September 2020
Mary Taylor
Q: Why do we lift up in Utplutiḥ at the very end of practice? It seems counter-intuitive to ramp the system back up after having just cooled and calmed down through the finishing postures?
It’s difficult to say exactly what the intention behind putting that in the sequence originally was. But here are some thoughts on it:
Maybe to wake us back up if we've become too lackadaisical from the finishing postures. Maybe we practice Utplutiḥ to wake up the core in preparation for Tādāghī Mudrā. Or perhaps it’s in there at that particular point in the series to remind us we're doing ashtanga rather than restorative yoga.
The most likely rationale for putting it in there, from our point of view, is that it really works the abdominal muscles. This coming just before jumping back one last time and going into Savasana, allow you to feel the back of the body spread out and lengthen so that the body can become more balanced and so that in Savasana we can assimilate the practice. If we can cultivate Savasana in this way, the posture does not turn into a spontaneous nap, but an important and strategically placed yoga pose.
Q: I often experience REM (rapid eye movements) in Savāsana. I don’t think I’m sleeping, but it also feels unusual, neither conscious nor unconscious.
Rapid eye movements in Savāsana are not uncommon, though they can be distracting. Generally, they are a signal that the nervous system is not easily settling down after the practice. There are a few things you can do:
Check out the rest of your practice. Are you straining while you breathe, or working quickly without being in complete sync with the breath in any of the poses or sections of the practice? If so, soften the practice. Don’t push too hard or too quickly and cultivate a sense of fluidity.
At the end of the exhalation, check to see if there is tension in the jaw, face, neck, or head. Consciously soften the tongue, the jaw, behind the scalp, and the head/neck area in general as you bring awareness to releasing tension in and behind the eyes. Do this throughout several full waves of breath.
Check the intensity of your gaze as you practice. You might be overstraining or becoming too unfocused as you practice. The gaze should be strong, steady, and very soft. Nobody looking at nothing!
Perhaps sitting longer in Yoga Mudrāsana before Savāsana would help. Or experiment with omitting Utplutiḥ before Savāsana and see what happens.
If you've got a burning philosophical question or one about yoga asana, meditation or pranayama or if you wonder about how yoga intersects with your life, please submit a question here. We'll try our best to answer! We'll publish one or two in our newsletter as well.
