Surya namaskar, Sanskrit for 'obeisance to the sun' is a series of asanas (postures) that establishes the intention for our entire yoga practice and is akin to bowing down in prayer. Before running through more complex asanas, these sun salutations act to loosen and heat up every joint in the body, reawaken our awareness, and focus our attention in the present, on the breath. Each posture in the salute establishes a distinct vertebral movement in the spinal cord and stretches designated ligaments. When the body is bent forward, contraction of the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm throws out the breath. Whereas, when the body is bent backwards, the chest expands and full breath naturally occurs.

Surya namaskar prepares the body for the ensuing asanas, and creates a feeling of harmony and agreement with nature in the practitioner. In ancient times, sun salutations were a daily practice, traditionally executed in the early morning, facing the rising sun. Saluting the sun affirms yoga’s principle to move from matter to spirit and serves as a blueprint for our entire practice. We experience permanence in everything that is passing and join with it. Sun salutations are really just a sequence of changes undertaken in a controlled situation with self-realization as the conscious intention.

Vinyasans (linked asanas) form invocations whose outcome is in direct line with the intention of the practitioner, reminding us to be mindful with all our actions. Surya namaskar builds strength and flexibility in the spine and limbs, corrects breathing, increases circulation, and eliminates toxins at the beginning of our practice. Sun salutations also serve to simultaneously tone the digestive system and internal organs and recharge the solar plexus.

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