Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is a sequential constitution of 12 powerful Surya Namaskar Poses. Apart from being a great cardiovascular workout to be incorporated into a daily wellness routine and regime, Surya Namaskar is also known to have a visible, phenomenal, positive impact on the mind, body, and soul.
Practicing and mastering Surya Namaskar Steps is best carried out in the morning on an empty stomach, with each round of Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskar Poses comprising 12 sets, and each set is composed of 12 yoga poses. One might find several versions of Sun Salutation poses or steps. But, it’s always advisable and recommended to adhere to one specified version and practice it regularly to get the best outcomes.
Besides bestowing you with good and sound health, Surya Namaskar also provides an opportunity to pay humility and respect and express utmost gratitude to the Sun-the source of Life on Earth, for being the nurturer, caregiver, thereby sustaining life on this planet from time immemorial.
12 Surya Namaskar Steps/Surya Namaskar Poses to Follow:
Step 1. Pranamasana (Prayer Pose)
Stand at the edge of the mat, keeping feet together whilst balancing weight equally on both feet. Expand your chest and relax your shoulders. As one breathes in, he/she should lift both arms from the sides.
And whilst exhaling, one should bring his/her palms together in front of the chest in a prayer posture.
Step 2. Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)
Breathing in, lift your arms up and back, keeping your biceps close to the ears. In this one of the Surya Namaskar Poses, the effort is to stretch the entire body up from heels to the tips of the fingers.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
You may push the pelvis in a forward position a little bit, ensuring you’re reaching up with your fingers rather than attempting to bend forward.
Step 3. Hastapadasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Breathing out, bending forward from the waist, keeping the spine in an erect posture. As you exhale completely, bring your hands down to the floor beside your feet.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
If needed, one may bend the knees, to bring the palms down to the floor. After that, now attempt a gentle effort to straighten your knees. It’s a good proposition to let your hands fixed in this position and not move them until the completion of the sequence.
Step 4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)
Breathing in, push your right leg back as far as you can. Bring your right knee to the floor and then look up.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Make sure that the left foot is positioned exactly in between the palms. You can even raise
your arms towards the sky, palms facing each other.
Step 5. Dandasana (Stick Pose)
In this Surya Namaskar pose, breathe in, take the left leg back, and then bring the whole body in a straight line.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
It’s suggested to keep arms perpendicular to the floor.
Step 6. Ashtanga Namaskara (Salute with Eight Parts or Points)
Bring down your knees in a gentle manner to the floor and exhale. Take the hips back slightly, slide forward, and rest the chest and chin on the floor.
Elevate your posterior a little bit. The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest, and chin (referred to as eight parts of the body) should touch the floor.
Step 7. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Amongst one of the Surya Namaskar Poses, this Cobra pose entails sliding forward and raising the chest much like the serpent King Cobra. One may keep elbows bent in this posture with shoulders away from the ears, whilst looking at the ceiling of the room.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
As one inhales, one can make a tender effort to push the chest in the forward direction; during exhalation, make it a point to push the navel down. Then tuck the toes under, ensuring this stretching to the best of your ability and not putting too much pressure on your body.
Step 8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Breathing out, lift the hips and tailbone to bring the body into an inverted ‘V’ posture.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Keep the palms flat on the floor, with all fingers touching the ground, If possible, try keeping the heels on the ground or pushing towards the ground, by making it a gentle effort to lift the tailbone in an upward direction, to go deeper into the stretch.
Step 9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)
During the time of breathing in or inhalation, bring the right foot forward in between the two hands, with the left knee going down on the floor. Then press the hips down, looking up.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Rightly considered one of the Surya Namaskar Steps to attain an overall, holistic outcome, one can delve deep into this yoga posture by placing the right foot exactly between two hands and the right calf perpendicular to the floor.
In this yoga position, one can push the hips down towards the floor, to deepen the stretch.
Step 10. Hastapadasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)
Breathing out or during exhalation, bring the left foot in a forward position, keeping the palms on the floor. One may bend the knees if necessary or wishes to.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Gently straighten the knees, and try to touch your nose to the knees. Keep on breathing.
Step 11. Hastauttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)
Breathing in, roll your spine up. Raise the hands in an upward direction whilst bending backward slightly, pushing the hips a little bit outward.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Make sure your biceps are beside your ears. The whole idea is to make room for more such stretches rather than stretching in a backward position or direction.
Step 12. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
This yogic posture entails exhalation whilst straightening the body and bringing the arms down. Then relax in this position and observe the sensations flowing through your body.
Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:
Having arms stretched towards the sky, fingers and elbows are active, and keeping the spine straight will help to activate the whole body/
This concludes one set of Surya Namaskar Poses. Complete the circle by repeating the Surya Namaskar Steps. Only this time around, begin with taking the left foot behind in step number 4, bringing the left foot in a forward position in step number 9. Upon completion, one round of Surya Namaskar Steps/Poses has come around a full circle.
While the morning practice of Surya Namaskar is the best, but can also be done at sunset, before having dinner.
Surya Namaskar is a complete warm-up and total physical activation practice.
Learn, practice, and master all 12 Surya Namaskar Poses/Steps at Diya Yoga-Yoga Alliance RYS 200 school located at the beautiful, exotic, mesmerizing beach of Mandrem, North Goa, India.
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