issue4_Layout 1 2/23/2012 5:45 PM Page 7
Fun with words
Yoga U - Chantalle Kudsi
Last Pose No, this column is not ending here. But there is a singular pose usually reserved for the end of a yoga class: Shavasana. In the West, it is often referred to as "final relaxation," when in fact the translation of Shavasana is "Dead Corpse Pose." In Shavasana, we lie on our back with our eyes closed. We rest perfectly still. We are as if dead, but for the softest breath moving in and out of the nostrils. In this pose, we are practicing a death, our death, but why? Rather than fall asleep, we remain highly conscious as we relax the entire body. Our awareness expands as we practice being "liberated" from the confines of our physical form. As the body mass becomes heavier and heavier, falling away into the floor, a lightness of being and a definite spaciousness emerges. We may experience ourselves to be millions of particles vibrating, consciousness no longer bound by form, time, or space. So we practice this "little death," to confront a most human experience that we will all face one day: Death. And we practice it willingly and with the purpose of entering without fear. If we are not able to "let go" in Shavasana, no doubt there is a resistance or fear holding us back. And what is it that we are still attached to, that we cannot let go of? What thoughts are binding us still to the material world, so that we cannot relax completely, cannot surrender? Corpse Pose gives us the opportunity, each time, to face our fear of death, our fear of the unknown. A fear of letting go of all of the things, ego or body, that we are attached to. And we are also given the opportunity to expand beyond it.
Across
Down
1. Guards 7. Part of a book 8. A Roman deity 10. Hold spellbound 12. Consumed food 13. Morning moisture 14. Bowel cleasing 15. Resort 17. Neckwear 20. Something that hinders or handicaps 23. A valuable metal 24. Website addresses 25. Sharpshooter25. Repose 26. 365 days
1. Breathe hard 2. Conforming to your own liking 3. Orange pekoe or Earl Grey 4. Frequently 5. Praiseworthy 6. Certain 7. ___ green 9. Recent 11. Skirt fold 15. Droop 16. Trudge 18. Part of an archipelago 19. S 21. American Dental Association 22. French for "Street"
Far from being sombre, Shavasana is a pose of deep relaxation and entry into a state of universal awareness and peace. It is well worth practicing. Shavasana Lie down with your back on the floor, legs and arms outstretched. Close your eyes. Let there be a space between your ankles and a space between your torso and each arm. Palms rest face up. You may wish to place a rolled towel under your neck and a rolled blanket under your knees for added comfort. Relax completely and remain still as you consciously drop every part of the body into the floor. Keep your awareness inward while you breathe a subtle breath through the nostrils. After five minutes or more, take deeper breaths and gently stretch before rolling to the side. Make your way to sitting forward and open your eyes. Chantalle Kudsi is a yoga and meditation teacher in the WestEnd. Sheteaches group and private classes and can be reached at chantsomething@yahoo.ca
THE LOCAL HERALD,
FEB 24 (pg. 7)
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