Yoga is a combination of breath and body exercise that can change your outlook of life, attitude, and manners. If you practice Yoga in a proper way, this will help to relieve stress and conduct a peaceful life. Those people who do yoga will look pleasant and will have a positive attitude towards life.
Experts suggest that yoga on a regular basis will keep us healthy and disciplined. It is a medicine for the body as well as mind. Yoda will help to keep your body fit and your mind calm, happy, and fresh and energetic.
Yoga is prescribed for those who are caught with cancer, schizophrenia, asthma, and heart disease. Yoga can heal them psychologically by helping to control body and mind. It is also a form of spiritual meditation that improves overall well-being.
Yoga is combined with essential components like physical exercise, breathing, and meditation. All we know that these factors can help to reduce high blood pressure, cure heart diseases, improve symptoms of heart failure, etc.
Yoga will help to cure depression, fatigue, and also it increases anxiety control and cures mood disturbances. Yoga helps you to keep a slim body, health lower back, control body weight, provide glowing skin, and healthy young body.
Out of various Yoga Asana or Yoga Postures, the best Yoga that can be done daily is Sun Salutation. It consists of twelve very powerful Yoga Postures (Asanas) considered as very effective to the body. All in one Yoga gives a good cardiovascular work out to our body. Sun salutation is equal to the number of workouts per day and it gives a phenomenal stretch to the whole body.
Please select a quiet place to do this Sun Salutation. Sun salutation is best to be done in the early morning on an empty stomach. A maximum of twelve rounds of sun salutation can be done a day. After completing the Surya Namaskar, it is recommended to rest deeply for 15-30 minutes in Yoga Nidra.
These 12 postures mentioned here should follow the same order with the proper breathing cycle as mentioned with each pose. The body posture and breathing are important in each position, each move should be studying and slow by following a exhale or inhale as mentioned with the pose.
Since breath is an integral part of Surya Namaskara, please keep this rule of thumb for breathing. Always inhale when your chest expands, backbend moves, and exhale when you contract or bent forward.
Position 1: Pranamasana
Pranamasana also called ‘Prayer Pose’ is the very first pose to start the Sun Salutation. Before coming into this pose, stand straight with your feet together, hands-on both sides of the body and keep a normal breath.
Balance your weight equally on both feet; keep your shoulder and chest straight and take a deep breath (inhale) in standing position. Now lift both your arms up from the sides bring both palms together in front of your chest into a prayer pose while exhaling.
Pranamasana is very useful to get us back to the center when we feel a little out of balance. It is an ideal pose for prayers and chanting mantras and gives us extra inner nourishment. This Asana can balance our body and ease our nervous system.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Feet parallel, Chest open, Chin parallel to the floor, Look straight line.
Breathing: Inhale first and exhale while moving palms toward the chest.
Postion 2: Hastauttanasana
This is the ‘Raised Arms Pose’. In this pose, lift and stretch your arms from prayer pose to up and lean backward like an arch by keeping arms together and head between your hands. In this pose, you are stretching your body from heels to the tip of fingers.
This pose improves digestion and helps to tone the muscles of the abdomen. It expands the chest and the rib cage resulting in the full intake of oxygen. The lung capacity is fully utilized in this asana and good for those who have breathing problems.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Feet parallel, Chest open, Body lean backward like an arch.
Breathing: Inhale (try to breathe in maximum to bring maximum oxygen into your body).
Position 3: Hasta Padasana
This is the ‘Hand to Foot Pose’. While you exhale, bend forward from your waist keeping your spine erect. Bring the hands down to the floor beside the feet as you exhale completely.
This asana stretches the back muscles of thighs which will result in tightening of our thighs.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Palms on floor either side of legs, Head drop-down, Knees locked straight, Fingers and Toes in a straight line.
Breathing: Exhale while bending forward.
Position 4: Ashwa Sanchalanasana
This pose is similar to ‘Equestrian Pose’. While you take to breathe in (inhale), push your right leg back as far as you can. Now bring the right knee to the floor and lookup. Let your left footrest exactly in between your palms.
This pose helps in stretching of our spine and squeezing of stomach muscles. This asana regulates blood circulation in the stomach and burns out excess fat.
Position: Right leg all the way back, Right knee on the floor, Foot flat on the floor, Hip keep down, Chest is open, Chin is up position.
Breathing: Inhale while stretching the leg.
Position 5: Dandasana
This is called ‘Stick pose’. While you breathe in (inhale), take your left leg also to the back and bring your whole body as a straight line. Your arms should be perpendicular to the floor.
This pose gives strain to arms and hence tones our arm muscles. It also helps to tone our shoulder muscles.
Position: Shoulder and wrist in one line, Neck is in line with the spine, Feet, and heel keep together.
Breathing: Hold breath while taking other legs to a position.
Postion 6: Ashtanga Namaskara
In this position, we salute with eight parts of our body. Bring your knees down to the floor, and take the hips back slightly, slide forward to rest your chest and chin on the floor. Here the two hands, two feet, two knees, and chin will rest on the floor.
In this pose, our hips are pushed slightly upwards and hence helps in shaping our body.
Position: Knees drop-down, Chest and chin down, Elbows close to the body, Hip up, Either Chin or Forehead on the floor whichever comfortable for you.
Breathing: Exhale while posing to this position.
Position 7: Bhujangasana
This position is also known as ‘Cobra pose’. Here, from your previous (Ashtanga Namaskara) position, slide forward and raise your chest up to form a cobra pose. Keep your elbows bend and shoulders away from the ears and lookup. Here we give our weight to the stomach.
This stretch is very useful to the entire body. It helps to reduce tummy, heat fat from hands and gives overall shape to the body.
Position: Flatten feet, Heels together, Thighs squeezed together, Chest open.
Breathing: Inhale while moving into cobra position.
Position 8: Parvatasana
This is exactly like the shape of a mountain, called ‘Mountain pose’. You have to breathe out, while you breathe out, lift your hips and keep your tail bone up and chest downwards. Now you will be in an inverted ‘V’ posture with your head on the ground.
This pose gives stretch to hands and legs together and helps to give strength to legs. It is best for those who have joint pain.
Position: Heel on the ground if comfortable, Hips up, Knees locked, Head between hands, Top of head reach on the floor, Chest in line with thighs.
Breathing: Exhale while posing.
Position 9: Ashwa Sanchalanasana
In this ‘Equestrian pose’, you have to breathe in. While you inhale, bring your right foot forward and in between your two hands, and your left knee down to floor. Press your hips down and lookup.
Position: Right foot all forward, Knee down, Foot flat, Knee, and Angle are in one straight line (important). Never keep knees in the forward position since this knee position will stress your body.
Breathing: Inhale while posing.
Postion 10: Hasta Padasana
It is the ‘Hand to Foot pose’ again and has to breathe out in this position. While you breathe out, bring your left foot forward and keep your palms on the floor.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Palms on floor either side of legs, Head drop-down, Knees locked straight, Fingers and Toes in a straight line,
Breathing: Exhale while bending forward.
Postion 11: Hastauttanasana
It is the ‘Raised Arms pose’ again. While you breathe in, roll your spine up, hands up, and then bend backward a little, push your hips outward.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Feet parallel, Chest open, Body lean backward like an arch.
Breathing: Inhale (try to breathe in maximum to bring maximum oxygen into your body).
Position 12: Tadasana
In this position, you are coming back to the very first prayer position while exhaling. Now, inhale (breath out), stand straight, and keep your arms down and relax. Take a deep breath, exhale, and relax.
Position: Toes pointing forward, Feet parallel, Chest open, Chin parallel to the floor, Look straight line.
Breathing: Exhale first and inhale while moving palms toward the side of your legs.
Now you completed half procedure of Surya Namaskar with your right side. Keep repeating the same 12 poses again by switching the right leg to the left leg to complete the full cycle of Surya Namaskar.
Sun salutation is not just an exercise. It is an opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the sun for sustaining life on this planet. Sun salutation is the most beneficial yoga practice that can tone up our digestive system by activating digestion and strengthens abdominal muscles.
Read This Tips Before Practice!
- It is very important to practice to keep smiling while you do yoga. This will let you to make your mind happy and generate the enzymes that help you to feel calm and relaxed.
This Namaskar gives shape to the body and keeps our mind calm and healthy. It will maintain in us the spirit of youthfulness, helps in preventing hair loss and greying of hair, makes our spine and waist flexible. Overall, Surya Namaskar produces health, strength, and efficiency.