Yoga without sun salutation is like rain without clouds. We all are aware of the sun salutation sequence as it plays a significant role in getting the benefits of this asana. Surya namaskar or Sun salutation is practised facing the Sun. Hence it is always performed in the morning hours. We salute the Sun that gives us love and life. The reason for our living and thus, we take the energy from it. When we salute the Sun, we salute its energy, its power, and its liveliness. Let us understand the benefits of getting more connected to Surya Namaskar.
Step-by-Step Process to Do Surya Namaskar
1. Prayer pose (Pranamasana)
The person is supposed to stand erect while facing the sun with both the palms held together near the chest. The breathing exercise should be followed while standing with the folded hands. The inhaling and exhaling will raise the palms up and down. This posture helps to give a good exercise to the arms, shoulders, palms, torso and legs and refining the respiratory system as well.
2. Raised arms pose (Hastauttanasana)
While standing, bend backwards stretching both the hands behind and the legs should be upright on the ground. Only the upper body should be bending backwards. The breathing exercise is not required here but the person should take a deep breath. This posture helps in stretching the upper body and the muscles of the torso.
3. Hand-to-foot pose (Hasta Padasana)
The person is supposed to bend frontward while standing and place both the hands on the ground effectively. He should try to bend as downwards as he can release the torso. The person is free to breathe out during this posture.
4. Equestrian pose (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
Here one should sit in such a position that the right leg is placed on the ground and the left leg is held backwards while both the hands should be placed on the ground. Thus the weight of the whole body is rested on both the hands. The face should be held high during performing this posture.
5. Stick pose (Dandasana)
This posture is also known as the Mountain Pose. Here the person is supposed to bend in such a way that both the hands are placed together on the ground and the legs too are placed together. While bending, the hips are supposed to be upwards and the person should bend downwards forming the shape of a mountain.
6. Salute with eight parts or points (Ashtanga Namaskara)
In this posture, the person should lay down on the ground in such a manner that his face, hands, chest, shoulders, torso and legs touches the ground. The body is stretched with all the parts of the body held on the ground. After attaining this position, the person should slightly and slowly bend his head towards the left first and then the right direction touching his ear on the ground. During this posture, inhale and exhale significantly.
7. Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
Keeping the body on the ground and doing the inhaling process, the person is supposed to stretch his upper body backwards with head held high and the arms still held still on the ground.
8. Mountain pose (Parvatasana)
Here the person should exhale subsequently by performing the same posture as the fifth posture. The person should bend forming the mountain pose.
9. Equestrian pose (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)
Here the person should inhale and sit in such a way that his right leg is brought forward and the left leg is held backwards with both the hands stretching towards the ground. This posture is same as the fourth posture but here the right leg should be kept forward and the left leg behind unlike the fourth posture.
10. Hand-to-foot pose (Hasta Padasana)
This posture is same as the third posture where the person bends forward fully and rests his arms on the ground. He is supposed to exhale the inhaled air.
11. Raised Arms Pose (Hastauttanasana)
Now the person should stand erect stretching the upper body backwards along with the hands held high. This posture is same as the second posture.
12. Standing Mountain pose (Tadasana)
The person should stand erect placing the hands on either side of the body with face and all the parts of the body erect. This posture is same as the first posture but here the person is not likely to fold his hands. He can keep the hands at rest in this posture.
Surya Namaskar Benefits
1. Tone Your Muscles
Surya namaskar steps are such that it involves all the body parts. From raised arm pose to forward pose, equestrian pose to plank pose, to dog pose, it asks the body to bend. It results in toning the calf muscles, toned arms, stronger spines, and shaping your waistline. It also takes care of the joints, the ligament, and the overall skeletal system of the body. The objective of performing Sun Salutation is that it takes care of all the muscles with the chakras of our body.
2. Increase Blood Circulation
It is the magic of Surya namaskar poses that benefit the entire circulatory system. There are specific times when the asana asks you to inhale and exhale. It is the breathing pattern that increases the blood circulation of the body. As a result, it aids in making the lungs well ventilated. By performing Sun salutation regularly, it will generate fresh oxygen making it reach the entire circulatory system. Your ailments ought to vanish when there is no obstacle to blood circulation.
3. Improves Your Skin’s Glow
As the blood flow increases in your body, it has a soothing effect on your body overall. Moreover, the effect is seen on the face. The skin hydrates. It starts glowing. Glowing skin talks healthy and makes the aura around them positive. Sun salutation poses to improve the elasticity of the largest sense of the body, the skin. Those practising Surya namaskar have radiant skin. Wrinkles and pigmentation become a much-delayed phenomenon in their lives as compared to others of their age.
4. Increases Energy and Awareness Levels
Needless to state, one of the cores a Surya namaskar benefit is to understand one and increase the awareness level within. It happens as the entire asana is based on the breathing pattern. With every pose, there is a rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. It brings relaxation to the body and mind. It increases the mind’s alertness. When you are attentive to your body, you automatically increase your energy level. It sharpens the senses giving you a stress-free life.
5. Improve Your Posture
Yoga teachers term Sun salutation as the ‘Perfect Asana’. The reason is backed by several claims that this asana does. Apart from taking care of the circulatory system, and increasing awareness of the body-mind and soul, it takes care of your body posture. Since the Surya namaskar poses demand postures that ask you to stand straight or be it the eight-limbed salutation, to standing forward bend, it strengthens the back and tones the muscles. The ultimate product of practising Surya namaskar is you now have an improved posture.
6. Emotional Stability
Surya namaskar attracts all the energy from the Sun and traps it in the body. The positive energy, the power, and the liveliness of the Sun bring in the best in you. It calms your mind. You sleep well and reduce all the stress levels. The effect is so much that it disposes of all the negative emotions. It takes care of anxiety issues. It makes you a happy person inside out. You are less prone to get disheartened faster.
7. Hormonal Balance
Sun salutation poses work towards the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands. It serves in restoring hormonal balance. It revitalizes the metabolism rate of the body. This ultimate asana manages the cortisol level of the body. Women find the menstrual cycles timely and without pain. Especially women with PCOS will see improvement in their cycles. Surya namaskar allows you to maintain weight, reduces stress levels, provides good sleep, and takes care of the gut. When everything is in order, you ought to have the perfect hormonal balance.
8. Absorption Of Nutrients
People have shifted their preference of performing Surya namaskar to reap the Surya namaskar benefits. One of them is to absorb nutrients and help carry out vital body functions. Surya namaskar poses improves the digestive area and clears all the toxins in the system. The forward folds help it do so more. Thus, you need not worry when you perform Sun salutation as it activates your digestive tract, takes care of the body ecosystem, and rightly eliminates the waste from the body.
Summing up,
Surya Namaskar is likely to be practiced in the morning, in the outdoors preferably facing the sun. Surya Namaskar helps to keep the body working and active and also improve the inhaling and exhaling processes.
We are all aware of the saying, “There is no achievement without any pains”. It is true. To accomplish our goals, we must follow a regime in our daily life. What better than to do Surya namaskar. You may start by doing two sets daily and then increase the number of sets you can do. It is best to hire a yoga teacher who can guide you with the sun salutation poses. Today the entire world practices Surya namaskar to reap the Surya namaskar benefits, why not you?
