Sun Sulutation – Surya Namaskar

• By Omfit Kam
• January 23, 2016
• No Comments

If you have been to a yoga class, chances are you’ve done a sun salutation.  It is a beautiful sequence of 12 asanas (poses) that are standard in most yoga practices.  It flows evenly one pose into the next, harmonizing the movement with the breath, creating space, flexibility, energy, strength, and vitality.  It has an ancient history so bright and bold, that in this present day, it is still living, thriving,and growing leaps and bounds.  The more relevant the history is made in the mind, the more spiritual the practice of yoga becomes to the heart.  The sun salutation begins with asanas, and transforms into a meditation, a devotion of all that is.

Meditation

Surya Namaskara also commonly called sun satlutations, is the normal starting place for a yoga practice.  It sets the tone, intention, and vibe when the breath weaves us into this present moment, flowing from one asana to the next.  It’s repetitive nature eventually causes us to leave the heart of the mind, and enter into a moving meditation uniting breath and the movement.

How Many

Two numbers seem to stick out in the world of yoga for me: five, and the number 108.  I know the number 108 has long been sacred to the yogi, Vedic, and Hindu communities, and the number 5 in most yoga text that I’ve come in contact with, that is the number of sun salutations done to start a yoga practice, especially in a vigorous and uniformed Ashtanga Yoga (Ashta = Eight Anga = Limb Yoga = Union – Eight Limbs of Yoga) practice.  Not to say that 5 is the number that everyone should  start with, or 108 for that matter.  Accept where you are, not where your mind is saying you should be, or some book or teacher for that matter.  Keep testing the water, and 5 will eventually arrive as you open the tapestry called yoga.  I haven’t went there yet, but maybe you’ll be inspired as many yogi’s are to complete 108 salutations to welcome the spring season.

Below you will find the 12 asanas of the sun salutation and it’s sequences of poses:

1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) – Stand on your yoga mats and start with the Yoga Mountain Pose. Bring your palms together in prayer position. Exhale.
2. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute) – As you inhale, raise your arms overhead, keeping your palms together.
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) – Exhale and then bend forward until your hands touch your feet.
4. Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend) – Inhale and lift your chin, your chest, and your gaze.  Extend through the crown of your head, and flatten your back.  Bring your hands  to your shin, or the floor for support.
5.  Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) – Exhale and step or jump back to Plank Pose.
6. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) – On the same exhalation, shift your weight slightly forward, bend at the elbows, and lower your body halfway to the ground until your upper arms are parallel to the floor
7. Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) – Inhaling, stretch forward and bend back. Keep your arms straight.
8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) – Exhaling, curl your toes under, press down into your heels, and lift your hips.
9. Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend) – Inhale and lift your chin, your chest, and your gaze.  Extend through the crown of your head, and flatten your back.  Bring your hands to your shin, or the floor for support.
10. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) – Exhale and then bend forward until your hands touch your feet.
11. Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute) – As you inhale, raise your arms overhead, keeping your palms together.
12. Tadasana (Mountain Pose) – Stand on your yoga mats and start with the Yoga Mountain Pose. Bring your palms together in prayer position. Exhale.

What does the sun mean to you?

Namaste