Posted by Live Yoga Life in Yoga Poses on July 4th, 2010
The Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) – which is also referred to as “Salute to the Sun” is a series of postures that you perform in a flowing sequence.
The whole sequence is coordinated with your breath. The basic approach is to inhale as you extend or stretch, and exhale as you contract or fold.
Some schools of yoga have their own variations of the Sun Salutation. The version below covers the core steps of a Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A) which is the easier of the two main versions. It is typical of what you may experience in most Ashtanga Yoga or Vinyasa Hatha Yoga classes.
The benefits of this series of poses are that it is great as an effective warm-up practice, increases your flexibility and tones your all-important abdominal muscles.
There are two series of poses for the Sun Salutation. They are referred to as Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A) and Sun Salutation B (Surya Namaskar B).
We offer the following range of high-quality yoga classes which include the Sun Salutation postures:
The following series contains the postures typically found in a Sun Salutation series. We have also added in several transitional poses to assist in transitioning between the main poses.
Tip: On days when you think you have no time for yoga, try and do at least one or two rounds of the Sun Salutation. You’ll feel the difference.
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| Start in Mountain Pose (Samashti) – feet hip width apart, your weight evenly distributed, hands by your side | Raise your hands out to the side (inhale) | Continue until your palms are over head (Urdhva Hastasana) | |
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| Exhale as you fold forward into a standing forward bend (Uttanasana A) | Inhale into head-up forward bend (Uttanasana B) | Exhale and step one leg back | |
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| On the same inhale, continue to step the other leg back into Plank | Exhale into a low Push-Up (Chaturanga Dandasana) | Inhale into Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) | |
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| Exhale into Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasna) | Inhale and bend your knees and look forward | Continue inhaling and walk one leg forward (or jump both feet to your hands if you are able to) | |
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| With both legs together, inhale as you move your hands out to the sides | Raise your palms over head (Urdhva Hastasana) | Exhale as you drop your arms by your side and stand in Mountain Pose (Samashti) |
Check out the following range of high-quality yoga classes which include the sun salutation poses:
