Resting Between Poses

by Baxter

Have you ever found yourself in one of those classes where the teacher has you in some challenging standing pose forever, chatting with one student, while apparently oblivious to the rest of class? There you are, shaking to your feet, uncertain what to do. Well, one option you have is to come out of the pose when you feel it is appropriate, and simply rest until the next pose is introduced. This is actually an advanced skill, as you have to have the experience, understanding, courage and confidence to know when enough is enough for your body and mind. And when we are newer to yoga practice, this is not usually the case; the newbies will stick it out to the bitter end, for better or worse!

If you look around at some of the varied styles and traditions of yoga practices out there, you will come upon several that employ this idea of resting between poses often. In one case, Savasana or Corpse pose is practiced between every other pose you do!  This may feel a bit cumbersome, so what I recommend and do myself when employing this strategy, is to do one of the following:

• If I am doing supine poses (on my back), I will rest in Savasana.
• If I am doing seated poses, I will rest in simple Sukasana or Easy Seated pose.
• If I am doing standing poses, I will rest in Tadasana or Mountain pose.
• If I am inverting, I will simply rest by floating above the floor (just kidding!) or come down into Child’s pose.

You get the idea!  The question naturally arises, why am I resting, other than for the distracted teacher abandoning me in Half Moon for 5 minutes? Well, there are a variety of reasons this technique can be helpful. In a home practice, you can use it to do your Post Asana Assessment, which not only lets you notice the immediate effects of the last pose, but may guide you to your next pose. If you are suffering from fatigue, recent colds or flu, or recovering or dealing with treatment for serious illness like cancer, the brief rest can allow you to safely do a practice, while allowing the body these essential pauses to truly get some rest.

Cattle at Rest by Brad Gibson

In this last scenario, because the mind is so easily distracted and disturbed, I’d recommend you let your attention focus on the movement of your breath, or perhaps, if in a class situation, you can utilize the rest as a time to observe your fellow students still in pose, as a learning opportunity to deepen your understanding of how the pose can be done. I found this particularly useful during a period of low back pain, when I could not fully participate and had to sit out many poses during a class.  Instead of wallowing in my inability to do a full practice, I decided to see what I could learn by observing my fellow students. And I learned a lot!

So, if you have not experimented with resting between poses, why not try it this week in your home practice? See what you discover.