The end of a cycle and the emergence of a new beginning

We need to acquire the power of stillness as we journey through the Year of the Water Dragon and approach the end of the Mayan calendar, which will occur on December 21, 2012, because great shifts are predicted to happen swiftly on individual and collective levels. Like the corpse posture, Savasana, which is used as a final relaxation in Yoga sessions, 2012 represents the end of a cycle and the emergence of a new beginning.

When we are resting in Savasana, we first can try to mindfully meditate on the exhalation, as this practice can help us get comfortable with the process of letting go. As an analogy, this year can be symbolized as the exhalation, which follows the thread of the wind, flowing out into infinite mystery. No one can trace an origin or an end for the wind, which recycles itself in an endless flux from life to death, and from death to rebirth. In this perspective, Savasana and 2012 are small death initiations. In the Mayan prophecy, 2012 marks the return of Quetzelcoatl, the great feathered serpent God. This cosmic serpent represents death, resurrection and the vital life-force permeating all, similar to the serpentine Kundalini (coiled) energy of the yogic tradition.

The power of stillness before great shifts 

Our terrestrial serpent relatives become motionless before shedding. Their vibrant colors become dull. Their eyes turn to a cloud-like void, and they cease to eat. This period lasts until the snake is ready to burst out of its old skin and be born anew. In a similar way, Savasana is a posture of absorption in which all the different currents of energies center back into a still point within. The corpse posture helps invigorate our entire being and brings the precious nectar of life to its full potential.

Non-action and stillness are very different from stagnation, as we can use the power of immobility and silence as a regenerative channel that enables each individual to express and shine his or her true vibrant essence. Like day and night, inaction is as essential as action, and from this stillness comes great inspiration. As we get more and more connected to our spiritual essence, we link ourselves to the source of all things and start to harmoniously attune to the galactic cycles of the universe.

“To be Quetzalcoatl or Kukulcan is to know the seven forces(chakras) that govern our body—not only know them but also use them and understand their intimate relationship with natural and cosmic laws. We must comprehend the long and short cycles and the solar laws that sustain our lives. We must know how to die, and how to be born.”  ~ The Secrets of Mayan Science/Religion, Hunbatz Men

RIP

The Christian epitaph, “Rest In Peace”, which is often inscribed on the tombstones of the dead, is the perfect intention that we can set for ourselves as we practice Savasana, the ultimate form of relaxation. In Savasana, all doings stop, and we become absorbed in stillness and complete surrender while remaining as present and aware as possible. In this gap, the mind becomes an all-encompassing witness that does not favor one thing over another. As the waves of sensations arise, the yogi must resist the urge to physically grasp, avoid or fix anything, and the mind eventually ceases to be distracted by internal chatter.

Savasana is a process of going in and in and in… It is an integrative journey of the self onto the self that helps us absorb the healing benefit of our yogic practice. In this state, the nervous system slows down and our spirit-mind-body system gets realigned. After a flow of twists, stretches, inversions, contractions, expansions and deep breathing, the final relaxation in Savasana gives the organism time to imprint on a deep cellular level the realignment that was achieved through yogic practice. As we go deeper, we can begin to release emotional blockages and negative patterns that unconsciously rule our lives. We can become more attuned to the essence of what the yogis call “sat-chit-ananda,” or “absolute-bliss-consciousness.”

Our collective neglect of relaxation

Unfortunately, this most important of posture that is Savasana gets often skipped or shortened. In an era of insatiable thirst for social recognition, productivity and achievement, we tend to underestimate the power of non-doing, silence and calm. Passing over this posture can be compared to eating without proper mastication. Much of the food (life-force energy) would just pass through without the body being able to draw from it all of the nutrients that are necessary for our organism to work efficiently. Integration is absolutely necessary. The relaxation should be a bare minimum of 5 minutes and should ideally extend for 10 to 30 minutes to achieve deeper results.

The gifts of Savasana 

In Savasana,the yogi is asked to disappear from the center of the screen and to abandon all ego-oriented impulses. This posture prepares us for the great voyage that we will all eventually experience when at last we give away our last breath and depart from this physical form that we are so identified with. It prepares us for the great dissolution process, when we at last merge into the source of all things.

Savasana helps us to develop the courage to face the unfathomable truth that resides within ourselves. This posture cultivates patience, humility, power, inner poise, balance, clarity, repose, spiritual awakening, unity, and physical/mental well-being within the yogi. Savasana is an aid to digest previous experiences, but it is also a means to learn how to live more fully into the “now”, as well a preparatory stage to welcome the future.

“As the rivers flowing east and west merge in the sea and become one with it, forgetting they were ever separate rivers, so do all creatures lose their separateness when they merge at last into pure Being.” ~ Chandogya Upanishad

References:

2012 Spiritual Growth Prophecies

Yoga Chicago

iSport Yoga

Timeless Living for Daily Living

Maryz is a yogic weaver who explores the nature of embodiment through Yoga, dance, music, rituals, creative arts and holistic health as a path to wholeness. You can visit her web site here. Note: If you find difficult to relax in silence, I have created a guided relaxation that you can download for free through my web site here.

 

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Editor Tanya L. Markul

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