This is my fourth review explaining SUryanamaskara's
Nowadays everybody is concerned about their health and fitness suryanamaskara's are the easiest way to keep your body fit and healthy
Surya Namaskara or Sun Salutation is a common sequence of Hatha yoga asanas. Its origins lie in a worship of Surya, the Hindu solar deity. This sequence of movements and poses can be practised on varying levels of awareness, ranging from that of physical exercise in various styles, to a complete sadhana which incorporates asana, pranayama, mantra and chakra meditation
The physical base of the practice links together twelve asanas in a dynamically performed series. These asanas are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards. When performed in the usual way, each asana is moved into with alternate inhalation and exhalation(except for the sixth asana where the breath is held in external suspension). 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.
*Practice
*1)Surya Namaskara is practiced only after a gap of 2 hours of having food, generally in the morning time or evening.
2)Surya Namaskaras are performed on a mat, not on the floor.
3)Generally 12 Surya Namaskaras are performed at one practice. If starting practice for the first time, it is generally started with fewer(3 to 6) Namaskaras per day, and then gradually increased to 12 Namaskaras in a week's time.
4)Shavasana is practiced at the end of practice for rest.
5)Shavasana is practiced to take rest after Surya namaskaraBreathing(pranayamas) is synchronised with asanas as mentioned in the table below.
6)Some asanas are repeated twice in the same cycle of a Surya Namaskara, there are total of 8 postures in the sequence of 12 postures of Surya namaskara.
7)Practice of yoga postures(asanas) generally follows a surya namaskara practice.
8)In a traditional Hindu context, Surya Namaskara is always performed facing in the direction of the rising or setting sun.
and now the procedure for doing
*0 Sthiti:
*Stand erect. Look forward. Keep your feet, knees and things together. Join your palms in Namaskar mudra. Place them in the middle of the chest.
breathing position: Maintain normal breathing
SUBTLE POINTS:Whole body is compact- without stiffening
1 Ekam:
Stretch your arms around your head, upper arms touching the ears. Bend back in the waist.
breathing position:Inhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not bend your knees, elbows and neck. Look up.Do not separate your palms.
*2 Dwe:
*Come up and bend forward in the waist.Place your palms on the ground by the side of your feet. Direct the head towards ground.
breathing position:Exhale
SUBTLE POINTS:DO not bend your knees. Keep upper arms and ears together. Bring the forehead closer to the knees.
*3 Trini:
*Strecth back your right leg resting the toes and knee on the ground. Fold your left leg and allow the knee to touch left solder. Relax spinal region. Strecth your chest and look up.
breathing position:Inhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Ensure that palms and left foot are in the same line. Relax your spine. Arch your chest and look up.
*4 Chatvari:
*Release your left leg and keep the body in slant position.Balance the body load on palms and toes.Do not bend any part of the body.
breathing position:Exhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Fix the gaze on ground 2 feet for ward from the palms
*5 Panca:
*Rest your knees on the ground, cataract the stomach. Rest your back on the heels and sit back.Rest your forearms, elbows and head on the ground and relax.
breathing position: Inhale, Exhale and maintain the breathing.
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not move your palms and toes.
*6 Sata:
*Come up. Stretch your body forward. Rest your forehead, nose and chest.Raise the stomach and abdomen a little.Keep the knees and toes on the ground.
breathing position:Exhale and hold the breath
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not disturb your palms and toes.Do not flatten your toes. Keep them straight.
*7 Sapta:
*Raise your whole body from the ground. Arch your spine and look up at sky/ceiling.
breathing position:Inhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not rest the knees on the ground. Balance the body load on your palms and toes.
*8 Asta:
*Raise your spine up directing your head towards ground.Push the chin towards the chest.Press the heels and the entire feet on the ground
breathing position:Exhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not move your palms and toes.Do not bend your knees and elbows.
*9 Nava:
*Rest your knees on the ground, contrast the stomach.Rest your back on the heels and sit back.Rest your forearms, elbows and head on the ground and relax.
breathing position:Inhale, Exhale and maintain the breathing.
SUBTLE POINTS:Do not move your palms and toes.
*10 Dasa:
*Come up and rest your right foot in between two palms, right knee touching the right shoulder.Keep the left leg stretched and rest the toes and knee on the ground.Look up.
breathing position: inhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Ensure that right foot on palms are in the same line.Relax your spine.Arch your chest and look up.
*11 Ekadasa:
*Raise your spine.Bring the left foot forward.Come back to Dwe position
breathing position:Exhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Direct the top of the head towards ground, forehead coming closeup to knees.Do not bend your knees
*12 Devadasa:
*Straighten your spine and come back slowly to sthithi.Keep the palms joined in Namaskar mudra
breathing position:Inhale
SUBTLE POINTS:Relax and observe the effect before proceeding to next Namaskar.
Daily practice in Surya Namaskar maintains steady state of these three, keeping the body in perfect health. While performing Surya Namaskar the breathing exercise(Pranayam) gives more oxygen to your lungs.The rhythm of breathing becomes heavy with vitality. Each breath becomes deep and clear. It carries more oxygen to the parts of your body. The vital points(The Chakras) in the body get charged. The Surya-Tej in these Chakras gets enlightened with the thought and sight of the Sun God.
