shavasana

English

Shavasana, the resting pose.

Alternative forms

• savasana, shavasan

Etymology

From Modern Sanskrit शवासन (śavāsana), from शव (śava, “corpse”) + आसन (āsana, “asana”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ʃəˈvɑːsənə/

Noun

shavasana (countable and uncountable, plural shavasanas)

1. (yoga) A resting pose in which one lies flat on one's back with the arms and legs slightly spread and eyes closed. [from 19th c.]
   • 1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 226:

     There was no way I was going to get sleep unless I did yoga-nidra or shavasan.

   • 2005, BKS Iyengar, Light on Life, page 232:

     Now, Savasana is about relaxation, but what prevents relaxation? Tension.

   • 2007, Darca Lee Nicholson, Body Matters, page 179:

     In Savasana, the last pose we did, often one or two of them would fall asleep and snore.

Synonyms

• corpse pose