The final posture we assume in this lifetime is the posture of death, when we physically lie cold as stone. Interestingly enough, the final posture of Hatha Yoga too is Shava-Asana or the corpse pose, since shava literally means a lifeless body in Sanskrit. After engaging in a series of strenuous postures, the practitioner concludes the session by lying on his back, with half closed eyes, feet separated, and palms facing upwards. The entire body is loosely held without a trace of strain, and the breath is just watched, not controlled. Physical relaxation is just one purport of this pose, and that can be achieved pretty fast. In fact you have to watch out for not falling asleep! Yet, the symbolism of this asana is much deeper. The simplicity of this pose is deceiving. The corpse pose does not just mimic the perfect stillness of death to rejuvenate us physically and mentally — it is a reminder of the end while the journey is still on. It begs us to remember the transient nature of our physical existence. After assuming this posture, when we arise, we must arise a new person, a person who has consciously encountered the end of life and tasted the rest of death, who is consciously and consistently aware that his present incarnation is not forever. Let the Shava-asana propel us to reflect upon our mission for this lifetime, and single-mindedly move towards accomplishing it!