Savasana September
Join Paula Hines for a month of blissful Savasana this September
This September marks seven years since, in this very column, I wrote about embarking on what I called The 365 Savasana Project (#365Savasana) – savasana for 20 minutes, every day, for one year.
Long story short: burnout and putting myself last brought things to a head and in a moment of not knowing what else to do, I lay down on the floor in a supported restorative savasana for 20 minutes. There and then, that stillness and rest was exactly what I needed. In fact, I could feel that my body was craving it.
This was the beginning of a profound year-long experience. When I first trained in teaching restorative yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater in 2012, I remember her advising us that this style of yoga was a practice that teachers really needed. This did not fully make sense to me until that point when I was lying on my floor feeling wired and exhausted at the same time.
I was doing something I loved, yet here I was burnt out.
A burnt-out yoga teacher. How could this be?
It may sound ironic, but sadly, this is not as rare as one might think (particularly among those who rely on teaching as their sole source of income).
Despite the serene ‘appearance’ of my work and helping others feel restored, rest, for me, had become elusive.
Seven years on, and especially since the pandemic, I still feel that rest practices – of which restorative yoga is just one – are what we all need.
Savasana is wonderful (and powerful) in its simplicity. It is often described as the simplest pose to do and the most difficult to master, with good reason. Most of us find it hard to be still, especially with no distractions (no, that Netflix marathon from the sofa does not count!).
I’m not suggesting that you need to follow what I did and practice savasana for 365 days (unless, you want to). But you might consider joining me for Savasana September, which is simply making space to practice savasana daily throughout the month. This is something I have done before and this year I will once again be sharing posts on social media throughout the month of September with savasana variations and tips for practice.
As I said back in 2014, everybody (yoga teachers included) needs more savasana in their lives.
Paula Hines is a London-based senior yoga teacher and writer (ucanyoga.co.uk). For #SavasanaSeptember follow Paula on Instagram @ucanyoga1
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