The Last Savasana: Yoga, Breathwork and Inquiry to Prepare You for the Final Exit
The Last Savasana: Yoga, Breathwork and Inquiry to Prepare You for the Final Exit
108 Yogaville Way, Buckingham, VA 23921, United States
Up to 30 in group
September 20, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- Deep exploration of the history and symbolic message of Savasana
- Sequential movement and pranayama practices paired with diverse Savasana variations
- Guided journaling exercises to address personal legacy and life regrets
- Tools for managing anxiety and increasing personal agency around mortality
- Collaborative group discussion on the intersection of yoga and death
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Leslie Howard is an Oakland-based yoga teacher, specializing in all things pelvic. She leads workshops and trainings worldwide and has written a book about the female pelvis, Pelvic Liberation. She is a regular presenter for the Yoga Journal conferences and a regular contributor to Yoga Journal magazine. Her own struggles with healing her hips and pelvis led her to intense study of the anatomy, physiology, cultural messaging, history and energetics of this rich place. Her teaching is informed by over 3500 hours of yoga study with senior Iyengar yoga teachers, notably Ramanand Patel and Peter Thompson. She has designed two successful studies for the University of California, San Francisco on yoga to alleviate incontinence and pelvic pain.
Her deep dive into Savasana began with personal healing and gradually expanded into broader questions about embodiment, stillness, and mortality. Her book, Savasana: Between Breath and Death, co-authored with Richard Rosen, explores the final yoga pose as both a physical practice and a gateway to accepting our mortality.
Leslie is also a trained hospice volunteer and certified death doula, bringing years of end-of-life care experience into her teaching and writing. Her work bridges yoga, anatomy, contemplative care, and subtle-body philosophy, offering a compassionate and grounded approach to both living and dying. She has designed two successful studies with the University of California, San Francisco on yoga for incontinence and pelvic pain, and is a longtime contributor and presenter forYoga Journal.
To learn more about Leslie, visit: lesliehowardyoga.com
Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.
Details of this retreat
Sunday, September 20, 2-5 PM
Find a renewed appreciation for the beauty of our time on the planet
Increase personal agency around end of life decisions
Delve deep on what really matters to you.
Realize a new perspective on a very old pose and how it can help you be more comfortable with the inevitable.
Join Leslie for a deep dive into Savasana with a twist. Most of us spend our days trying to extend our lives, i.e. looking both ways before crossing a street, putting our seatbelt on and checking expiration dates on our food. Nonetheless, nothing we do, not even yoga, can help us escape life's inevitable end. Yoga can help prepare us to face our fear of the inevitable, maybe even embrace it so that we come to appreciate the preciousness of each day we are alive.
Yoga is meant to bring us more awareness and gives us tools to manage the challenges of being human. This workshop is designed to manage the anxiety we all have around dying and to be more comfortable with these types of conversations.
There will be a short lecture on the history, practice, symbolic message of this often misunderstood pose. Then we will do a series of short practices starting with standing poses and moving to pranayama each with a different savasana. Each practice will begin with a question around your own death, like what are some of your regrets in life, or what do you want your legacy to be, who am I. After each practice, you will be given time to journal about each question. We'll conclude with a group discussion and of course a final (FOR THIS WORKSHOP) savasana.
Discount Price of $50.00 for those taking the Empowered Pelvis Weekend Workshop.
Please call Ashram Reservations at 800.858.9642 to add this session to your registration.
Leslie's Book - Savasana: Between Breath and Death is available here.
Find a renewed appreciation for the beauty of our time on the planet
Increase personal agency around end of life decisions
Delve deep on what really matters to you.
Realize a new perspective on a very old pose and how it can help you be more comfortable with the inevitable.
Join Leslie for a deep dive into Savasana with a twist. Most of us spend our days trying to extend our lives, i.e. looking both ways before crossing a street, putting our seatbelt on and checking expiration dates on our food. Nonetheless, nothing we do, not even yoga, can help us escape life's inevitable end. Yoga can help prepare us to face our fear of the inevitable, maybe even embrace it so that we come to appreciate the preciousness of each day we are alive.
Yoga is meant to bring us more awareness and gives us tools to manage the challenges of being human. This workshop is designed to manage the anxiety we all have around dying and to be more comfortable with these types of conversations.
There will be a short lecture on the history, practice, symbolic message of this often misunderstood pose. Then we will do a series of short practices starting with standing poses and moving to pranayama each with a different savasana. Each practice will begin with a question around your own death, like what are some of your regrets in life, or what do you want your legacy to be, who am I. After each practice, you will be given time to journal about each question. We'll conclude with a group discussion and of course a final (FOR THIS WORKSHOP) savasana.
Discount Price of $50.00 for those taking the Empowered Pelvis Weekend Workshop.
Please call Ashram Reservations at 800.858.9642 to add this session to your registration.
Leslie's Book - Savasana: Between Breath and Death is available here.
Getting Here
Yogaville, 108 Yogaville Way, Buckingham, VA 23921, United States
Directions
Yogaville offers transportation from the airport, train and bus stations in Charlottesville, VA. If you are driving Google Maps has reliable turn-by-turn directions.
Accommodation
Availability of complimentary accommodations is determined by the order of booking.
Dormitory
The most popular accommodations we have are Dormitory Accommodations – shared room and shared bath. We have two dormitories, Vivekananda Vihar and Ramalinga Nilayam, which are centrally heated and air-conditioned and convenient to meals and programs.
Lotus Guest House (Private Room)
Each room in our six unit guest house is equipped with a small refrigerator, queen size bed and full bath. Each room in our nine unit guest house is equipped with a queen sized bed and full bath, and no refrigerator.
Tenting
Set off in a quiet, wooded area adjacent to the Lotus Guest Houses are twelve campsites. Campers have use of the bathroom, shower, and laundry facilities nearby Vivekananda Vihar dormitory. Camping is available from March 15th to December 1st.
Program Price
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Yogaville is home to the Light of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS). The LOTUS is a unique temple dedicated to interfaith understanding and the Light within all faiths. Individual altars represent and honor the different world faiths and spiritual paths. The vision, design and inspiration of Sri Swami Satchidananda, LOTUS was dedicated in 1986. It demonstrates, “Truth is One, Paths are Many.” In the peaceful countryside of Virginia, the doors of LOTUS are open to welcome people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Organic, vegetarian/vegan food
Labeled ingredients
Lacto-vegetarian
Gluten-free and vegan options
Salad bar
Large herbal tea selection
Coffee is available for purchase at Mandala Cafe
What's Included
- Accomodations
- Meals
- Meditation Sessions
- Yoga Classes
What's Not Included
- Transportation
- Airfare
Last Chance
