Sun Salutations are a sequence of gracefully linked Asanas that are synchronized with your breathe to create an intelligent and graceful flow of movement.
The Suriya Namaskar (name in sanskrit) is a tradtional sequence of 12 poses practiced in Yoga to gratitude the Sun. Because Sun is the universal source of energy, it's a way of paying homage to the Sun.
The 12 (basic) poses of sun salutation are:
Prayer Pose (Pranamasana)
Upward Salute (Hastauttanasana)
Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)
Low lunge (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
Plank pose
Chaturanga Dandansana – knees chest chin
Upward facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Downward facing dog ( Adho mukha svanasana)
Low lunge
Standing forward bend
Upward Salute (Hastauttanasana)
Prayer pose (Pranamasana)
The sun salutation is an energizing practice in itself, enhancing (core-)strength, stamina and flexibility.
Traditionally Yogis practice sun salutation within the first hour of sunrise. Ideall, the best place for sun salutations would be outdoors under an open sky from where the sun is clearly visible to you.
Here are some common tipps for the practice:
Pay attention to standing tadasana.
Start slowly and gradually build the pace, with 2 initial sets (i.e. 4 rounds) in a slow pace. After that you can swith to medium pace (each pose held for approx 3-4 sec).Surya Namaskar at a fast pace serves as cardiac workout and helps burn extra fat from the body.
Connect your breath with movements
Avoid overstraining! Choose a modified pose instead of overstraining in the base pose. For example, in the upward facing dog pose you could go for a baby cobra instead.
Also sun salutation is a base field for yoga creativity, you can alter and add poses, just let it flow!
NEW Mobility Yoga classes (all levels) every Saturday 0730a.m. (CET) Join us for sun salutations.