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A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post called "Is Savasana Trying to Kill Us?" The short answer to that question is no, it's not trying to kill us! But a follow-up question that I got a few weeks ago has definitely gotten me thinking. The question was:

“Hi Jenni. I was wondering: is it obligatory to do savasana after a yoga practice? Some teachers say never skip it, some don’t. What would you say?”

I have my own thoughts on the matter, of course. But because I thought this was a particularly interesting question for yogis, I decided to pose this inquiry to my social media audience to get the pulse on what my online community thinks about this potentially controversial issue.

To that end, I posted a yes/no poll with the question “Is savasana obligatory?”. I also solicited qualitative feedback from my audience by inviting people to share their personal reflections and opinions on this question with me.

Here’s a summary of what I learned.

IS SAVASANA NECESSARY?

First of all, I discovered that there is no shortage of yogis who want to talk about whether savasana is a necessary part of a yoga practice! :) I received so many responses to this question that it took me a few days to sort through them all. Clearly our yoga community sees this as a meaningful question!

Second of all, I learned that there was a wide range of views on how necessary savasana is in a yoga practice. I definitely heard from plenty of people who were on the “skipping savasana is akin to yoga blasphemy” side of the spectrum. :) However, I was surprised by how many respondents seemed open to the idea that savasana was not a necessary part of a yoga practice after all.

Overall, I heard insightful points of views from both sides of this issue. In this blog post, I’ll share some highlights from the full spectrum of responses shared with me. I’ll start with the “savasana is necessary” point of view, move to responses from the middle ground, and end with thoughts from people on the “savasana is not necessary” side of the spectrum.

I hope you find these reflections to be as interesting as I did!

SAVASANA IS NECESSARY

The most commonly cited reasons for savasana being an essential part of a yoga practice included:

Tradition: without savasana, a yoga practice loses its sacredness
Savasana gives the body time to integrate the practice it has just been through
Savasana is the most important/most beneficial of all asanas
Savasana gives people a chance to find stillness and to relax their mind

Here are some highlights that exemplified these reasons:

“In yoga teacher training, we were taught that the purpose of doing the yoga asanas was to prepare the body to sit comfortably in meditation. And that savasana was the most important asana of all, because: (1) it helped the body and mind to integrate what they had just been through, and (2) savasana was the segue between asana and meditation. So, I hope none of my students skip it. But, I can see on Zoom that many of them turn off the computer when savasana begins. It makes me sad. BKS Iyengar, in his book Light on Pranayama, wrote about savasana: ‘It is the most difficult of yogic asanas to perfect, but it is also the most refreshing and rewarding.’”

“In my first YTT, my teacher encouraged us to not skip savasana when teaching. His view was that savasana was the most important pose. All of the other poses prepare us for savasana and to give our body time to absorb the benefits of the practice and to take a few moments to truly rest and be one with our body. So for those reasons, I don’t skip it.”

“The results sadden me! To me it’s a spiritual practice first and foremost and this is a representation of western culture’s bastardizing of a sacred tradition. I think one is missing the whole point of true yoga if skipped. I think it’s the most beneficial part.”

“I think it's important to prepare to die.” (This response was actually submitted as a joke, but I decided to include it here because the purpose of practicing savasana (a.k.a. corpse pose) is sometimes stated to be preparation for death!)

“I’ve always felt pretty strongly about savasana and I still think it’s really important to give people an invitation to still themselves in a world where everything is so fast paced/distractions are easily accessible. I’ve always liked it because it’s a door to mindfulness that others maybe wouldn’t be introduced to.”

“I mean it’s not entirely essential but then I think that the yoga practice just becomes a yoga workout instead. I think savasana is one of the most important parts of the physical yoga practice, allowing the body and mind to surrender.”

“It’s so needed for the nervous system for processing. I mean that’s one of the major parts of yoga, at least from a yoga therapist point of view – integration. It starts in savasana. Savasana is complete stillness, lying supine – which in a sense can mimic sleep, resting, corpse, re-birth. So resting in complete stillness after practicing yoga, and if you’re practicing yoga in a functional way with healthy challenges, you’re changing your neural pathways. The body needs integration. Resting of the breath and body and mind...the spine is also resting on the earth and in alignment with earth. It is support for integration.”

(Note from Jenni: the reference to Yin Yoga in this next quote is in response to that idea that because Yin poses are so relaxing and passive, savasana is not as necessary at the end of a Yin class):

“I also teach Yin, but still include savasana as the other postures we are in include an inherent work and awareness regardless of whether or not they are supine. There’s an exploratory aspect through the investigation of edges and shifts of experience over time. I feel like it’s another example of intent of the pose being the thing. Savasana’s intent is not work of any kind and is the opportunity to gift the body, mind, and breath rest.”

[SIDE NOTE ABOUT THE INTENTION OF SAVASANA]

The reflections in the previous section led me to realize there’s a fundamental question about savasana, related to its necessity, that deserves examining here: what is the intention of savasana?

My audience members described the intention of savasana in two main thematic ways: some people referred to it as a time of “meditation” while others referred to it as a time of “rest and relaxation.”

While there is of course some level of overlap between these two, I believe at their core, they are different concepts. To me, a meditation implies that one is attentive and alert; we actively observe and dismiss passing thoughts when we meditate. On the other hand, rest and relaxation in a yoga context implies that we’re exerting as little muscular effort as possible as we lie in a completely passive and supported state. I think restorative yoga poses are a good example of true rest and relaxation: our body is fully supported by soft props, and we do our best to completely “let go” into the support of these props. We stay aware of our body, but we aren’t necessarily as alert and attentive to one specific point of focus in the same way that we are when we meditate.

(I realize that there are different styles of meditation, and that I am potentially painting over them all with a somewhat broad brush here. But for the purposes of exploring the intention of savasana, I’m hopeful that the general description of “meditation” that I’ve used is acceptable.)

These distinctions in how we view savasana matter because they may play a role in our beliefs about its necessity, as well as our beliefs about the shapes that it can or cannot take.

For example, if we see savasana as a time of meditation, and if we know that meditation can be performed in a variety of positions (seated cross-legged, seated in a chair – even walking!), then we may be more inclined to believe that a broad selection of positions other than corpse pose can also be considered savasana.

If, on the other hand, we see savasana as a time of full body rest and relaxation, we may take a less liberal stance on what savasana can look like. At the extreme end of the spectrum, we might see lying on one’s back in corpse pose as the only acceptable position for savasana. Or if we were to be a bit more inclusive in our view, we might see a handful of other positions in which the body is completely supported with little-to-no muscular effort exerted as also being acceptable for savasana, such as lying face-down (prone), lying on one’s side in a fetal position, or lying supine with one’s feet elevated on a chair or wall. However, if true rest is our goal, we would probably not consider a cross-legged seat or any other position in which we are upright and more active as qualifying for savasana.

I think it can be helpful for us to reflect on our own approach to this pose: what is our purpose in teaching or practicing savasana, and how does this influence how necessary we see its role to be in yoga?

MIDDLE GROUND

Many respondents seemed unwilling to align with either end of the spectrum, opting instead for a sort of middle ground. They considered some form of stillness or relaxation at the end of a yoga practice essential, but the exact form that this stillness takes could be flexible. Therefore, savasana is not completely unnecessary – but it also need not conform to the exact position of a supine corpse pose every time.

Here are some highlights that exemplified more “middle ground” perspectives on this issue:

“Savasana is definitely not obligatory, but I feel that some kind of relaxation is an important part of the experience, and honestly I think it should be done more with other types of activities! There is something just so special about grounding, and tuning in like that.”

“I include savasana when I teach, but I offer it as a time for stillness practice, meditation, or relaxation. I let the student choose. From a trauma-informed perspective, I allow my students to choose a ‘resting form’ (taught not to use the word ‘pose’ in trauma-informed yoga) for their stillness practice which could look like savasana/corpse, or a seated pose, or lying on their side or stomach, whatever feels the best for them.”

“I teach vinyasa and yin. In vinyasa I say absolutely to savasana! In yin....we’ve often already been supine for a lot of the practice. I often will offer seated meditation for a few minutes at the end of class instead.”

“I don't think savasana is obligatory in every yoga practice. However, I do think some form of cooling down is important in every workout and meditation is a great tool in daily life to stay grounded. Savasana is great for meditation, but why don't we try meditating in child’s pose or sitting cross legged some days?”

“I think some form of stillness is necessary, but not in a traditional sense, i.e. flat on the back with palms up. I urge students to find a position in which they feel comfort in stillness.”

“I LOVE savasana, and I'm very particular about how I practice and teach it, but in recent months I've been playing around with leaving it out of some classes and ending with a short seated meditation instead. I've been doing this for classes that are meant to be more energizing, or for shorter classes more focused on the physical workout. I've personally found a lot of freedom in this approach and it's led me to teach outside the box more. I would never do away with savasana in all classes, but I no longer think it's mandatory for every single class.”

“In the sports world (when it’s pre-game) I believe the dosage of savasana has to be ‘just right’ to be able to transition to an alert but calm state to play in the zone. Some students tell me they are too relaxed after or feel tired, and I definitely do not want that effect for them at that point. But I believe savasana is meant to be a reset and however that can look and feel is up to the teacher’s intention for the student.”

“I think that everyone can benefit from having some time in stillness regularly, whether that's traditional savasana, seated meditation, or something else. So I consider savasana a requirement and I offer my students nice, long savasana (7-11 minutes, usually) and allow them to make that what they want it to be -- seated, lying, legs up the wall, whatever feels right. I see it this way: when you ask folks what they like or are looking for from yoga, they often say something like, ‘to feel calm’. And so, I believe that gifting our students time to exist in stillness feeds into that. I'd rather cut a flow short to make time for savasana rather than flow flow flow and only have 3 minutes for rest.”

SAVASANA IS NOT NECESSARY

At the other end of the spectrum were respondents who felt that savasana was truly an optional ingredient of a yoga practice.

Many people stated that stillness was not necessarily the most optimal way to close a yoga practice in every context. For example, some people noted that after a morning yoga practice specifically, some people are best served leaving their yoga mat in an energized and alert state, and a relaxing savasana at the end of their practice can potentially detract from this.

Other respondents mentioned that some people feel anxious or otherwise emotionally uncomfortable during savasana, and for that reason, savasana should never be a required part of a yoga practice.

Others noted that whether savasana fit well at the end of a yoga practice depended on the style of yoga and how important it was for students to have a dedicated relaxing or “cool down” time at the end or not. For example, after a challenging flow class, time spent in savasana might complement the rest of the asana practice well. But after a Yin class, which consists of long-held, passive stretches (many of them supine), a supine savasana might not be the best energetic complement to the practice.

All-in-all, responses from this end of the spectrum did seem to take an “it depends” approach to savasana. Here are some highlights:

“In general, I just don’t think any activity should be thought of as an ‘always’ or ‘obligatory’ thing because sometimes life gets in the way and totally black-and-white thinking can lead my brain to dark places where it feels like I failed because I didn’t do the thing I was supposed to. For savasana specifically, I don’t think it’s obligatory because sometimes my brain just isn’t in a place to sit in stillness even after the asana practice. Trying to force a square peg in a round hole would only make me more frustrated, so sometimes it’s easier to just move on and try again tomorrow.”

“Not everyone is comfortable in a still meditation. In my YTT, there were several people who felt unsafe during seated meditation and I imagine there are people who may not be comfortable either physically or otherwise in a supine, still position like that. I would probably always offer it, but I don’t make assumptions when people leave peacefully before savasana.”

“I offer free yoga classes in my neighborhood. Sometimes the class is very light and casual and doesn’t always feel right to end in savasana as it would almost bring the mood down. Other classes I kick it up and it’s a much appreciated relaxation. I think it all depends on the class, the atmosphere, the ambiance, etc…”

“I agree that we can all benefit from rest, but I also think that it's up to the student how they take that rest. Sometimes savasana doesn't feel supportive to all bodies at that moment. Maybe a different pose feels more restful and in that case I ask students to decide for themselves how they would like to rest and relax at the end of a class. Maybe a seated meditation or maybe they prefer to lay on their belly or their side. And now with classes online, I will ask students to listen to their body, take a moment to tune in and see what their body is asking for. Maybe they need more movement at that moment or maybe they might even need to stand up and just walk around on their mat. I think this is an opportunity for students to build more awareness and connection with themselves.”

“Totally depends on who you’re teaching and the style of yoga you’re guiding students through. Vinyasa yoga then yes, it’s likely your students will appreciate being supine. But Yin? Where we take lots of rebounds in pentacle – I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. I always go with teach authentically to you and who is in front of you.”

SO IS SAVASANA NECESSARY?: THE VERDICT

As this collection of viewpoints suggests, opinions on savasana vary widely in the yoga community.

In fact, I also put out an informal poll to my social media audience to feel out what the general sentiment was on this question. I asked my audience a yes or no question: “Is savasana obligatory?” The results surprised me: 58% of respondents answered yes, and 42% answered no.

These poll results reflect the varied explanations my audience shared. Despite the fact that yoga teacher training programs generally emphasize that savasana is a necessary, integral part of a yoga practice, over 4 in 10 yogis believed savasana was not obligatory.

Therefore, I’m not sure we can report a verdict either way on this foundational question about our yoga practice. And I find this information alone to be an interesting insight into the mixed attitudes and perspectives of our yoga community as a whole.

For my part, I don’t have a firm belief either way about savasana. Final relaxation in the form of savasana feels obligatory to me in my practice, and I appreciate its presence in yoga. I think ending a mindful yoga practice with an intentional time of awareness within rest can be an effective and meaningful way to transition from an asana practice back into life off the yoga mat.

But I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say that someone “didn’t do yoga” if they didn’t include savasana at the end. If I had to classify my opinion about whether savasana is necessary, I suppose I would put myself in the “middle ground” camp on this issue.

What do you think about savasana? Is it a necessary part of your yoga practice and/or teaching? Did anything that you read in this piece change your mind or give you something new to think about regarding this classic yoga pose?