Saturday, February 4, 2012

Shavasana - Corpse Pose

Happy Superbowl Weekend, y'all!!! What an apropos yoga pose for the week - as Shavasana may well be where we all find ourselves after some football, unhealthy food, the Puppy Bowl, and last, but not least, Madonna...This post comes to you from E.

Really, what could be easier?  Be quiet?  Be relaxed?  Be grateful for your just-finished practice? Sur-freakin-render? Sweet!
Um, no, not so much.
As soon as I hear those words, “Find a comfortable place on your back, let your limbs relax, your legs open, your shoulders fall, your breath soften,” I go into panic mode.  I can NOT do this, ever.  Full stop.
(Mind you, I’ve been doing yoga since some of you were in diapers, and shavasana has always been This Way For Me.  Call it “S#@*I Can’t Go There,” okay?)
I could carry on about my favorite (or not so) poses:  I only hope I can go again to sing the song of how hard Child’s Pose is when your knee wants to turn itself inside out.  Or “I Gotta NOT Crow.” Oh, but I digress.
Back to Dead Girl.
Breathe In:
So, watta we gotta do today.  Oh, yeah, it’s Sunday and it’s a relaxing day so we’re going to Costco for massive amounts of environmentally not-nice paper products, Trader Joe’s for food “staples.” What did I do with those lists?  Wait, did I pay the bills on Thursday like I said I would, oh did I input all of the performance review data, and what about those new leotards for gymnastics, and oh, the flu shots and…
Sister, chill, it’s shavasana.  By the way, just for fun, Yoga Journal says, “Make sure your ears are equidistant from your shoulders.” As if there isn’t enough pressure already.
Oh yeah.
Breathe in two-three-four-five, out two-three-four-five.  In…
Just let the thoughts go. Go. Go, go, goes, we-got-the-beat.
Stop. Say b-bye to all ya’ll nasty thoughts: worn out ballet slippers, chewed up bully sticks (perish that thought!), coveted Michael Kors handbag, oh, STOP, so not yogic.
Where were we?
Breathe. Eyes, relax—is that possible?
Let the thoughts pass over, through, around, go now, it’s okay.
It is?
Yes.
A moment of almost calm.
You were there?
How should I know?  I’m not supposed to be paying attention.
“Let your breath return to normal.  Wiggle your fingers and toes.”
BUT I JUST GOT HERE!
Sigh. It’s all good. 
Did I mention that I love shavasana?





1 comment:

  1. E, you mentioned the word irreverent when you emailed this over. Maybe, just a little. :) Made me giggle, though. I often feel cheated when we get to roll to our sides post Shavasana and we only get like a minute to enjoy it. It feels sooooooo good; why do we have to get up? I think the "lying on your right side and wanting to fall into a deep coma" pose deserves its own name. Maybe it has one?

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