Corpse Pose

"After hours of wandering, / I surrendered to a bed of pine needles and moss / and the voice of the forest saying, / You are not lost. " -- Corie Feiner, Corpse Pose

Hello yogis, poets, and seekers of inspiration! 

Artwork by Felipe Ikehara

Once upon a time I was a martyr mom who did not sleep for years and years. One night, upon stepping out of my family’s camper van (a Sprinter Westfalia to be exact), my foot broke. 

It was as if it happened in slow motion… my steep step from the door to the curb, my foot bending backwards into the shape of a C, the sensation of a slight snap, and then my body sinking to the ground. My younger son was asleep in his car seat, my older son made a gesture with his hand that asked, “What’s going on,” and my husband's face turned from shock to concern as I muttered, “ I can’t stand up.”

This was after days and days — perhaps years and years — of mindlessly saying, “I need a break.” 

In the emergency room, at well past midnight, it was confirmed that the third metatarsal bone in my right foot was broken. I went into denial, then shock, then shame. The next day, with my foot elevated on a mountain of pillows, I realized my wish had been granted. I got a break. It is funny and not funny, if you know what I mean. :) 

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Rest

I have never said, “I need a break,” again. But I have made the effort to give myself pause, not just from my “shoulds” and “to do” lists, but from my incessant thoughts and the part of myself that habitually does not want to grant myself the rest it needs. So as we read this week’s poem, Corpse Pose, I would like us to ponder what real rest is, what are ways in which we can die and be reborn in this lifetime, and how can we give ourselves pause and tenderness. Even for just a moment. 

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Corpse Pose

My first corpse pose was when   
I was 6 years old and I pretended  
to be dead. A poisoned princess note  

on my chest, my father playing his part
perfectly with his rehearsed line of, Woah is me… 
and I was completely satisfied.      

My second corpse pose was when I was nineteen,   
and the hike I thought would ascend
to a mountain peak, took me deep

in a valley instead. After hours of wandering, 
I surrendered to a bed of pine needles and moss
and the voice of the forest saying,   
You are not lost. 

Now, my corpse pose is a daily surrender
on a rubber mat in a basement, my children
sleeping above me like clouds.  

Each day, I tell myself to stay there
for one extra moment as if to say, 
Let it settle in and feel your thoughts   
fall around you like rain.   

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Yoga

When I first started practicing yoga, I would hear Adriene - of Yoga with Adriene – say that Savasana is the hardest pose and that when she first started practicing yoga she would want to run off at the end of class and skip this. I now work with myself to not fidget or get one more stretch in, but to grant my body a moment to absorb my practice, restore itself and feel energized for the next part of my day. 

Credit: Ali Rasheed

What is one way you can grant yourself true rest today? 

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Lastly, here is a link to a great article about Savasana being a challenging pose on Chopra.com.