My first experience of yoga nidrā was done lying on my back in the pose of Śavāsana (Corpse Pose) on the carpeted floor of the yoga studio (no yoga mats back then!). We had a folded yoga blanket under our head and a blanket covering us if the weather was cool. And those with back issues were afforded rolled blankets under their knees.
More recently, I attended a class where the invitation was to make for oneself the cosiest of yoga nidrā nests, to rest the body however felt most comfortable and, if desired and available, to feel free to snuggle up with another human or a furry friend.
To each their own!
And, comfort and cosiness does facilitate yoga nidrā …
And, as a form of yoga, yoga nidrā has the potential to be so much more than a practice of relaxation. Which is why the yoga pose, Śavāsana, is traditional for yoga nidrā and will support the practice, anatomically and from a yogic perspective, in both overt and subtle ways. And can be individualised to meet you where you are.
In another class, not so very long ago, each week the teacher would have us lie in Śavāsana and she would come and place a blanket over us – a lovely caring gesture. Each week I’d begin with my arms relaxed by my side with palms lightly touching my thighs. And each week the teacher would kindly remind me to place my arms outwards, hands away from my body, palms facing upward (as is standard in Śavāsana). Then, each week, as she walked away from me, hidden from view under my blanket, my palms gently flipped face-down and my hands inched their way back to the comfort of my thighs. As the weeks went by, my palms, at some point, of their own accord, gently fell face up, and my arms felt increasingly inclined to spread outward, in traditional Śavāsana form. My body according with what it needed. In its own time.
Restorative practices of yoga, such as yoga nidrā, are about listening to our bodies – for what they need and also for what they would really like. Your body knows what you need. Allow all aspects of your practice to nurture you, including how you place your body and the props and supports that you choose. If comfort is difficult for you to access, be assured that in yoga nidrā this can be worked with. Comfort always.
How a traditional Śavāsana Pose goes:
One lies on one’s back with feet shoulder-distance apart, and arms similarly out from the body. Feet are flopped outward and palms face upward – sometimes referenced as an expression of giving and receiving, this opens the chest area, supporting and easing the breath.
The spine, neck and head are aligned, and while maintaining some spaciousness around the throat, the chin being lower than the forehead stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which elicits relaxation.
A comfortable folded blanket or small pillow under the neck, head and even the upper shoulders will support the alignment of the spine and soften the meeting of the neck and head with the surface beneath.
And a bolster or other support placed under the knees and, if possible, a rolled blanket or towel under the ankles, will support the alignment of the lower back and spine and encourage deep rest.
Śavāsana can be also personalised to make it accessible for individual needs – something we look at here.