Chill Out!

There’s a tonne of benefits to living in a big city - culture, entertainment, restaurants, shopping - always somewhere to go, something new to check out. But after being home now for a month, one thing about this big city that’s getting to me is how hard it seems for people in Toronto to just chill out!

Just the other day, I was in the car with fellow 889 yogini Amica and I was watching the guy in the car behind me through my rear-view mirror. We were stopped at a cross-walk, where a big school group was crossing the road. I watched this guy in the mirror losing his mind over the delay, waving his hands one moment, then trying to pull the steering wheel off the dashboard the next. I could imagine the words flying out of his mouth probably weren’t “Oh look at all those cute kids!” and were likely more along the lines of, “Are you kidding me? C’mon! Don’t you know how friggen important I am! Let’s GO!!” I told Amica that it’s at times like that when I wish there was a hand signal that translated to “chill the $!%* out”. At least then the all-too-common middle finger wouldn’t have to stand in during moments when all we want to do is tell our fellow road-warriors to take a breath and calm down.

But in a city where speed and busy-ness are measures of success, calming down becomes next to impossible for some people. As a yoga instructor, everyday I see how hard it is for students to really let go in savasana. People who are new to yoga don’t really understand what the point is of lying around after the “workout” is over. I was no different when I went to my first class; I remember this feeling of inefficiency that came over me when the instructor told us to lie still and close our eyes, and immediately I bolted up, rolled up my mat and made a bee-line for the door, with a faux-apologetic nod to the teacher and this sense that I had more important things to be doing than lying on the floor at the YMCA.

So, it’s not that I don’t understand where someone’s head is at when I see them staring at the ceiling during savansana, wondering when the music will end so they can get on with their day. What I find interesting, however, is watching the shift happen when people finally accept that it’s ok to just do nothing and lie there - it’s only 5 minutes, and when it comes down to it, it’s 5 minutes of silence, rest and peace that most of us need more than we let ourselves believe.

Those of you who look forward to Savanasa at the end of every class know just how much it brings to the entire experience of doing yoga. This is a time to absorb the practice, and bring a buffer between your time spent on and off the mat. A few months ago I went to take a spinning class - something I used to do all the time before I took up yoga seriously - and couldn’t relate at all to the people who jumped off their bikes at the end of class, did a 30 second stretch and then left. I lingered behind, found a mat, did some more stretching and, you guessed it - took savasana! I must have looked completely crazy, lying there alone in a corner of the gym. But I felt like I couldn’t leave without “closing” my workout in the same way I finish my practice - it’s become a natural thing for me to do, and if I’d left immediately after class I would have felt like the experience was somehow unfinished.

So if you’ve yet to experience a sense of ease in Savasana, here are a few things to try, which might help you chill out.

• Use something to cover your eyes. Eye pillows (nicely scented bean-bags we carry at the studio that fit comfortably over the eyes), a towel, or a shirt you’ve taken off all work perfectly. It’s amazing what a difference blocking out the light can make.

• Observe your breath and allow the conscious inhaling and exhaling of your practice to subside into spontaneous, shallow breaths.

• If you’re uncomfortable lying flat, use a bolster under the knees or blocks under the calves to relieve tension in the low back. Savanasa should feel good, so if you find yourself constantly trying to readjust, ask your instructor to help you feel more comfortable in this rest pose.

• Let your mind turn inward, and consciously bring release into different areas of your body. Keeping the attention tuned in to the body will help keep your mind from wandering out of the room, back to your office, where it might be tempted to start drafting emails.

• Once your body softens and your mind drifts, just go with it. The worst thing that can happen is that you’ll fall asleep! The world won’t end…and you’ll have plenty of time to make up for your lack of efficiency when you’re back at work, wishing you were still lying on the floor.

- Cecily Milne, Yoga Instructor