Shavasana

The Gheranda Samhita is brief and precise: lie on the ground like a corpse, face upward; this posture removes fatigue and gives rest to the mind. It is the only classical asana whose entire content is the absence of effort. In hatha practice it closes a session and is used between strong practices, and it is the posture in which yoga nidra and many withdrawal practices are done. The tradition's image is deliberate — practising death, letting the body be entirely set down — and it belongs with pratyahara, where attention is drawn inward because nothing outward is being managed.

1. Lie on the back on a mat or blanket, legs a comfortable distance apart.
2. Place a thin cushion under the head and, if the lower back is uncomfortable, a bolster under the knees.
3. Turn the palms upward, arms slightly away from the body.
4. Close the eyes and let the whole weight of the body settle into the floor.
5. Let the breath find its own rhythm; do not lengthen or control it.
6. Pass attention slowly through the body, releasing each part.
7. Stay ten to twenty minutes. Come out by deepening the breath, moving the fingers and toes, then rolling to one side before sitting up.

Supine rest with slow breathing reliably shifts autonomic balance: heart rate and blood pressure fall, heart-rate variability rises, and measures of muscle tension drop, typically within five to ten minutes. Trials of guided relaxation in this position show reductions in perceived stress and improvements in sleep quality. Comfort is what allows the physiology to happen: a thin support under the head keeps the neck neutral, and a bolster under the knees reduces lumbar extension, which is the most common reason people cannot settle. In later pregnancy, lying flat on the back can compress the vena cava and cause dizziness — side-lying is the appropriate alternative.