It’s Savasana Time!

So, let’s begin by giving this some context. Years ago, I was the girl at yoga frantically scrambling to pick her stuff and leave before savasana (aka resting pose). I couldn’t get out quick enough. Lay down for five minutes?? Are you shitting me?? I haven’t got time for that!!

Fast forward 15 years and I like to think I’ve learnt a thing or two about how to take care of myself, how to relax…a brain haemorrhage will do that for you (or if it doesn’t, it probably should)!

And so, I’ve come to understand the importance of some time spent in savasana at the end of a yoga session or at the end of Qoya. I remember during my teacher training, a profound insight I had during one particular savasana; the whole session it had eluded me, but then when I stopped, when I lay in stillness, it was able to find me and drop in.

I’ve certainly also learnt how to sit still in meditation…sitting for 10 hours a day on 10-day vipassana courses tend to train you into that! And now, most days I find myself sitting for half an hour or an hour at a time. Blimey! Get me! I’ve come a long way from being that crazy hectic girl who was chasing her ponytail in total denial about the state of her nervous system until her head kindly exploded to let her know.

So, I’m pleased to report that I’ve learnt how to be in stillness in the various practices that have become part and parcel of my lifestyle…but what about in life itself?

Four years ago, I sold my house and – in the spirit of keeping with a Qoya theme here – I began a dance with life:

I danced my heart out in Costa Rica, I danced my hips open in Mexico, I danced my prayers in India, I danced with my shadow in…well, in all of those places and more. I’ve free danced my body, mind, and soul all over the bloody place – sometimes slowly, sometimes energetically, always with intention. I’ve poured it all out into relationships, friendships, and a book. I’ve fallen to pieces and put myself back together again…differently. I’ve adventured, I’ve discovered, and I’ve expanded…it’s been a fucking ride!

But…WHERE’S MY BLOODY SAVASANA??!!

I’ve done a shit load of stirring and shaking and poking and prodding. I’ve been a human snow globe for the past four years…it’s time to see where the pieces land. It’s time to allow the learning to come through. It’s time to integrate it all.

And without savasana, none of that can truly happen. All of that experience might be wasted, or at least not made the most of. An analogy often used in Qoya is that not making time for savasana is like going to the market, buying lots of beautiful fresh ingredients, going home and spending hours preparing and cooking the most delicious meal you’ve ever made…and then throwing it in the bin!

So, the time has come to hang up my van keys, pop my passport in the drawer and massage my feet should they begin to itch in anyway…for a while at least…until the next dance.

Yoga and Qoya both teach us that there is a wisdom in knowing when to move and when to be still…

I’m going to lay down…speak later!

(For more information about Qoya visit my Work with Me page.)