While catching up on the latest hit TV series, “Happy Parents Group,” I was surprised to see the star Chen Hao, who has been out of the public eye for a long time, playing the role of a character named Dai Jing’s mother. After getting married, Chen Hao gradually reduced public appearances, only reemerging in recent years. Her image as everyone’s favorite, once tagged as a sexy actress, was deeply rooted in people’s hearts. When her career was at its peak, she chose to marry and have children, now a mother of three. She once said, “At every age, you should do what is appropriate for that age.” Facing the interview, Chen Hao confessed, “The way I am now is the most authentic version of myself.”
Although Chen Hao no longer possesses her past charm and sexiness, she now reveals a different kind of beauty, one of intellect and elegance coexisting. No one can sustain youth and charm forever, and to gracefully accept the true self is in itself a form of nourishment for the soul.
The question is, how many people can honestly accept their true selves like Chen Hao does? The essence of beauty comes from within. Chen Hao’s beauty, just like the inner peace and harmony conveyed by yoga, penetrates beyond the surface deep into the soul.
Yoga’s aesthetic principles emphasize that no matter who you are, as long as you are willing, your body can show transformation through the practice of yoga. A very important part of the process is the rest technique after practice. In this brief five-minute period, an individual may enter a state of worry-free clarity, perceiving all that is within and without. This state often allows one to let go of distracting thoughts and return to a state of tranquil equanimity.
In fact, many people practicing yoga often overlook the importance of rest techniques, even skipping this step entirely, rendering the practice incomplete. The rest technique isn’t just about lying down to rest; it is the perfect conclusion to a yoga session, allowing every part of the body to fully relax while also establishing a connection between the mind and body, fostering an internal sense of joy.
The rest technique, also one of the most challenging poses, requires a higher level of spiritual calm and quiet, which is much harder to achieve than physical stillness. On this, the yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar once pointed out, “Maintaining calmness in the heart is much more difficult than achieving physical stillness. Therefore, what seems to be simple poses are actually very challenging.”
The rest technique, also known as Corpse Pose or Savasana in Sanskrit, is a pose that mimics the posture of a corpse, aimed at fully relaxing the muscles for rejuvenating the body and mind. However, Savasana is not merely about lying down; it requires maintaining a conscious awareness, focusing and emptying your mind. While Corpse Pose may be challenging for many, its effects on restoring the body and mind are incredibly rapid and profound.
According to ancient yoga scriptures, yoga relaxation technique is an effective relaxation method derived from ancient yoga that requires full physical and mental commitment from practitioners to achieve complete bodily relaxation and mental focus. The Corpse Pose, as one of the exercises, not only demands physical relaxation but also necessitates maintaining high alertness and concentration on this basis. This pose is not simply lying down; it requires overcoming the challenges of distraction and body relaxation.
In our increasingly fast-paced lives, learning and mastering the Corpse Pose can greatly benefit our physical and mental regulation. Sometimes, doing nothing can actually improve our work efficiency and productivity. The purpose of the Corpse Pose is to let go of all resistance and create a state of inner peace, which nourishes our body and mind. Just as a computer restarts more smoothly and efficiently after being shut down for a while, humans also need rest.
In “Iyengar Yoga,” the Corpse Pose is described as follows: “During this pose, the body is as still as a corpse, yet the mind maintains an alert tranquility. The pose can alleviate fatigue, calm the spirit. Every part of the body is in its own place, achieving complete relaxation. In this state, the senses withdraw from the external world to the inner realm, merging body and mind, experiencing deep inner peace, and serving as a starting point for meditation.”
Benefit one, Release of stress and tension: No one is exempt from stress and tension in life, and these emotions often accumulate in our muscles and emotions. If the heart is continually tense, other parts of the body, such as the stomach, will also unconsciously tense up. Through the Corpse Pose, these tense emotions can be released.
Benefit two, Deep relaxation and rest: Different from normal sleep, the Corpse Pose is done while maintaining consciousness. In a seemingly sleeping state, the brain remains awake and can perceive everything around, and this kind of rest is far superior to ordinary sleep.
Benefit three, Transformation of body and mind: Even a short practice of the Corpse Pose can completely empty and rebuild body and mind, change certain ingrained habits, and improve self-awareness and focus.
To properly implement the Corpse Pose, you can follow these steps:
- Begin by sitting on the mat with knees bent, feet flat on the mat.
- Use your hands to support the ground, and slowly lie back down until your torso is flat on the mat.
- Gradually straighten your knees, relax your legs, let the muscles and skin of the legs release, and let the legs naturally separate.
- Extend your arms to either side of your body at about a 60-degree angle to your torso.
- Gently rotate your arms so that your palms face up towards the ceiling.
- If your head is slightly tilted backward, place a thin blanket under your head.
- After adjusting all parts of your body to a balanced and comfortable position, close your eyes, relax your eyeballs, sink into your eyes, and at the same time relax all parts of your face, allowing the tension to dissipate.
During the relaxation segment of yoga, Corpse Pose is an extremely important part. This posture allows the body and mind to fully relax, and thus, it should be given special attention at the end of practice. Corpse Pose demands the body to relax to the utmost extent, as if it’s sinking into the ground weightlessly.
To enter this state better, we need to carefully follow these steps:
- Relax the throat and tongue: Relax all muscles, ensuring there is no tension. The entire body should feel as if it is falling helplessly.
- Focus on the breath: Allow the breath to become even, slow, and steady. Maintain this breathing state for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Body movements: After finishing Corpse Pose, gently open your eyes and slowly turn your body from the right side to sit up, avoiding getting up suddenly or quickly.
Corpse Pose is not just any lying down, it should be done with care:
- Make sure both sides of the body are symmetrical and aligned with the spine as the main axis, to keep the energy flow in the body balanced.
- During Corpse Pose, the body should sink towards the ground, and one can even let their consciousness and mind sink in as well.
- Furthermore, pay special attention to your breath, inhale deeply and slowly, maintain calmness before returning to natural breathing.
To enhance the effectiveness of Corpse Pose, one can use some assistance, such as covering the eyes with a soft cloth or placing a rolled blanket under the neck. Similarly, a rolled blanket can be placed under the knees, adjust according to personal feeling.
It’s necessary to pay double attention to Corpse Pose. One must not transition rashly after yoga practice; it is crucial, equally as important as other exercises. It’s worth mentioning that even without other yoga movements, Corpse Pose can also be practiced on its own.
