FINAL RELAXATION POSE, THE SOLUTION TO END YOUR DEPRESSION

FINAL RELAXATION POSE, THE SOLUTION TO END YOUR DEPRESSION

Shavasana, also known as corpse pose, is paramount in any yoga class. I adamantly assure my students that it's the most important pose and we shall never underestimate it. 

Shavasana is a relaxation pose that is performed by lying on the back releasing every part of the body with the help of inhalation and exhalation processes of breathing to ultimately arrive at a state of complete numbness while freeing the mind from any thoughts. 

Thankfully people are beginning to recognize that the myriad of benefits are not limited to the physical level. Past researches have proven the effectiveness of Shavasana in treating psychological disorders specifically depression. 

Khumar, Kaur, and Kaurv (1993) examined the effectiveness of Shavasana to alleviate depression and affirm it to be a powerful asana for curing depression and other physical diseases. The experiment found that the ancient pose removes mental tension, stress, physical fatigue, heart ailments, insomnia, and many other nervous disorders related to depression. In the experiment, 50 female participants were randomly assigned into two groups, an experimental group (n = 25) that was treated with Shavasana for half an hour daily for a period of 30 days in the morning at 7:00 a.m. and a control group (n = 25). Results indicated that there were significant decreases in depression scores in the Shavasana group but found no-significant results in the control group.

Similarly, Broota and Dhir (1990)  used a relaxation analogous to Shavasana where participants lie flat on their back with palms open and they are asked to free the body from tension and tightness while inhaling and exhaling. The research concluded that relaxation diverts attention away from troubling thoughts, so that secondary benefits are obtained in the cognitive mode. In theory, performing shavasana results in decreases of symptoms of depression. 

The more you practice this pose, and the longer you stay on it, the better. Simply Lie on your back with the palms facing up, allow your feet to turn to the sides. Try to not to move anything, and relax completely by counting your breaths. With every exhale let go of any control of the body and allow yourself to surrender into gravity. The key is to continuously keep the focus on your breath. It helps to count backwards, starting from 50. Inhale deeply as you mentally count 50, exhale deeply 49, and so on. When you get to 0 simply become an observer of your breath. Notice how your breath moves your body ever so slightly. With every exhale sink into the ground even more, and completely let go. If any thoughts of past and future arise, let them go and return to your beautiful everlasting breath.

Practice Shavasana everyday for at least 10 minutes and you will stop being bothered by your thoughts. You will see miracles and miracles will see you.

Namaste,

NazdiraLitvinov, B.A. Psychology, Certified Yoga Instructor, Pianist

References:

Broota, A., & Dhir, R. (1990). Efficacy of two relaxation techniques in depression. Journal of Personality and Clinical Studies, 6(1), 83-90. 

Khumar, S. S., Kaur, P., & Kaur, S. (1993). Effectiveness of Shavasana on depression among university students. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychology, 20(2), 82-87.