I’ve just booked my place at the wonderful Orange Yoga studio in Cheltenham, where I did my training, to do 108 sun salutations for the winter solstice. The thought of doing 108 in one go is quite daunting and it’s made me rethink sun salutations. There are a few different sun salutations but the first one I experienced in a class was sun salutation A.
Sun salutations are like yoga’s bread and butter asanas. You are likely to do them as part of a warm up leading to a peak pose. They can pop up in the middle of a class and can be a practice all on their own. To build up to be able to do 108 in December, I plan to do at least 20 every morning. Now I’ve made that public I’ll actually do it! I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going!
Origins of sun salutations (in brief!)
Surya Namaskar is the Sanskrit name for sun salutations Surya means sun and namaskar means to bow or greet. As a morning person I love the idea of greeting the sun everyday! The practice can be dated back to the Vedic period of India between 1500 and 600 BC but this is open to debate. Sun salutations were introduced to Western cultures in 1936 by Rajah Bhavanarao Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh, India. The flow of the asanas was initially received with scepticism because some thought yoga should be a series of static poses.
Physical benefits of sun salutations
Let's think about breathing. With each breath our hearts and brains benefit from increased oxygen. If you do them fast it’s an effective cardio workout too. Basically all major muscles are used and loosened during sun salutations! The flow can also calm the nervous system to promote the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system. Win, win, win!
Quieting the mind
The thing that I love about sun salutations is the meditative qualities. Because breath and the body move as one it embodies the connection that for me yoga is all about. The chatter in our heads can be quite overwhelming and sun salutations give us the space to quieten that chatter to enjoy a bit of relief! In the morning they can set us up for the day. Practised after a busy day, they can ground us and help find a sense of perspective. With the rhythmic rise and fall, it’s possible to be completely lost, at peace and calm.
Whether you are new to yoga or are familiar with sun salutations, I invite you to do them with awareness and joy!
Let me know how you get on!
Love
Karen x
Thanx Karen. Going to give that a go later as that was straightforward to follow. 👍