Why Yoga Sometimes Makes Us Cry
Savasana used to make me cry. It used to make me ugly cry, and not really over anything in particular – I’d have a perfectly fine time moving and doing yoga, after a perfectly fine day, and I’d lay down for savasana feeling, you guessed it, perfectly fine. And yet… tears would suddenly be leaking from my eyes. It’d start gently, then pretty soon I’d be on my side absolutely sobbing.
So obviously, I decided I needed Yoga Teacher Training.
I wanted to learn more about what was happening, but also why I felt so freaking good afterward. (And now that I think about it, that’s actually pretty funny. I spent my whole life hating how often and easily I am brought to tears, and then it led to one of the most transformational and important choices of my life.)
Turns out, crying in savasana? Not uncommon at all.
So if you’ve ever been in the same boat, hi. You’re in good company, and there are actually plenty of reasons as to why the tears start rolling when we settle down and relax.
First, to quote one of my favorite teachers, “If someone comes to your class, and you can make their brains STFU for even 60 seconds, you’ve succeeded.”
Some days, there’s nary a pocket of STFU to be found. Let me know if you can relate to any of this –
I love playing music, listening to audiobooks, and watching tv. And phones make it super easy to do any of that, at any time. Shower? Grocery store? Walking the dogs? All, yes.
I have two kids and a husband and all three of them are yappers. Even my dogs are yappers, they have to say hello to everyone who walks down our street.
And even when working out or meditating, I love me some guidance.
We live in a noisy, busy-brained world, so when we come into savasana, the final pose of a yoga practice, and suddenly there’s no more guidance… no more noise… nothing to strive for or do… just… quiet…
Holy moly.
Another consequence of living in this busy-brained-lack-of-silence-world is that, for many of us, our nervous systems are working overtime, especially our sympathetic nervous system (think fight or flight).
The SNS is great. It literally keeps us alive by helping us respond to dangerous and stressful situations – like a car running a red light. But you know what else it thinks is a dangerous and stressful situation?
The unread texts, emails, and notifications calling your name. The headlines on the news. The level of candy crush that kicked your ass. That argument you had with your kids / partner / mom / boss. Running late, forgetting deodorant, the grocery store still being outof your favorite coffee creamer.
Our sympathetic nervous system sees and responds to these situations, and primes our minds and bodies for quick action. It increases our heart rate, slows our digestion, floods us with stress hormones, and even impacts our eyes, lungs, and immune system. It can leave us feeling on edge, burnt out, and overstimulated… and over time it can also impact our physical and mental health.
When we find something that helps us slow down, soften the noise, and recognize that we are not, in fact, fighting for our lives at the moment, our parasympathetic nervous system can kick on. This one tells our body, “You’re safe. You can rest.” And it lets us begin to process the world around us, our feelings, and our experiences.
It lets us focus on more than just staying alive.
Another teacher I love says that when we come into these moments of stillness, it’s like we’ve slammed on the brakes in our car and all the shit that’s been hiding in the backseat flies up to meet us.
Yoga, meditation, stillness… they ask us to be really present and self-aware. To actually take a look at the shit that we’ve been driving around – whether it’s feelings we’ve stuffed down, or the understanding that we need to make some big life changes. That’s huge work! It’s a lot of vulnerability. And now that we’ve recognized that, is it really so surprising that we’re crying during savasana? I don’t think so.
Being still kind of sucks, until it doesn’t… and then sometimes it does again.
It’s 2026 and we love to talk about self-care, so maybe you already know everything I’ve said so far. Maybe you’ve already tried yoga or meditation because you know everything I’ve said so far… and maybe you hated it and wound up feeling -2% better.
Again, stillness = vulnerability, and that can activate our fight or flight reflex too. When we’re used to go-go-go, laying on the floor for five minutes doing “nothing” can feel not just outrageous, but even unsafe.
If you want to cultivate a little more stillness, but are finding it pretty hard, first I’ll say, let it be hard. Some things just are, and it’s okay to acknowledge that.
Next, I’ll tell you that it’s okay to start slow! You don’t have to practice yoga seven days a week, or jump into an hour-long silent meditation. You could start by just taking a little break from stimulation – turn off the music on your drive home. Skip the podcast on your walk. Stay in bed for an extra minute and just breathe.
And last, I want you to know that you can’t do it wrong, my friend, and that it does get easier, and more enjoyable, the longer you stick with it.
Other words for stillness: freedom, connection, empowerment, and space.
Yep, sometimes stillness makes us cry (or feel angry, frustrated, giddy, or really damn tired)... but it’s also the path to getting to know ourselves.
You know that time you absolutely lost your goddamn mind about something, and then were like, “Whew, I guess that’s been building up for awhile.” Yeah, stillness helps us catch that before the explosion.
Or, have you ever suddenly realized that you’re just doing something because you’ve always done it, you actually hate it, and you’re not sure WTF you should be doing now? While I can’t tell you that you’ll never have those moments, I do think stillness can help us see our choices and lives more clearly, and feel a little more confident about our ability to change and adapt.
It opens up this little pocket of space where we can actually hear ourselves again. Beneath all the noise, expectations, and distractions, there's a little voice that says things like,
Hey, you gotta take a break.
You used to really love dancing – you should try that again.
That thing you keep brushing off, actually matters… like, a lot.
And, whatever this is, it’s not it. You’re allowed to change your mind.
There’s a quote I love that says, “Between stimulus and response, there is space.”
It’s really easy to fall into the pattern of simply reacting to the world around us. But the more we cultivate our ability to slow down, be still, and listen to our inner wisdom, the more we can grow that space between stimulus and response. And stretching out that space means we have the power to experience our reality, and then intentionally choose how we want to respond to it.
So what I've learned over the last few years is that savasana wasn't actually making me cry.
The quiet stillness of the pose was just giving me enough space to notice what had been waiting for my attention all along. And maybe, in a world that's constantly asking us to move faster, do more, and stay distracted, one of the kindest things we can do is allow for a little space to breathe, feel, and come back to ourselves.
If you'd like to start making room for a little more stillness and quiet in your life, here are some ideas that I hope are helpful:
Take a walk in nature - no phone allowed
Choose a simple task and do it in silence - like journaling, making a cup of tea, tending to plants, or watching the sunset / stars / clouds
Find a form of movement or exercise that you really love. Are you being physically still? No. But often, movement can help our minds slow down, and even find the pause button for a sec
Same with meditation! You can find some great guided options on YouTube or the free app, Insight Timer.
If you're up for a longer guided meditation, try Yoga Nidra. For me, this has been the most transformational, grounding, and healing practice that I've found so far. If I had to give up all but one form of yoga, this is what I'd keep
And, of course, come see us in the studio! We offer yoga, dance, yoga nidra, and reiki sessions as well, and would be honored to be a part of your journey
Whatever stillness looks like for you, this is a reminder that you deserve to slow down, breathe, and hear yourself again. Sending you love 🫶
