Embodiment · “Being Precedes Having”
Savasana
Lie completely still and supported, release the body region by region, let the breath grow soft, and consciously quiet the brain and senses — reaching deep relaxation with faint, retained awareness as the threshold between asana and meditation.
Lie symmetrically and supported, head on a folded blanket, and resolve to be completely still. Move attention slowly through the body, releasing each region; soften the face, eyes and brow. Let the breath become soft and even. Quiet the brain, draw the senses inward, and rest in faint awareness for 10–15 minutes. Come out slowly via the right side. Conscious relaxation, not sleep — the doorway from posture to meditation.
What it is
Savasana (Corpse Pose) is, in Iyengar’s hands, far more than “lying down at the end of class.” He treats it as one of the hardest and most important practices: a systematic, conscious relaxation in which you lie completely still, settle the body symmetrically, release it part by part, let the breath become soft and even, and deliberately quiet the brain and the senses — withdrawing attention inward — while a faint awareness remains.
Iyengar describes Savasana as leading to “utter relaxation with faint awareness,” and treats it as the threshold between asana and pranayama/meditation: once the body is still and the brain quiet, the practitioner “comes closer to the breath” and to the inner state.
It is active relaxation — relaxation done with attention, not collapse into sleep.
The Method
- Set the body symmetrically. Lie supine on a non-slip, comfortable surface. Centre the head; many Iyengar settings support the head/back of the skull on a folded blanket (and sometimes a bolster along the spine) so the chest is open and the throat soft. Legs slightly apart and rolling out evenly, arms a little away from the body, palms up.
- Become still. Make the small final adjustments, then resolve not to move. Let the whole back body spread and rest into the floor.
- Release region by region. Move attention slowly through the body, consciously softening: feet and legs, pelvis and abdomen, hands and arms, chest and back, throat, face — softening the eyes, the root of the tongue, the temples, the brow. Let the face and the brain feel passive.
- Let the breath become soft and even. Do not control it forcibly; allow it to grow quiet and smooth. A slightly longer, softer exhalation deepens the release.
- Quiet the brain and draw the senses in. Let the mind stop reaching outward (toward sounds, thoughts, plans); keep a faint, even awareness without effort. This sense-withdrawal is the meditative edge of the pose.
- Stay 5–15+ minutes, completely still. To come out, deepen the breath, move the fingers and toes, roll to one side, and rise slowly.
Source & Lineage
B.K.S. Iyengar gives Savasana detailed, serious treatment in Light on Yoga (1966) and frames it as the gateway to pranayama in Light on Pranayama (1981), where beginners learn to breathe in supported Savasana.
His daughter Geeta Iyengar taught Savasana as “a threshold between asana and pranayama” — once relaxation is felt there, the student comes closer to the breath. → originator node.
Common refinements
Falling asleep. The aim is relaxed awareness; if you habitually sleep, keep the eyes softly open or shorten the practice.
- Fidgeting / not committing to stillness. The decision to be completely still is the practice.
- Tense face and brain. Iyengar stresses softening the eyes, tongue and brow — the face leads the brain into quiet.
- Forcing the breath. Let it settle on its own; control belongs to pranayama, not Savasana.
- Skipping the support. A small head/neck support keeps the throat and chest open and the mind quieter.