Shavayatra - 61-Point Body Rotation
Shavayatra from Sanskrit "pilgrimage through the body" is another yoga tool that releases tension and manages anxiety and stress.
The practice dates back to the seminal ayurvedic text Sushruta Samhita and then The Vasishtha Samhita, a book dating back to the middle ages. It is also referenced in the 17th century Mahanirvana Tantra which describes the technique of Nyasa yoga, which is moving the awareness from one marma point to another. Marma points are similar to those in acupuncture, and they are places where prana or energy flows.
This exercise offers several benefits:
Deep release of muscular tension - tense muscles is the body's way of guarding against injury and pain. Any time we experience stress, we tense up. If we don't learn to release tension, we risk creating a negative loop of anxiety and stress. Chronic muscle tension can lead to chronic stress, causing muscles to be in more or less in a constant state of guardedness. Relaxed muscles help quiet the body's response to stress. In addition to working on the nervous system, Shavayatra works on the pranic field. Prana means primary energy, vital force, or breath in Sanskrit. (The meaning of prana and how it expresses itself is a subject for another newsletter!) This practice is different from other systematic body relaxations because it focuses on balancing and bringing attention to specific and essential nerve-rich spots in the body. When we rest attention at each point, we gain access to an experience connecting the body and mind.
Increased concentration and focus - this practice trains the mind to be one-pointed. When you direct your attention systematically and sequentially, you train your mind to stay focused on one thing. Staying focused is helpful from meditation, prayer, studying, working, and being fully present in our lives. The subjective experience is often restful because we have "given the mind a bone" - a known technique for working with anxiety.
Increased self-awareness - when we shift our attention from the outer world to the inner world, we learn to tune into the mind-body connection. In the internal realm, we can listen deeply to our bodies, and we can access the body's healing message. This inward orientation offers us heightened sensitivity to body sensations, feelings, and thoughts - to our internal weather. And, from this place of self-awareness, we respond rather than react.
To get the practice's full benefit as a stand-alone tool, you must consciously work with shavayatra, consistently and enthusiastically. It is an advanced practice because it requires experience in diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation. It is usually taught by first working with a shorter course of 31-points focusing on the upper body. The preliminary practice is more accessible because the mind has less opportunity to wander.
Source: Yoga International https://yogainternational.com/article/view/a-practice-of-61-points-to-sharpen-concentration/