There are different types of physical yoga practice including ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram and kundalini. The vinyasa-style classes on sun salutations are based on ashtanga, as they generally are taught by a yoga teacher who gives specific demands through a sequence of yoga postures, or asanas. At the end of class, it is common to rest in savasana, or corpse pose, by lying on the back with eyes closed for several minutes. Each teacher can determine what is best for her class.
Options
The level of class and the people participating in it will be the main factor that a teacher considers in determining what to say during the savasana. In a beginner-level class where it is common for students to not feel comfortable when lying still, which may appear nonproductive, a teacher could give commands that help them relax. She can do this by giving commands that relate to each area of the body, releasing physical tension while working from head to feet. For example, Julie Gudmestad, a physical therapist who often writes about yoga anatomy, says students who have have lower-back pain can be instructed to bend their knees and set their feet flat on their mats to be more comfortable in savasana.
Commands
Many teachers will instruct students in savasana to take a deep breath to fill their lungs and exhale slowly through the mouth. In savasana, lying flat on the back, it is easy to feel the sensation of deep breathing. Keep your instructions clear and simple, advises Judith Hanson Laster, Ph.D., P.T., a founder of "Yoga Journal" and a yoga therapist for more than 25 years. She also emphasizes that instructors remember they are teaching people and to select words throughout the class and in savasana with care.
Mantra
In a more advanced class, a yoga teacher might instruct students to first sit in sukhasana, or easy pose, or half or full lotus and to chant a specific mantra together as a group before ending in savasana. For example, the class could sound "om" while sitting or even lying flat before becoming completely quiet. If appropriate, the teacher could also chant the same mantra or a series of mantras during savasana while students lie quietly resting. In these cases, the teacher might sound the mantra and still give students at least a minute or two of silence before ending class.
Benefits
Every teacher is different and if it were appropriate for the level of class and students, she could describe the theme or purpose behind the physical practice for that class. During resting pose, she could tell them the class was designed for a winter practice that focused on the kidneys, the water element in traditional Chinese medicine. Or from an ayurveda, Indian perspective, describe how the heating practice of sun salutations helped them to detoxify. Common themes are the change in seasons and the associated internal organs that can be emphasized in physical postures. On a more esoteric level, philosophy can be used in metaphors to help students see how their physical practice helps them in other areas of their lives. The idea is to create a closing, whether spoken or silent, that is most appropriate for the level and maturity of the students in the class.
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