At the end of every yoga practice is Savasana or corpse pose. Basically, you lie on the floor completely still and let the preceding practice "set". It's a time of rest and mediation. I have feared and dreaded Savasana since I started yoga. Only recently have I started to get it.
I mainly fear falling asleep in Savasana. This is a valid fear. You're lying on the floor with your eyes closed, completely still, tired from the yoga practice and (in my case) maybe tired from lack of sleep, stress, etc. The room is totally silent and you lie there so long sometimes it feels like the yoga instructor has forgotten to call you out of the pose. When I first started yoga a friend actually fell asleep during Savasana. I was trying to relax into the pose and I heard a very loud snore. To be fair, the room was dark and my friend had had a large glass of wine before class. Ever since I've been completely afraid of falling asleep during Savasana; it's hilarious when it happens to someone else, but would be terrifying if it happened to me.
Now I go to class in the morning so when it's Savasana time the room is pretty bright and I felt weird about closing my eyes surrounded by 10 other "corpses" so I'd keep my eyes open. Eyes open = brain whirling. Try to clear your mind of anything while your eyes are open and you'll see it's virtually impossible. Equally impossible is trying not to fidget. As soon as my brain starts whirling my body starts to fidget. Somehow over the course of a few months I managed to lull myself into not moving while my eyes were open. Not exactly Savasana, but a start.
About a month ago one of my instructors gave a mantra for Savasana that has changed everything. His suggestion was to repeat "I am" as you breathe in and "who I am" as you breathe out. It is amazing what a dramatic change this simple phrase has brought. Focusing on breathing and on saying the phrase (silently) keeps my mind focused which leads to true relaxation. If my mind does start to wander I bring myself back to focus by going back to the mantra. Focusing on the mantra also gives my brain something to do which in turn keeps my body still. And as long as I keep repeating the mantra there is no danger of falling asleep.
I am
Who I am
I like the mantra "I am, Who am I". Let me share my experience in meditation.
ReplyDeleteI can certify from my experience over last 9 years that ‘Focusing on breathing’ is a simple and doable technique to reduce the wandering of the mind and make the meditation more enjoyable and fruitful. After a few months of this practice, the mind becomes remarkably more obedient. I found that the focus on breathing can be dramatically enhanced by using the fingers to track the breaths. We can use the tips of the fingers as described below or the segments of the fingers.
**** TIP MODE: Touch the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. Breathe in and out three times, counting in the mind, every time you breathe out. During the first out breath count ‘one’, second out breath ‘two’ and during the third out breath ‘three’. Repeat the same steps at each of the next three finger tips. When you are at the thumb, place the tip of the index finger at the base of the thumb and breathe three times. Then switch to the other hand and repeat the same process. Continue practicing, switching the hands. You will feel its calming effect, by the time you complete 4 to 6 hands, which takes 2 to 3 minutes. You can use this mode, anywhere and anytime to avert potential stress or dissolve built up stress!****
I have been using ‘focusing on breathing’ technique throughout the day. During meditation, initially, I count my breaths in sets of three and when the mind becomes less distracted I switch to my mantra.
For five other modes of ‘focusing on breathing’ - Segment mode, Counting mode, Feeling mode, Staring mode and 911 modes, please visit this page http://countingbreaths.com/fob/relax/how-can-i-do-it/
Thanks for the comment and tip!
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