Perfectionists! This surprising version of Savasana will help you stop sweating the small stuff.

Stretching in Savasana can feel as perfect as it gets. As a result, you can try to curate a perfect experience. Maybe you position your arms and legs so that they’re *exactly* equidistant from your body, or cover yourself with a blanket, pull it tight and smooth out any wrinkles—and only then can you allow yourself to relax.

But sometimes it’s these moments of striving for perfection that make us a little too “Princess and the Pea” about Savasana. Especially when you let small details – a forgotten hairband wrapped around your wrist or one foot pale more than the other – be enough to derail your dedication at the end of class.

If you think about it, it wouldn’t have been better as the princess got used to to the pea? Learning to accept imperfection could have taught her to be calm when things didn’t go as planned. (Not to mention she would have been an easier guest.)

The same principle applies to an ‘imperfect’ Savasana. Perhaps by overindulging in our busyness, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to feel at ease just a little less comfortable. Practicing an uneven or asymmetrical Savasana can help with this.

How to practice asymmetrical Savasana

Instead of using Savasana as you normally do, identify one (or more) abnormalities you may incur on one side of the body. If you feel like both sides of your body don’t “match,” this can be a welcome opportunity for any of us with perfectionist impulses to practice accepting annoyance.

By regularly practicing asymmetrical Savasana, you may be able to make peace with other unpredictable disruptions during yoga (the snoring of the person next to you in class or the beeping of a truck outside). It can also teach you to cultivate tolerance during obstacles off the mat (at work, while talking to a difficult customer, or in a long line at the grocery store). The list goes on as to which “imperfections” in life you can accept exactly as they are.

1. Lie on your back as you would in Savasana. Then choose your own adventure: move one foot a few inches to the side. Place a folded blanket, pillow or block under one calf. Pull one hand out to the side so that it is in line with your shoulder. Place a blanket or pillow under one hand.
2. Notice how it feels when your chosen body part is out of place. Acknowledge any temptation to correct this. Record any sensations in your body or mind that are different from normal. Ask yourself, “Am I okay where I am?” Focus your attention on the breathing. Acknowledge that you are not feeling well and practice letting it go. Even if you want to change your current posture, practice internally saying yes to the posture you are in and relax even more.
3. There may be other thoughts or emotions disturbing your peace. Or your mind can be as calm as a pond, apart from the disturbance (also known as the age-old principle of loot) of your imperfect position. Instead of trying to eliminate that disturbance, see if you can reduce your resistance to it.
4. After a few minutes, start moving your fingers and toes and rolling onto one side. Slowly come to a sitting position. See if you can take the same sense of patience you practiced in your asymmetrical Savasana to another part of the day.