No Śavāsana?
"Can you speak louder (coming from all the way back in the room)?" .
"No, that won't be very relaxing for everyone. Please come to the front?"
"I can't really kneel, my knee hurts. Can I do something else instead?"
"Yes, of course, let me show you, once everyone else gets going..."
"Danielle, can we do Śavāsana? Our other teacher always does it."
"No."
"Do we have to talk about Yoga? Can't we just do it?"
"No. These movements without theory are mere exercises, and I’m here to teach you Yoga."
This is a sampling. Two weeks into a large class I am subbing for two months, after cordially acquainting with the students, everyone is comfortable enough to begin raising questions. If you think I hold the Yoga line strongly, you should see my teachers. I refuse to cave all the way into such requests.
I taught śavāsana. Classically. So...why did she ask that? Most styles of Yoga keep going, and going until fatigue is accumulated. And, you’ve been swept away into habitual thoughts, behavioral impulses and movement patterns for so long you need to recover for a longer while. Classes happen out of your means, and extended recovery becomes the applied mechanism to account for the overdoing of 45 minutes of exercise.
Haṭha Yoga Pradipika (I. 32) describes śavāsana as alleviating physical and mental fatigue, and that it does; however, properly designed and implemented, asana practice musn’t fatigue us. In the Yoga of Krishnamacharya, our connection to the breath and a competent teacher prevents, to a large degree, the potential harm we can self-inflict through practice. A brief śavāsana is generally practiced after standing āsana-s, long enough for any agitation in the breath to calm, for the body to release residual tension it may have taken on. That’s enough to get the job done. Plus, an extended śavāsana at the end of practice renders us a too tamasic for the day or evening ahead, unless you are at home and going to bed.
My recent encounter with olive oil, garlic, onion and basil will inform what I teach next time: provide what is customary, and improve upon. To invite students into long-term practice, I can’t negate all their Yogic desires. They’ll never come back, and I’ll miss the opportunity to enhance their lives through Yoga, my dharma, and something I genuinely cherish.
Recently, I began making a meal mostly every day for my parents, due to an unexpected, severe illness in the family. I’m very vegan, for very long. My parents are very Italian American, for much longer. A cuisine clash could ensue; however, I’m determined and listening and watching, and the learning curve is steep!
For example, mung beans are easily digestible, and the household microbiomes need some work. While I make mine with cumin, coriander, nigella sativa, fenugreek, curry leaf and mustard seeds, that is far from their flavor norm. Noticing my inclusion in their meals of what is familiar, olive oil, garlic, onion and basil, always receives accolades, I carry that thread through the meals I make. I cracked the code.
As omnivores, they are accustomed to some animal food on most days. Include olive oil, garlic, onion and basil, the familiar, with tofu and tempeh and these not oft-explored protein sources become a hit. Coconut oil, toasted sesame, avocado, ginger, bay leaf, chili flakes, coconut amino-s, cashew cheese, quinoa, brown rice, shitakes, split peas. Occasional fake stuff like dogs and burgers for fun. The palate is expanding, meal by meal, bite by bite, herb by spice.
The ever present “śavāsana” is there. I’ll improve upon the status quo with supportive visualization to render it more potent, calming, restorative. Describe its purpose. Keep them there a little longer. Soon no one will know I’ve completely replaced their former preference of a long śavāsana with techniques bound to serve a greater purpose - a more regulatated, open-minded, healthier them.