March 2026: Overcoming The Fear

ॐ नमः शिवाय गुरवे - सच्चिदानन्द मूर्तये । - निष्प्रपञ्चाय शान्ताय - निरालम्बाय तेजसे ॥
Om Namah Shivaya Gurave, Sat-Chid-Ananda-Murtaye
Nishprapanchaya Shantaya Niralambaya Tejase
Salutations to Shiva, who is the embodiment of Absolute Truth, Knowledge and Bliss,
Who is the highest guru. Beyond the material world, ever peaceful, independent existence, Self-sustained, Divine illumination & light.

If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.
Tao Te Ching v.74

“Our true nature is the nature of no birth and no death. Only when we touch
our true nature can we transcend the fear of non-being, the fear of annihilation.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh, No Death, No Fear

Where is Śavāsana?

And there I was, winding down on my mat in my home. Even after practicing since 1996, I found myself rushing to get up, moving on to the next thing — even when there was no good reason to — with no consideration for Śavāsana (shah-VAH-sah-nah).

Memories immediately arose of all the times I practiced yoga asana with my teachers, Sharon and David, co-founders of Jivamukti Yoga. Just us, in their living room, on their deck, or in their shala — all doing different things, together. And I don’t remember them ever getting up without first having lain in Śavāsana.

We can forget that we practice vinyasa because it is a sequence. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, the sequence is a metaphor for life — but really, it is life. The actual practice of how you want to live it. In the present, with the highest intention.

Present at the beginning, as the sun rises (Child’s Pose, Sun Salutations — birth).
Present as you connect to the earth, receiving stability (standing asanas — adolescence).
Present as your identity evolves beyond ego and you open your heart (twists, rotations, backbends — adulthood).
Present as you let the heart open into the supreme mind (inversions — wise elder).
Present as you transition and marvel at your epic life (Śavāsana).

Birth. Life. Death. Repeat.

Sharon and David had incredible depth of understanding. It is this kind of example that makes them powerful teachers in my life. I remember Sharon specifically saying that not being in Śavāsana for at least five to ten minutes is why people age — that their faces look tired. We’ve all seen that face.

We hammer ourselves in workouts and now, in yoga culture (i.e., less yoga, mostly workout), we are increasingly finding new ways — new supplements, new drugs — to work harder and harder. And we’re damned if we slow down — way down, like we need to — when we’re finished. Of course, we have good reasons why we can’t slow down: kids, job, next workout, etc. Running, running. And when we look tired (or just human, for heaven’s sake), we cosmetically enhance our faces, numbing our unique expressions and showing the world very expensive — and often toxic — masks: the disguise of a fragile, scared ego.

This is not news. We all love to talk about how we should take our time and let go. But unfortunately, that’s what most yoga teachers do — talk about it. When someone tells me they just took a yoga class somewhere, I ask, “How was Śavāsana?” Inevitably they respond with something like, “Oh, we didn’t do Śavāsana,” followed by, “We did abs!”

“I love abs,” I say.

Maybe what makes us different — and weird — is that we remind each other at Satsang that the results are not our business. That’s not why we’re here. Of course, if you want to be given everything, Lao Tzu says, give everything up.

Letting go is the practice. The results are the business of Satchitananda — the creative, all-pervasive force of universal love, whatever name you give it. Faith is the practice. Grace is the possibility. Fearlessness is the ultimate result. And what we receive is always better than our little minds can conceive. It’s wiser to go for the whole package. Practice quality. Practice presence. Real fearlessness means, warts and all, feeling good within our imperfections.

What I’m saying is this: you are beautifully perfect. A diamond need not dress itself up as much as it needs to be revealed, stripped of the rough. Śavāsana is the final reveal of the diamond-smith’s cleaving blade — a glimpse into your soul. Faith and fear cannot live in the same house.

So keep death close. Lie down. Take a load off. Pretend you are truly dead — that is the very best way to connect to the fleeting preciousness of life. The closer we keep death, the more alive we become. Death implies life.

In 60–90 minutes, you have lived. You have shown courage and fortitude. You explored. You allowed yourself to be challenged. You tried new things. You practiced letting go — especially if you practiced with us. Now rest in it. Embellish it.

We are one of the only places that makes it completely dark at any time of day for Śavāsana. When you aren’t afraid of dying, there is nothing you can’t accomplish. Close the curtains. Close your life. Be reborn.

Want to know, learn, and practice Śavāsana? All of March, we will take a deep dive.

In Yoga we dwell,
Jeffrey
March 2026