Death anxiety is prevalent across many modern cultures and is recognized as a significant contributor to human suffering (1–4). As a transdiagnostic construct, death anxiety is associated with numerous mental health disorders and is a key factor in avoidance of end-of-life planning (1, 4, 5). This may result in the extension of suffering due to unsuccessful, aggressive and costly medical interventions at the end of life (5, 6). Many people prefer to die at home surrounded by loved ones (7–9); however, the more the conversation around death is considered taboo, the less likely the person may be to engage in end-of-life care discussions. This may delay access to timely palliative care, thereby reducing quality of life during one’s final days (5, 10). Although advance directives aim to preserve individual autonomy at the end of life, their implementation remains variable within complex healthcare systems. While multiple studies across varied cultures indicate the majority of people would prefer palliative care (6, 11), not everybody receives it. Due to socio-cultural-political-economic circumstances, most die either unsupported at home without comfort care (12) or die in the ICU following expensive and futile life-prolonging interventions that may impose significant humanistic and economic costs on individuals, families and public health systems (6, 13, 14). Within this context, there is need for approaches that address death anxiety upstream and cultivate adaptive ways of relating to mortality across the lifespan.

Throughout history, the fear of death has been documented in art, literature, religion and science. Many macro-level determinants contribute to one’s relationship to death. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide a comprehensive history of death anxiety; however, we highlight some key factors relevant to the death phobia prevalent in modern medicalized societies. For example, prior to the advent of germ theory that was developed in the mid-19th century by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, death in Western Christian-based culture was marked by a ceremony that occurred in the home with the dying person “lying in their deathbed” surrounded by family, including children (15). French social historian Philippe Ariès referred to this as a “Tamed Death” focused on acceptance, rituals and spiritual transition. Ariès theorizes that our relationship to death gradually evolved from a communal, familiar and accepted part of life to being hidden, medicalized and avoided (15, 16).

Germ theory catalyzed a reframing of death as a biological failure that could be prevented through medical management, typically via hospitalization. Abraham Flexner’s report of 1910 further institutionalized dying, relocating end-of-life care from a spiritual transition at home to what Ariès termed a “Forbidden Death”: an expensive, medically managed clinical event that often results in the prolonging of life and suffering, typically with the patient dying alone and connected to machines (14, 17). Ariès cautions that this shift from acceptance of mortality to a culture of death phobia severs our connection to perhaps the most profound opportunity for meaning and dying well (15). Terror Management Theory, developed by Greenberg, Pyszczynski and Solomon in the 1980s (18), posits that fear of death can be a driving force behind many health behaviors (1, 19) including avoidance of advance care planning and overuse of aggressive life-extending medical interventions (5). These dynamics underscore the importance of approaches that do not merely suppress anxiety but foster healthier relationships with mortality.

Aaron Antonovsky, a medical sociologist, challenged the pathogenic model of medicine in the 1970s by proposing that the field shift from the question of “what causes disease?” to the study of “what creates health?” Antonovsky frames health as not merely the absence of disease, but as the capacity to cope with stress, find coherence and create meaning amidst life’s challenges (22). This emphasis on the inherent human need for meaning-making finds a profound parallel in the work of philosopher and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, identified a sense of existential purpose as fundamental to enduring suffering, making his perspective highly relevant to the concept of self-transcendence central to this paper. Within his framework of logotherapy, Frankl (23) defines self-transcendence as the human tendency to reach out beyond oneself and find meaning, love and service in life (24). Multiple studies affirm self-transcendence as being positively associated with the ability to cope effectively with death anxiety and improved wellbeing at the end of life (25–28).

Antonovsky’s salutogenic model of medicine posits that SOC, which includes comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, is the key to health until one’s very last breath (29). If we apply this framework to helping people face death, it may include:

The demystification of death could begin upstream long before one is at the end of life. Yoga, with its philosophy and practices, inherently aligns with this salutogenic framework. Yoga employs the concepts of samadhi (transcendence), vairagya (detachment or letting go), vichara (self-awareness), svadhyaya (understanding self through studying yoga) and sadhana (personal practice) as foundational approaches throughout life that are of paramount importance when facing death (30, 31). These philosophical pillars align with the salutogenic emphasis on cultivating internal resources to navigate existential distress.

Yoga practices that support mind, body and spiritual health are increasingly being integrated into modern healthcare (32) and holistic palliative practices (31, 33–40). Yoga therapy, an individualized therapeutic approach, adapts yoga philosophy and practices to the changing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the living and dying person and is considered valuable as a non-invasive, non-pharmacologic complement to integrative palliative care (30, 39–41). Yoga therapists, through co-regulated compassionate inquiry, help people engage in their decisions and care, cultivating inner and outer resources for support and to prepare for their dying days. Yoga studies highlight various adaptations of yoga practices for integrative palliative care including mindfulness, gentle physical movement, regulated breathing techniques, subtle hand gestures, meditative practices, conscious yogic sleep and chanting or singing (30, 34, 37, 38, 40).

End-of-life research focusing on yoga, mindfulness and meditation notes that these practices can help manage anxiety and depressive symptoms, appetite, fatigue and insomnia (42). They also may improve perceived stress (43), inform an accepting attitude toward pain (44), inspire confidence and self-efficacy (38), foster compassion and empathy (45) and cultivate a nonjudgmental attitude to whatever arises in the present moment (46). Spiritual support, when facing death, has been shown to improve quality of life, spiritual wellbeing, insight and inner peace for terminally ill patients (42, 47–51). Corpuz (52) proposed that integrating spirituality and mindfulness into palliative care may lead to profound benefits for both patients and caregivers, offering comfort, solace and a sense of purpose in the face of mortality. While fear of death is common at life’s end, neurophysiological research suggests that death avoidance is not an innate neural circuit or genetically determined response, but can be positively informed by meditation on the impermanence of the self, which can induce neural reorganization (53). Practices that help people face their fear of death can reduce death anxiety (1, 53–55) and may improve advance care planning outcomes (50).

One early and seminal paper on end-of-life yoga therapy proposed an eminent yoga practice—widely known from ancient yoga texts and still resonant in modern times—that is surprisingly underutilized in death preparation yet perhaps the most obvious choice: savasana (30). Savasana, translated to “corpse pose” in English, is a universally practiced and widely recognized yoga posture that completes yoga group classes worldwide (Figure 1). This pose, however, is often solely equated with relaxation and rejuvenation without mention of its essence, which is to lie still as a corpse. In what may reflect culturally embedded death phobia, the word savasana is rarely translated, even when all other yoga practices are referred to in English. Rarely, in modern times, is mortality or dying mentioned in corpse pose, nor is it recognized that, rather than being morbid, savasana practice could both guide death education and revitalize a love of life.

Yoga is widely embraced and practiced by millions of practitioners across diverse communities globally (56). With deep respect to the ancient roots of Yoga, we propose that savasana (corpse pose)—which we suggest as an embodied practice of contemplating death—may offer an accessible and cost-effective means of improving mortality salience and possibly, through continued practice, reframing today’s cultural obsession with prolonging life. Importantly, we frame savasana not as a panacea for death anxiety, but as a salient component of a salutogenic approach to facing mortality with conscious awareness.

Due to the extensive social, cultural, psychological and physiological consequences of death anxiety, as well as its substantial burden on public health systems, there is a need for feasible, cost-effective and compassionate approaches to engage with death anxiety and enhance mortality salience within modern cultures that have medicalized and vilified death. We contend that a conscious, mortality-awareness practice of savasana offers an accessible means for individuals to turn toward death, thereby cultivating the Sense of Coherence (SOC) necessary to navigate life’s ultimate uncertainty. By engaging with the inevitability of our death, savasana has the potential to ease the suffering that accompanies death anxiety, supporting individuals not only in approaching death with greater awareness but also modeling an engaged relationship with mortality for future generations.