Yoga Break 7: Hope Springs Eternal with Savasana
Hey there, tea lovers! We're locked in the dead of winter.
How morbid.
February lends itself to this kind of language, unfortunately. Dead of winter, frostbite, etc...
It only makes sense that we get into Corpse Pose and, luckily, Savasana is the easiest pose you can ever attempt in yoga.
Dogs do it when they're not Downward-Dogging.
Cats do it when they're not Cat-Cowing.
Etc...
It's just you and the floor, rejuvenating your circulation by sheer gravity working on your muscles, joints, and nervous system in contact with the ground beneath you. (Science is beautiful.)
Now look what happens when we pair this pose with White Eternal Spring. A stately white tea, symbolizing fresh-fallen snow, which Adagio blends with punchy fruits and spices, in honor of Holi, the festival celebrating winter's end. When you lay down in , Savasana after a cup of this, hope springs eternal indeed!
Now for the sip-by-sip:
Step 1: Prep-o'clock! Breathe, and get into your personal state of zen, as you grab your materials: cup (mug, tankard, ActiviTEA, etc), hot water, White Eternal Spring tea, and steeping device (pot, IngenuiTEA, etc).
Yes, zen is possible even if you're doing this on the go before class. Music helps—whichever tunes are most special to you and give you a lift when you're feeling stuck in the cold. It also helps that this tea takes simmering water—not the boiling stuff—so you can breathe and relax to the sound of those happy little frothing bubbles.
(Yes, we're saying "breathe" a lot. It's just a reminder. Don't want any actual corpses happening here.)
Step 2: When your water is ready, put the Spring in your steep* for 3-5 minutes and prepare your yoga mat or blanket. Hum a little to yourself, if you like and you're in the mood. Look forward to the mind-body restart that you'll experience in Savasana.
Step 3: Breathe. As the tea steeps, lie back onto the yoga mat with your head, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and feet aligned as best you can. If they don't lie perfectly straight and flat, that's ok. We all have our various body-oddities, and lying in Savasana will awaken you to your own particular quirks of the physical self. One shoulder that likes to draw up high and tight? One hip that won't meet the floor? These are normal, welcome, and ok, no one's here to judge.
Step 4: Breathe. In, and out. Don't worry... you've been doing it since you were a baby. You know how.
Step 5: When the tea is ready to sip, slowly rise from the grave and exhale the remainders of any frustration or negative emotions holding you back for the rest of the day. You got this.
Step 6: Drink that tea. You earned it.
Cheers and peace for the New Year! Check out previous Yoga Breaks for more ways to work yoga into your tea, and tea into your yoga. It's all good.
*In case the puns couldn't get any more gratuitous.
Dedicated to the study of health and wellness, Natasha Nesic is a Certified International Tea Masters Association Tea Sommelier and Certified Personal Trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She trains, writes, and consults throughout New York and has a passion for pairing tea with the unexpected: movement, music, and coffee.
Cheers!
Natasha Nesic
NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach, Founder of Work Life Fitness