Print Print Email Email Comment Comment Add to Favorites
Log in to save to My Yoga Journal!
Add to Favorites
Bookmark Bookmark

The Purpose of Corpse Pose

What is the purpose of Corpse Pose and the best way to approach it?

—Andrea Vogel, Chicago

Richard Rosen's reply:

In Corpse Pose, we symbolically "die" to our old ways of thinking and doing. The normally perceived boundaries of body image dissolve, and we enter a state of blissful neutrality. In reply to the question "What does Corpse Pose feel like?" one of my teachers always said "Nothing."

To practice Savasana, start by aligning the body. Make sure that your two sides are resting evenly on the floor and that your ears are equidistant from your shoulders. Physically relax the muscles and bones. Imagine that the mass of your body is sinking down into the floor, then spreading out like a puddle of oil. Next calm the senses. Soften the root of your tongue. Cradle your eyes in their sockets and turn them down to gaze at the heart. Release the inner ears to the back of the skull (yet keep them alert to the sound of the breath). Smooth the skin at the bridge of the nose and melt it toward your temples.

Finally, surrender any and all psychological effort (or at least as much as you can). Even as you lie still on the floor, you'll discover that you're still trying, wondering what to "do" in this posture. Drop your brain to the back of the skull. Remember the words of the great sage Abhinavagupta: "Abandon nothing. Take up nothing. Rest, abide in yourself, just as you are."

Richard Rosen, who teaches in Oakland and Berkeley, California, has been writing for Yoga Journal since the 1970s.

For more by Richard Rosen, visit our Video Reviews.

Do you have a question about your yoga practice? Browse the Ask our Expert Archives or Ask our Expert.

Print Print Email Email Comment Comment Add to Favorites
Log in to save to My Yoga Journal!
Add to Favorites
Bookmark Bookmark

Subscribe to Yoga Journal Magazine

Reader Comments

Aileen

I have fallen asleep during corpse pose. Is this a bad thing?

DLDC

Smoothing the skin at the bridge of the nose and melting it toward your temples is just one more thing to do to help you fully release. That's why you do it in corpse pose, and every other pose, too, for that matter. It's amazing how just simply softening the face invites other parts of the body to release, too.
Rooting your tongue means to relax it away from the roof of your mouth. Let the back of the tongue be heavy while the tip of it barely touches the front of your upper palate, just behind your top front teeth. This helps to relax the throat.

Linda

Why "Smooth the skin at the bridge of the nose and melt it toward your temples"? I know it feels good, but why do it in corpse pose?

See All Comments »      Add a Comment »

Your Name:

Comment:

See All Beginners Expert Q&A Articles »

Subscribe and
Get 2 Free Issues
+ 2 Free Gifts!

Give a Gift »

Join Yoga Journal's Benefits Plus

Liability insurance and benefits to support teachers and studios.

Learn More »

Enter to Win Great Prizes!

Enter to Win Great Prizes! Enter to Win Great Prizes! Prizes include a Yoga Journal conference pass, yoga mats, clothes, books, jewelry, energy bars, Yoga Journal DVDs, and more...

Enter Now »
Get 2 FREE Trial Issues and 2 FREE Gifts
FREE Gifts!

Your subscription includes:

Yoga to the Rescue: Poses for a Headache:
Got a pounding headache? This sequence of supported poses can send it packing.

Yoga to the Rescue: Poses for Stress:
The next time you find your nerves frazzled, use this rejuvenating flow sequence to relieve the effect of stress.

Yes! Please send me 2 FREE trial issues of Yoga Journal and my 2 FREE GIFTS

Full Name
Address
Address 2
City
State
Zip
Email (req)

If I like it and decide to continue, I’ll pay just $15.95, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 64% savings off the newsstand price! Otherwise, I’ll write cancel on the invoice and owe nothing.

Offer valid in US only.
Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions

Save 64% off the cover price


Pay Now and Get 2
Bonus Issues

Pay now and get
TWO EXTRA ISSUES FREE!
That's 11 issues for the
same low price!
Click Here to PAY NOW!