Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation)
Surya Namaskara, or Sun Salutation as it is known in English, is a sequence of yoga asanas that has origins in the worship of Surya, the Hindu solar deity. Many prefer to perform this series at sunrise, which is considered to be the most spiritually favorable time of day.
To perform this sequence you will link together twelve asanas in a dynamically performed series. These asanas are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards. A full round of Surya namaskara is considered to be two sets of the twelve poses with a change in the second set to moving the opposite leg first through the series.
Surya Namaskara like most yogasanas is best performed on an empty stomach so it’s best to have a gap of at least 2 hours after eating before beginning. Breathing is synchronized with the asanas as you can see referenced below. There are a total of 8 different postures in the sequence of 12 posture changes of Surya namaskara with some asanas being repeated twice in the same cycle. It is said that by performing Sun Salutation day by day your age, conscious, strength, essence of humanity and glow would never fade away.
- Exhale – Pranamasana
- Inhale – Hasta Uttanasana
- Exhale – Hastapaadasana
- Inhale – Aekpaadprasarnaasana
- Exhale – Dandasana
- Suspend breath – Ashtanga Namaskara
- Inhale – Bhujangasana
- Exhale – Adho Mukha Svanasana
- Inhale – Ashwa Sanchalanasana
- Exhale – Uttanasana
- Inhale – Hasta Uttansana
- Exhale – Pranamasana
Below is a video for you to watch if you would like to see an example of the series and practice on your own. Of course we would also love for you to join us for a yoga class at one of our CNY Healing Arts Centers and enjoy this series together.