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I was recently reading excerpts from the book, Hatha Yoga, written by Swami Sivananda and originally published in 1939. He has a wonderful section on why relaxation is important. In my yoga classes, I like to remind students that while it’s important for the body to know how to work hard, it’s also important for the body to know how to relax. Normally, we think of relaxation as sleep. Some people think of it as laziness. But true relaxation is neither of these. Here’s what Master Sivananda has to say:

“Life has become very complex in these days. The struggle for existence is very acute and keen. There is very keen competition in every walk of life….

If you practice relaxation, no energy will be wasted. You will be very active, and energetic. During relaxation the muscles and nerves are at rest. The Prana or energy is stored up and conserved. The vast majority of persons who have no comprehensive understanding of this beautiful science of relaxation simply waste their energy by creating unnecessary movements of muscles and by putting the muscles and nerves under great strain….

Do not mistake laziness for relaxation. The lazy man is inactive. He has no inclination to work. He is full of lethargy and inertia. He is dull. Whereas a man who practices relaxation takes only rest. He has vigor, strength, vitality and endurance. He never allows even a small amount of energy to trickle away. He accomplishes wonderful work gracefully in a minimum space of time….

The science of relaxation is an exact science. It can be learnt very easily. Relaxation of muscles is as much important as contraction of muscles. I lay great emphasis on the relaxation of mind, nerves and muscles. For relaxation Savasana is Prescribed.”

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And savasana, of course, is the “final relaxation” pose of yoga. This pose is practiced after all of the more active asanas have been completed. This pose is often only practiced for three minutes, but the full benefit is experienced when the practitioner remains in the pose for 5-30 minutes. Feel free to meditate on the breath or use a recording of yoga nidra during this time. And yes, this pose can be practiced all by itself!

Be well! OM shanti… peace, peace, peace….

Did you know the mental self-mastery of Yoga can help you manage insomnia? Here are some useful points from Nina Zolotow with Yoga for Healthy Aging:

“The first problem is what happens to your sleep when your stress response is triggered when you’re not actually in danger. Your reptilian brain, which triggers your stress response, is very primitive. And it has no way to tell the difference between something that IS dangerous and something that FEELS dangerous. So your stress response can be triggered when:

1. You’re worrying about the future. You’re not in actual danger, but your fantasies about dangerous or scary things that might happen can trigger your stress response. So then you’re losing sleep over something that not only isn’t happening now but is something that might not ever happen.

2. You’re remembering or reliving bad experiences from the past. Again, you’re not in actual danger at the moment, but your memories of frightening or infuriating experiences can trigger your stress response. So you’re losing sleep over things that have already happened and there is nothing you can do about in the middle of the night.

3. You’re thinking about something unpleasant or upsetting that isn’t personally dangerous. It could be something upsetting happening in another part of the world, such as a war or a famine, that concerns you but isn’t putting you in actual danger. It could one of life’s daily challenges that cause strong emotions for you but don’t actually put you at risk for death or injury, such as having a work deadline or needing to do your taxes. And it could even be something fictional, such as a suspenseful, violent, or disturbing TV show or book, that you watched or read just before bed.”

So, how do you short-circuit these thoughts? You can use the Yoga technique of slow, deep breathing – focusing all your attention on the movement of the breath. Be sure to get a good, complete exhalation each time. Or – perform a slow body scan, moving your awareness from your toes up to the top of your head, and back down again. In these ways, you teach your brain there is no danger at this moment, so it’s okay to relax and slip into sleep. All is well. Peace, peace, peace….