Ever wondered why teachers say, Savasana is the most important posture of all? Perhaps you aren’t really sure what the value of this posture is. Certainly at the end of class, you enjoy fully letting go and appreciate those moments of stillness, and silence – perhaps even falling asleep (and waking yourself up with a snort – we’ve all done it!).

However, while savasana is about relaxation, it is not about falling asleep. It’s finding a state between being awake and sleep – it’s about being fully aware, while still completely surrendering. And, as you see in the Bikram series, is not just confined to the final pose.

It’s placed between each high intensity posture (and set) in the floor series to re-energise, re-vitalise and re-organise the body – to allow it to rebound back into the second set or indeed, the next posture. The ability to move from a place of high intensity to a state of complete inaction helps to train and balance the flow of the body’s energy, improves the breath, regulates stress hormones, increases cardiovascular resilience, supports muscle recovery, and restores brain activity. With consistent practice, this can help reduce the the chronic exhaustion or stress many of experience.

As we develop the capacity to remain conscious while in physiological recovery, we can greatly improve our energetic stamina.