The Complete Yoga Community

Guided Relaxation in Corpse Pose

Make sure that you are comfortable on your back and that your head, neck and shoulders are comfortable and relaxed and that you are in a warm place with no draught.

Now close your eyes. Your arms are at your side with the palms turned slightly up and your feet slightly parted.

Practise the full yoga abdominal breath, slowing down the rate of your breathing, which is about five heartbeats to each inhalation and five to each exhalation. This will help you relax further. Slowing down the heart and rythm of the whole body, you pacify the nervous system.

Try to detach your mind and send it as far away as you can from your normal life and surroundings, leaving behind all your worries, work and responsibilities, and enter your own special quiet space.

Try to think that nothing matters, that you have completely let go, that your body is grwoing heavier and heavier, that your limbs are leaden.

Then, when you are ready, take your attention down to your toes, wriggle them becoming aware of your toes and then the soles of your feet and relax them. Now, slowly curl your toes up as far as you can, feel the tension in your foot.  Hold it. Now, slowly, slowly let go. Feel the relaxation flowing into your toes and just feel this, flowing.

Now your calves. Tense your calves as hard as you can. Tense them and hold it for a few moments. Now, gradually relax the calves, just relax them, relax them and feel the difference. Move slowly to the knees and feel them relaxing. Now the thighs. Stretch your thighs out in front of you as far as you can. Stretch them and feel the muscles tense. Now, gradually relax the thighs. Feel warmth flowing into your thighs.

Now your abdomen. Tense the abdominal muscles as hard as youcan. Now, tense them even further. Hold the tension. Concentrate your mind on the tension and then gradually relax the abdomen. Relax it even more.

Now, the chest. Tighten the chest muscles. Press them together as hard as you can and hold for a few moments. Now gradually relax the chest muscles. Relax them, feel them relaxing, a little further and a little further.

Feel this relaxation spreading through your whole body. Through your arms, head, face, tongue, jaw, newck, chest, abdomen, thighs, calves.

Now the neck. Tense the neck. Feel the neck tensing, bulging. Tense it further and hold for a few moments and then gradually begin to relax the neck. Fell the release.

Now tense your jaw. Tense it as much as you can and hold it for a few moments. Gradually relax the jaw and feel the difference. Feel the warmth spreading.

Now the tongue. Push your tongue as hard as you can against your teeth. Gradually relax it. Feel the difference.

Scrunch the nose and tense the nose, holding it crinkles for a few moments and then relaxing it. Release and let go. Feel the relaxation spreading, flowing through your whole body.

Now your eyes. Shut your eyes as tight as you can. Tense them and when you have reached your peak, let go, relax them and feel your eyes sink into the head.

Gently lift the eyebrows and drop them, feeling the forehead relax. Fell your face relax and your cheeks relax, letting go as if the skin was melting off your body.

Now become aware of your whole body. Scan the body, relaxing again through each part in turn – feet, calves, thighs, pelvis, buttocks, abdomen, arms, chest, back, neck, face and feel the free flow of energy through the body. The body is relaxed, open and whole.

Now, gently coming out the asana, gently massage your fingertips with your thumbs, move your head from side to side. Stretch your arms above your head, taking in a deep breath. Bend your knees towards your chest and gently rock from side to side, rolling onto your right side and coming back slowly to a sitting postion.

By Gilda Berzen