Surya Namaskar: A Yoga Flow

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Hi Friends!

Today we will continue our yoga journey by doing a flow that I do every morning. I learned this early on in my yoga journey from my teacher Komal and continued to master it with my teacher Nidhi. Thank you for all the wonderful feedback on my Just Breathe... A Yoga Intro article and I'm thrilled to hear it has been helping you.

Surya Namaskara, or Sun Salutation, is a great thing to do in the morning, shortly after waking up. I usually do it after my Pranayama breathing practice. This particular variation of the Sun Salutation is known as Sun Salutation C, if you want to look it up or watch some videos but I will explain all the steps here. It's a great way to warm up the body, grow your flexibility and strength, calm your mind and get locked in for the day ahead.

Before we get started going through the poses, a note about breathing. I like to think of the breathing through the sun salutation as in on the way up and out on the way down. That'll make more sense as you work through it. If you look at my supergraphic carefully, you'll notice that many of the poses repeat themselves. I would recommend going through the full round five times (which is really ten cycles through the poses). Three is also totally fine and honestly, if you only have time for one, it's worth it! Note that this isn't a race and you can go at your own pace. I would recommend keeping a consistent pace throughout your practice and being intentional about each and every movement.

1. Samasthitih - In this pose, which is often called Prayer Pose, keep your feet relatively close together, stand up tall, shoulders relaxed, and put your hands together like in prayer.

2. Urdhva Hastasana - This is an Upward Salute. Keep your hands together and extend them above your head and slightly backwards.

3. Uttanasana - This is a Forward Fold. Separate your hands and reach down as far as you can. Touch your toes if possible and bend your knees if you have to. As you practice Uttanasana more, your reach will extend and you won't need to bend your knees.

4. Anjaneyasana - This is a Lunge and you can place your hands, palms on the ground or as far down as you can go. Note that you will repeat this in Step 9 and whichever leg you lunged here, use the other one then.

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana - This one is called Downward Dog. From the Lunge position, extend your other foot back, hands forward, and head down. Note as you do this, your bottom will extend upward. Try in front of a mirror when starting to see that your body is forming a triangle with the ground.

6. Chaturanga Dandasana - This is called a Four Limbed Staff or Plank. It's basically the down part of a pushup. I would recommend holding this one for a little while as it's great for strength building. If you don't have the strength yet to keep your knees off the ground, let them touch the ground (like Prone) and gradually try to raise them as you practice more and get stronger.

7. Bhujangasana - This is the Cobra Pose. From your Plank, bring your knees, chin, and chest down to the ground, so you're laying down on your stomach. Then bring your head up and bend your back upwards.

From here we're going to go back to steps 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Note that to transition from Bhujangasana to Adho Mukha Svanasana, push your bottom back into tabletop then bring your knees up.

8. Adho Mukha Svanasana - See step 5.

9. Anjaneyasana - See step 4. Remember to lunge the opposite leg here.

10. Uttanasana - See step 3.

11. Urdhva Hastasana - See step 2.

Cycle through all the steps again beginning at 1 as many times as you wish. I recommend five rounds (aka 10 cycles). Also, when you are done your practice, finish with Samasthitih. Please be mindful of the transitions and go slowly at first. Honestly even when you've mastered these techniques, there is no reason to go too fast. Find the pace that best suits you. Intentionality and mindfulness are keys to success.

I've found that through this practice, along with my Pranayama every morning, I feel healthier, happier, and more in the zone. I hope this helps you improve your health and happiness as well. Namaste. 🙏🏽

That's all for today! See y'all next time! Sarang out.