September 19th, 2023

Coach Sophie

As someone who started her love of wellness through yoga, I wanted to share a yoga-inspired tip with you going into this weekendThe pose I want to talk about is “Shavasana,” which basically looks like lying on the floor and taking up as much space as feels good for your body. In this pose, a yogi uses their breath to release tension in the body from the tippy toes to the crown of the head. The pose is meant to improve breathing, promote a deep sense of relaxation, and deepen connection to oneself. It is actually considered one of the HARDEST postures in yoga because maintaining stillness and self awareness in a world constantly demanding our attention takes effort and that connection to self feels more and more distant.

My encouragement and challenge to you going into this weekend and next week is to practice the idea of Shavasana in the face of a busy busy life. While I don’t expect you to lie on the floor in random public spaces (), I do encourage you to take notice of the moments you feel overwhelmed or stressed. By incorporating the practice in your life, you may find that the craving you just had might have subsided so much you don’t even feel like eating that food anymore, you may gain perspective on a situation stressing you out, and you will likely feel a deeper connection to yourself and reduced anxiety. So whether you just have a minute in the car to yourself, a moment at your desk to take a break from work, or the time to fully lie down to do a Shavasana body scan, just try it and see how your body and mind will thank you!

Here are some cues to bring Shavasana with you:

• Wherever you are, make sure it’s a space you are comfortable with closing your eyes.
• Focus your attention on your tippy toes and start to think of releasing any tension in your feet and sending your exhales to each muscle, big and tiny, to release tension there. Slowly move up your legs until you’ve reached the crown of your head and have totally relaxed your body. You can even think of sinking your whole weight into the floor if you’re lying down.
• Common areas of tension to pay specific attention to: shoulders and neck, jaw (release tongue from roof of mouth, unclench teeth), low back, forehead, space between the eyebrows, unclenching fists.
• If you notice your mind keeps racing with thoughts, bring your attention back to your breath as many times as you need to. Focus on lenghtening your inhales and exhales and even noticing the space between your breaths.
• Think of a warm soft light shining in between your eyebrows dissolving any tension there. Follow that light as it travels down your neck, shoulders, stomach, etc. until it has warmed and relaxed your entire body.
• Your hands can be by your side or you can place them around your belly button and feel the breath expand and release in your stomach to promote deep relaxation.

Feel free to share in comments if you try this and how it helped you!