by Rafael Durán
Once in a while I explain to learners that all yogāsana in Light on Yoga (LoY) are rated from 1-60. For example, tāḍāsana (tāḍa meaning mountain) [Plate 1] has a 1 ranking. Whereas tirieng mukhottānāsana (tirieng meaning oblique, transverse) [Plate 586] has a 60 ranking. However, śavāsana (śava meaning a corpse) [Plate 592] has no ranking. In the description of this last LoY yogāsana B.K.S. Iyengar declares, “This conscious relaxation invigorates and refreshes both body and mind. But it is much harder to keep the mind still than the body still. Therefore, this apparently easy posture is one of the most difficult to master.”
In his instructions for this final yogāsana, B.K.S. first describes, “1. Lie flat on the back full length like a corpse.” Recently I’ve added (after asking all those in the room to take their favorite śavāsana), “You have to be like a corpse to do corpse!” This expression is a corruption (and opposing view) of a statement made by Rock Man, one of the main characters in the film adaptation of The Point!, by Harry Nilsson.
This quaint film first aired when I was 17, and left me with quite an impression. It was the first animated feature ever to air in prime time on US television (ABC’s Movie of the Week). It begins with the father (Dustin Hoffman) telling his son a bedtime story. A fable, wherein the main character, Oblio, is born without a point in Point Village where by law everything in this village must have a point. The round-headed Oblio has had to wear a pointed hat since birth to conceal his ‘pointless’ condition from his pointy-headed peers. However, Oblio is accepted in the town despite his nonconformity, until one day, when the son of an evil count is unwittingly dishonored by Oblio.
The count’s son challenges Oblio to a one-on-one game of Triangle Toss, where competitors catch triangles on their pointy heads. Oblio secures a few wins with Arrow’s help (his dog). In a fit of rage, the count, who wants his son to rule the land one day, confronts the good-hearted but timid king to reaffirm the law of the land, by noting that ‘those who are pointless must be banished from the kingdom.’ A jury reluctantly convicts both Oblio and Arrow, leaving the king with no choice but to banish the pair.
Oblio and Arrow are cast out to the Pointless Forest, but soon discover that even the Pointless Forest has a point. They meet curious creatures who help Oblio see that everyone (and everything) has a point, though it might not be readily displayed. In particular, Rock Man tells Oblio, “You don’t have to have a point to have a point! Dig.”
My objective is to distract those in the room, as I urge them to stop moving, which is the whole point. Only when we stop moving, can we, “6. Relax completely, and breath out slowly.” There is no way around it. If we move, there is a kind of reset to where earlier we are persuaded, “3. To start with, breathe deeply. Later the breathing should be fine and slow, with no jerky movements to disturb the spine or the body.” And then to, “8. Stay in the pose for 15 to 20 minutes.”
If we move, we disturb the natural progression and may not be able to achieve the “energy flow from the back of the head towards the heels.” Where, “9. …one feels completely relaxed and refreshed.” The moral of the story is, be like a corpse, or you will not be able to master this seemingly easy posture.
Rafael Durán 