Savasana, or Corpse Pose, looks like the easiest posture in yoga. You lie flat on your back. You close your eyes. You stay there. That's it. And yet most teachers will tell you it is the hardest pose in the entire practice — because the body is asked to be completely still while the mind is asked to let go of everything it was just doing.

Every yoga class ends with Savasana for a reason. The asana practice that came before it loosens the body, moves prana through the channels, and burns off restless energy. Savasana is where that work integrates. Skip it and you skip the part where your nervous system absorbs the practice. Stay with it and you give your body a window into what conscious rest feels like — not sleep, not thought, just awareness without effort.

This guide is for anyone who has been told to 'just lie there' and found that their mind starts racing the moment they do. It walks you through the setup, the alignment cues, and the inner work of staying — including what to do when your back hurts, when you keep falling asleep, and when your to-do list will not stop running.

What You Need

  • Yoga mat
  • Blanket (for warmth — body temperature drops in Savasana)
  • Optional: bolster or rolled blanket for under the knees
  • Optional: eye pillow

Before You Start

No prior experience required. Savasana is traditionally practiced at the end of an asana session, but it also stands on its own as a daily nervous system reset. Practice in a warm, quiet space where you will not be interrupted, and silence your phone before you begin.

Steps

  1. 1
    Step 01

    Lie down on your back on the mat

    Come to the floor and lie flat on your back along the length of the mat. Take a moment to settle in without trying to be still yet — adjust your clothing, smooth out any wrinkles in the blanket, get comfortable.

    Tip: If the floor feels too hard, place a folded blanket under your spine for cushioning.
  2. 2
    Step 02

    Extend your legs and let them fall outward

    Straighten your legs along the mat about hip distance apart. Let the feet relax completely so they roll naturally outward to the sides. There is no effort here — gravity does the work.

    Tip: If you can still feel tension in your hips, widen your legs a few more inches until the outer thighs release.
  3. 3
    Step 03

    Place your arms by your sides, palms up

    Rest your arms alongside your body with a small gap between your arms and your ribs — about a fist's width. Turn your palms to face the ceiling. Open palms signal openness to the nervous system and discourage gripping.

  4. 4
    Step 04

    Melt your shoulders into the mat

    Roll your shoulders down and back so your shoulder blades settle flat against the floor. Then let them go heavy. Feel the back of each shoulder make contact with the mat and surrender its weight.

  5. 5
    Step 05

    Tuck your chin slightly to lengthen the back of the neck

    Without pressing the head forward, draw the chin a fraction of an inch toward the chest so the back of the neck lengthens along the mat. The throat should feel soft and open, not strained.

  6. 6
    Step 06

    Close your eyes

    Let the eyelids drop. If you are using an eye pillow, place it gently across the eye sockets — the slight weight signals the parasympathetic nervous system to engage. If you don't have one, the simple act of closing the eyes is enough.

  7. 7
    Step 07

    Take three deep settling breaths

    Inhale slowly through the nose, drawing the breath all the way down into the belly. Exhale slowly through the nose, letting the body sink heavier into the floor. Repeat three times. With each exhale, give a little more weight to gravity.

  8. 8
    Step 08

    Let the breath become natural

    After the third settling breath, stop controlling the breath entirely. Let it find its own rhythm. The breath in Savasana is whatever your body decides it wants to be — usually quieter and slower than you would deliberately make it.

  9. 9
    Step 09

    Scan from head to toe, releasing each part

    Move your attention slowly through the body, from the crown of the head down to the soles of the feet. At each region — face, jaw, throat, shoulders, arms, chest, belly, hips, legs, feet — pause and let that part go heavy. If you find tension, breathe into it and let the next exhale release it.

    Tip: If your mind wanders during the scan, just pick up where you noticed and keep going. There's no penalty for losing your place.
  10. 10
    Step 10

    Stay 5 to 15 minutes, then return slowly

    Rest in stillness for at least 5 minutes — longer if you have the time. When you're ready to come out, do not jump up. Begin by wiggling your fingers and toes. Stretch your arms overhead. Hug your knees into your chest. Roll onto your right side and rest there for a few breaths. Then press yourself up to sitting using your hands. Keep the eyes closed or soft for a moment before opening them.

    Tip: Always come up through the right side — it keeps the heart higher than the rest of the body and is the traditional way to exit Savasana without shocking the nervous system.

Expected Results

After 5 to 15 minutes in Savasana, most practitioners notice the heart rate has dropped, the breath has slowed, and the body feels heavier and warmer than when they began. The mind is usually quieter — not blank, but less reactive. Many people describe a sensation of having been gently put back together. Done daily, even outside of a full yoga practice, Savasana improves sleep, lowers baseline stress, and trains the nervous system to drop into rest on demand. With consistent practice over a few weeks, the drop into stillness becomes faster and the resistance to staying gets quieter.

Common Mistakes

  • Skipping Savasana because 'I don't have time' — this is the integration phase of the practice, not the optional cool-down. Five minutes is enough.
  • Letting the mind keep working the whole time — mentally rehearsing your day, scrolling through your phone in your head, planning dinner. Notice it, then return to the body.
  • Tensing the arms and shoulders — keep checking that the palms are open and the shoulders are heavy. Most people grip without realizing it.
  • Falling fully asleep every time — a sign your body needs sleep, but Savasana is a different state. If you keep dropping off, try practicing with the eyes half-open.
  • Getting up too fast — sitting straight up from flat on your back at the end can leave you dizzy or shaky. Always roll to the right side first.

Troubleshooting

My low back aches when I lie flat
Place a bolster, rolled blanket, or stack of pillows under your knees so the legs are slightly bent. This tilts the pelvis and takes pressure off the lumbar spine. You should feel the low back release toward the floor within a few breaths.
I can't relax — my mind won't stop
Try a guided body scan or a recorded Savasana audio for the first few weeks. A weighted blanket across the torso can also signal safety to the nervous system. The mental chatter does not mean you're doing it wrong — it means your nervous system is on high alert and needs more help arriving at rest.
I keep falling asleep
Falling asleep usually means you are sleep-deprived, and the rest is doing real work. If you need the nap, take it. But if you want Savasana to be a practice and not a snooze, try keeping the eyes half-open, propping the head up slightly with a folded blanket, or practicing earlier in the day instead of right before bed.

Variations

Supported Savasana — place a bolster or rolled blanket under the knees, drape a blanket over the torso for warmth, and rest an eye pillow over the eyes. This is the version most therapeutic yoga teachers recommend.

Legs-up-the-wall Savasana — lie on your back with your sit bones close to a wall and your legs extended straight up. Combines Savasana with viparita karani for additional drainage in the legs and a deeper parasympathetic shift.

Side-lying Savasana — for pregnancy after the first trimester, or for anyone who can't lie flat on the back, rest on the left side with a pillow between the knees and another under the head.

Restorative Savasana — a heavily propped version with bolsters, blankets, and blocks supporting every joint. Often held for 15 to 20 minutes as the closing of a restorative yoga sequence.

Connections

Savasana is the closing pose of every yoga practice and the doorway between movement and stillness. It pairs naturally with the deeper rest practice of Yoga Nidra, which extends the same conscious surrender into a guided 20 to 45 minute experience. Many practitioners use the settling breaths of Savasana as a bridge into pranayama or seated meditation. For the encyclopedic entry on the pose itself, see Savasana in the Yoga Library.

Further Reading