Savasana Recast as Mortality-Aware Salutogenic Rest to Address Death Anxiety

A Perspective published 04 March 2026 in Frontiers in Public Health argues that savasana - the common "corpse pose" concluding many yoga classes - can be reframed as a salutogenic practice to help people engage with death anxiety and improve end-of-life wellbeing. The paper was authored by Lori Rubenstein Fazzio (Yoga Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles), Anne Pitman (Religious and Contemplative Studies, University of Ottawa and Centre for Health Innovation, Ottawa) and Shelly Prosko (PhysioYoga, Sylvan Lake) and appears in Volume 14, Public Mental Health section.

The authors foreground public-health harms tied to death anxiety, writing that "Death anxiety is prevalent across many modern cultures and is associated with significant psychological, social and economic costs, including avoidance of advance care planning and the overuse of life-prolonging medical interventions at the end of life." That observation anchors the paper's move to translate yogic language into clinical and community settings, using the concept of abhinivesha - described in the paper as "one of the five kleshas (mental afflictions) described as a potent contributor to human suffering."

The Perspective situates its proposal within Antonovsky’s salutogenic framework and highlights Sense of Coherence (SOC) as central, quoting the framework's components in the Abstract: "Antonovsky’s salutogenic framework highlights Sense of Coherence (SOC)—comprehensibility, manageability and" - a line that appears truncated in the published Abstract. The article is part of the Research Topic "Salutogenesis and Public Health" and was edited by Alexander Michael Ponizovsky and reviewed by Jasmine Childs-Fegredo; Frontiers records show 406 Views and 82 Downloads for the piece.

Structurally the paper includes an Introduction on the humanistic and economic cost of death anxiety, a section titled "Yoga therapy in end-of-life and palliative care," a focused section "Savasana as a salutogenic practice," and a "Future considerations and directions" segment, followed by standard end matter including Author contributions, Funding, Conflict of interest, a Generative AI statement and a Publisher’s note. Figure 1 is listed among the article assets.

The authors explicitly call for a paradigm shift: "This Perspective proposes a conceptual shift from pathogenic models focused primarily on life-extension and symptom reduction toward a salutogenic approach that emphasizes meaning-making and adaptive engagement with mortality across the lifespan." By tying a classroom practice to Antonovsky’s model and to clinical contexts, Fazzio, Pitman and Prosko make a case that yoga teachers, therapists and palliative-care clinicians might treat guided rest in savasana as mortality-aware, health-promoting practice rather than only a cue to end class.

The paper’s publication on 04 March 2026 frames savasana in public-health vocabulary and names specific clinical stakes - avoidance of advance care planning and overuse of life-prolonging interventions - that connect classroom practice to policy and care.