meditative state to the mat and especially to that position on the floor. Your body and mind are conditioned to relax in between all the poses. This conditioning is very powerful and when you ‘hit the mat’ for the last time in class your body and mind are programmed to just let go. Your job is to let go of your attachment to rejoin your regular life (you know when you simply must leave and do that thing that you may have been thinking about 😉 ). You have spent 90 minutes practicing yoga. This is your time to bridge your practice INTO your life. Take that mindfulness beyond the series of asana.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you so much for replying! You told me just about what I thought…I was just unsure because I’m very new to this and figured that if the students weren’t paying attention to the teachers direction there must be a reason! I have been to 10 classes and stayed in savasana for a while afterwards to just unwind, relax and recover.
Today, however, it was a really hard session for me where I had to take a break during class for about 20 minutes (this never happened to me before). Perhaps it is because I live in Austin, TX and the heat and humidity has steadily been increasing OUTSIDE, so it was really hot and humid in the yoga room.
Anyway because I was so spent and eager to hit the air conditioning, I, for the first time, got up and left immediately after the teacher left. I don’t know if it was because my session was so taxing or because I left early, but I was very lightheaded and had to rest outside the room for a long time before I could change and go home. Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is that I should listen to my body, but try to stay in savasana until my heartrate at least stabilizes, so I don’t get so lightheaded and woozy feeling.
There is a one page article at the back of a yoga magazine that came out this month in which they really encourage anyone doing yoga to stay in savasana for at least 15 minutes. They insist that we just do not get the full benefits of all our hard work if we don’t give ourselves this time. I don’t remember the name of the magazine as I just scanned it briefly at an airport.
I’ve been following their advice and it’s done wonders for me. I’m 58 and was noticing a fair amount of tiredness after yoga (Bikram 5 days a week). For the last week or so, my 15 minutes savasanas have reinvigorated my practice. I have way more energy for the rest of the day and way less aches and pains.
I know not everyone feels that they have the time to do this, but if you can try it, see if it makes any difference in the way you feel, think, and act for the rest of the day.
Hi John
You are SO right! If you can afford to stay longer than the average 2 minutes then do stay. Those people who have a problem sweating long after they’ve finished class or even showered will find that their systems normalize much more quickly with this extra rest.
I know that if I am in a rush to get somewhere after class, if I can stay and ‘fight’ the urge to get up early and I stay long enough to really center myself then the day moves along much more easily!
Of course there are plenty of other benefits. Thanks for sharing!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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