SuryaNamaskar – All you need to know.

Suryanamaskar - Offering Salutations to Sun

What is Suryanamaskar?

Suryanamaskar is a combination of 2 words – ‘Surya’ & Namaskar. ‘Surya’ means Sun and Namaskar means offering salutation, corresponding to offering salutations to the sun.

Why to offer salutations or pay respect to the Sun?

Sun is the source of energy and gives life to our planet. Offering salutations to the sun i.e., Suryanamaskar is a way in which we adore the pure, auspicious and supreme power that provides life to the planet. While practicing Suryanamaskar, we attain the perfect harmony of body, mind and spirit;

The idea is to tune our body to achieve perfection just like the perfect and well-balanced energy of the sun. It should necessarily be done before practicing other Asanas.

Why should Suryanamaskar be the first thing to do, before other breathing exercises and yoga Asanas?

Suryanamaskar is a well-devised mixture of yoga asanas and breathing, consisting of 12 postures, stretching various ligaments and giving right tensions to the vertebral column. It is important that before you practice any yoga posture, the spine and body muscles should be flexible.

The practice also provides the right kind of flexibility to the spine and body muscles, enabling the yoga practitioner to breathe in the right manner. Once the breathing is set right, the asanas becomes smooth and comfortable.

Why it is important to do Suryanamaskar?

Ancient sages of India believed that:

1. Sick body makes it difficult for the mind to attain spiritual development.

2. Strong body with diseased or undeveloped mind is not helpful either.

3. Healthy body and mind with lack of spirituality is prone to destruction.

Therefore, it is vital that a perfect balance should be maintained between body, mind and spirit. This perfection should be like that of the Sun, which constantly emits immense radiation for nurturing and sustaining life. Suryanamaskar is a great tool to attain the perfection of healthy body, mind and spirit.

Suryanamaskar consists of 12 postures, stretching different ligaments and giving movements to vertebral column. The vertebral column is bent forward and backward alternatively with deep inhalation, retention and exhalation of breath. The purpose of the structured 12 postures is to make your lungs function properly resulting in correct breathing.

These 12 postures also boosts the circulation of blood, which becomes helpful in removing toxins from the body and imparting life to body cells. The movement of spine and vertebral columns removes the stiffness from the body and enhances flexibility.

Therefore, Suryanamaskar should be practiced to attain the following:

1. Well-balanced growth of body, mind and spirit.

2. Enable light breathing

3. Enhance flexibility in spine and body muscles.

Who should avoid practicing Suryanamaskar?

People who suffer from high blood pressure, hernia or heart diseases are advised to restrain from Suryanamaskar.

Those who have back pain should not practice Suryanamaskar as it involves a lot of postures that test your back. So, if you are suffering from back pain, avoid Suryanamaskar completely.

If you have fever and inflammation, you should not practice Suryanamaskar as it enhances the heat within your body.

Women should avoid practicing it during mensuration.

Ideal Time to do Suryanamaskar?

Suryanamaskar should ideally be performed facing the rising sun in the morning. Many yoga gurus also practice Suryanamaskar in the evening as well, while facing the sun.

If you are a unable to take time for it in morning or evening, you may also practice it at any time of the day, but do it with an empty stomach.

Pre-Requisites

Right Spot

The first and foremost thing is to identify the right spot for Suryanamaskar. The ideal place to do Suryanamaskar is always in the open sky facing the sun. However, you can also do Suryanamaskar indoor with windows open, facing the rising sun.

If you do not find any place where you can directly face the sun, there is no reason to worry. You can do Suryanamaskar at any clean place within your home, office, gym or yoga studio, just make sure the place is free from external noise and disturbances.

Yoga Mat It is very important to select the right yoga mat for doing Suryanamaskar and other asanas. The mat should be carefully chosen based on your conditions. Many people with sensitive knees and elbows, prefer softer mats. Yoga beginners generally choose less expensive mats. Professionals prefer mats that provide them with extra grip during difficult asanas. Travellers choose mats which are light in weight. You should select the right mat for yourself before you get started.

Comfortable Clothes

Make yourself comfortable with right set of clothes before doing Suryanamaskar. Get a comfortable yoga pant which should be stretchable enough to provide right tension during the asanas and poses.

Steps in Suryanamaskar

Once you have found the right spot and got yourself the appropriate mat . Start by standing at the edge of the yoga mat and follow the steps:

1. Standing at the edge of the yoga mat, keep your legs together and stand straight. Fold your hands in the prayer pose and breathe normally.

2. Slowly inhale and raise the arms above the head. Stretch the arms as much as you can. Don’t stress though. The inhaling and raising the hands should go together. As you progress, tilt the pelvis slightly forward. Breathe normally.

3. Exhale slowly and bend forward till the palms are kept flat in line with the feet. Try to touch the knees with your head. Do not stress if you are unable to touch the palms on ground or your head with knees. Keep it simple. Breathe normally.

4. After slow and deep inhalation, push the right leg back in long backward step and gently place your right knee on the floor. Keep the hands and the left foot firmly on the ground without moving sideways. Raise the head and look upward. The left knee should ideally be between the hands. Breathe normally.

5. Exhale and lift the hips and the tail bone up, chest downward in an inverted ‘V’ position. Keep you heels in contact with the floor. Look towards the navel or your knees. Breathe normally.

6. Exhale slowly, lower the body and let the eight limbs of the body – two toes, two knees, two hands, chest and chin – touch the floor. Keep the abdominal region slightly raised. Breathe normally.

7. While inhaling, slowly raise your head and bend the spine backward as much as possible. Look upwards and breathe normally.

8. Exhale and lift the hips and the tail bone up, chest downward in an inverted ‘V’ position. Keep your heels in contact with the floor. Look towards the navel or your knees. Breathe normally. (Exactly like Posture 5)

9. Inhale and bring the left foot along the level of the hands. The right foot and knee should touch the ground. Look forward (Exactly like Posture 4)

10. Exhale and bring the right leg also forward and come back to Posture No. 3

11. Inhale and raise the hands overhead and bend backward as in Posture No. 2

12. Slowly bring your hands as in Posture No. 1. Exhale and relax in Pranamasana.

Once you repeat these 12 postures twice, you complete one round of Suryanamaskar.

How many rounds of Suryanamaskar should one do?

This depends on the person doing Suryanamaskar. Yoga gurus generally do 108 Suryanamaskars at a stretch without any stress. People who have recently started practicing yoga should try to do as many rounds of Suryanamaskar as possible, without exerting any pressure or discomfort.

If you are trying to do Suryanamaskar and are feeling tired or nauseous after a few rounds, stop and try to increase the number of rounds slowly with time. Do the number of rounds as per your own capacity.

What to do immediately after Suryanamaskar?

It is important to relax your body once you complete your set of Suryanamaskar. So, you should lie down flat on your back on the yoga mat, once done. This lying down flat on the back is also called Shavasana (The Corpse Pose). The objective is to completely relax every part of your body from head to toe.