In the most literal sense,
a Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar as it is called in Sanskrit, the language of
yoga, is a specific series of yoga poses performed in sequence.
While the history of the
physical practice of the Surya Namaskar sequence is a bit unclear, it is known
that it was originally a sequence of sacred words honoring the sun that would
be chanted at sunrise each morning rather than the sequence of poses we are
familiar with today.
Why do we honor the
sun? As Shiva Rea, creator of Prana Flow
Yoga and founder of the Global Mala Project put it, “All of life on Earth
depends on the sun.”
Sun Salutations are an
energizing sequence that links body, breath and mind in a moving meditation of
gratitude for the life force and healing energy that the sun provides. And while they can be practiced at any time
of the day, it’s often suggested that the early morning hours are a
particularly good time for Sun Salutations since the mind is most likely calm
and clear first thing in the morning.
The Sun Salutation
sequence is an important foundation in the vinyasa (or flow) yoga
practice. This series is used as an
energy building warm up and is repeated often throughout
a practice as a smooth transition between other sequences. Because Sun Salutations are repeated many
times during a class it is important to practice them with proper pose
alignment and breath work.
To learn more about Sun Salutations, proper pose
alignment and transitions and how to work them into your personal practice join
me on Sunday, April 19th from 1-3pm for a special Sun Salutation Workshop at Mashpee Fitness!
Namaste
Danielle
Blog post by Danielle Nardi.
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