Hello everyone, I have a question about Savasana (the lying-down posture) at the end of a meditation session.
My mind often tells me that it doesn’t really matter and that it’s a waste of time, so I tend to keep it as short as possible. But recently I read that this stage is actually very important for integrating the effects of the breathing and meditation phases.
The thing is, I have never reached the full 10 minutes of lying down. Usually it’s somewhere between 4 and 6 minutes.
Also, in the sessions that last only a few minutes, I sometimes skip this posture completely, or I may stay in it for only a few seconds.
So my question is: does this mean that I’ve been receiving only a small portion of the benefits (for example, the calming or “silence” in the nervous system) produced by the earlier stages—almost like someone working on a project but forgetting to press the save button?
Or is this just an exaggeration created by the mind?
It is good to spend a few minutes resting at the end of each meditation session. This allows everything to balance out, and will lead to a smoother transition from meditation to daily activity.
Resting can be done lying down, or whilst sitting - you do not need to lie down. It can also be just for a few minutes. This is the place in the Main Lessons where this is mentioned:
Do this procedure for twenty minutes, and, then, with your eyes closed, take a few minutes to rest before you get up.
That is from here:
If you are on retreat, or practicing at home in retreat mode (three or more sessions a day), then it is important to lie down for the rest period in order to integrate the extra purification that takes place when practicing in that more intensive way. However, this does not need to be in shavasana. You could rest lying gently on one side, with a couple of cushions under you for support.
In retreat mode it is good to rest for ten minutes or more. That is mentioned here:
For two morning routines, the basic sequence of practices is asanas, pranayama, deep meditation, samyama (if doing it), rest (at least 10-15 minutes lying down) … and then start over.
And do not worry at all that you have been doing anything wrong, or will have missed out on anything. It sounds as if you are doing fine!
