Yoga Basics - Corpse pose - Savasana - Masterering basic yoga poses

Begin by lying down on your back with your arms down by your sides, palms face up. Stretch down and lengthen through your arms and legs before allowing the ankles to splay outward and the arms to relax at your sides. Make any adjustments necessary when it comes to how far apart your legs and arms are. If your arms come into contact with something, you can bend them at the elbows into "cactus arms." Or if you prefer, you can place the hands on your belly or rest them on the pelvic bones. The point is to make yourself as comfortable and relaxed as possible while resting in a neutral position. However, while you release tension and effort in the body, the mind remains focused and aware. In other words, this pose is about conscious relaxation. Begin a body scan by focusing on relaxing each part of the body in turn. Allow the feet and legs to become heavy and sink into the ground. Your hands and arms become heavy and relaxed. Feel the weight of your hips and torso as they melt into the floor. As the the back of the head sinks into the floor, relax the muscles of your face, softening the space between the eyebrows, and releasing the jaw. Allow the tongue to drop from the roof of your mouth. The lips may part naturally. Breathe normally, bringing awareness to your inhalations and exhalations. Notice what sensations and thoughts arise, and allow them to pass on so that you may arrive more fully in the present moment. As yoga teacher and psychotherapist, Michael Stone so eloquently stated, "The aim of yoga practice in daily life is to live vividly from moment to moment without being stuck in thinking or the idea of not-thinking." Rest here for several minutes. It is recommended that you lay in savasana for 10 percent of your practice time. So if you practiced for 30 minutes, rest here for at least 3 minutes. When you are ready to exit the pose, gradually begin to deepen your breathing once more. Bring movement first back into your fingers and toes, then gently rotate the wrists and ankles. On an inhalation, stretch your arms overhead and lengthen all the way down through your toes. As you exhale, bring the knees into the chest, then gently roll onto your right side. In your own time, press yourself back up to a seated position. For more yoga poses and resources, be sure to visit yogadrienne.com...and remember to subscribe to my channel for future video updates.