Free Your Mind and Body with Aqua-Savasana- Mindful floating on water.

Summer is the perfect time to practice yoga in the water and experience the magic of the ocean. A wonderful spiritual practice is when we experience and surrender the different sensations that mindful floating brings.

I skipped along into the ocean this morning, and laid my body on it’s waters. I floated with a big smile on my face. I felt my heart swell up with gratitude as I felt the sun’s rays above and the rhythmical waters down below. I felt cradled by the warm waters and their soft current as it began to take me away from the shore.  I felt safe to let go and trust the gentle morning tides. I knew as I closed my eyes I would be wisped away wherever these gentle tides needed me to flow.

I allowed my body to lay in Aqua-Savasana (Savasana aka Dead Man’s Pose is a yoga posture that is usually practiced at the end of a yoga class). It is meant to be completely passive so we may cultivate our ability to surrender into the present moment and integrate the benefits of our yoga practice. I share with you the many benefits of this pose when practiced in the ocean.

How To Aqua-Savasana:

1. Lay in tranquility.

Lay down in a comfortable ocean face up with your arms and legs spread out wide apart. Make sure to choose an ocean with tranquil waters so your face doesn’t swallow too much salty water and your eyes don’t burn too much.

2. Lengthen Your Spine.

Feel your whole body lengthening from the crown of your head to your feet as you literally pull the top of the head away from the feet.  Stretch your arms and legs far away as possible to accentuate the spine lengthening. Feel your spine as it lengthens and notice how the waves of the ocean cause an undulation of your spine.

3. Feel nature all around you and within you.

Notice the smell of the ocean. Feel the warmth of the sun and water. Notice the wind and how it feels against your skin. Stay in full awareness of nature. Can you hear birds or other sounds? Feel the energy of nature, how do you feel as you float? Notice how much movement occurs in every second, how dynamic nature IS. Feel how alive nature is, how you are also a reflection of that aliveness.  

4. Breathe deeply and effortlessly.

Inhale deeply and notice how your breath expanding your chest and abdomen moves your body while floating. Breathe in through the nose slowly and fully. Feel how your breath expands your whole body and helps you to move upwards.

5. Complete Surrender.

Let go of doing anything now… just BE. Allow your body and mind to float with the ocean‚Äôs current. Let go of all control and allow yourself to be carried by the mysterious current and flow of the moment. After a while notice where you are at?¬† Did the tide pull you north, south, east or west?

Benefits of Mindful Floating aka Aqua-Savasana:
1. Helps you to focus your mind. You have to stay focused on floating or else you will sink!
2. Brings you to the complete experience of your body-mind-breath integration in the present moment. Priceless!
3. Teaches you how to let go and allow things to be exactly as they are, without forcing or trying to control.
4. Teaches you how to let go of tension, stress, and thoughts.
5. Lowers your blood pressure and heart rate if you allow yourself to float.
6. Makes you aware of where you hold tension and stress. Those parts that are contracted tend to sink!
7. Makes you aware of how when you expand your chest and abdomen, it is easier to float and feel lighter.
8. Makes you very calm mentally and physically from the rhythmical nature of the ocean waves.

Try this exercise at the beach or in a pool. Notice how you feel after floating for at least 5 minutes. This exercise actually requires a lot of attention and focus. Eventually you feel very relaxed from the therapeutic effects of these exercises.

Comment down below and share this pose with a friend. You can do it with a partner while holding hands for double the fun!