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Sun Salutation
Yoga teachers often say that if you do only one asana a day, it should be the Sun salutation. For people with limited time, the Sun Salutation exercises every muscle and joint and stimulates all major organs. The name itself means to give reverence to the internal sun as well as to the external sun, the creative life force of the universe that the yogis believe to radiate inside as well as outside the body.
Sun Salutation is a series of 12 poses linked by a continuous flowing motion, and accompanied by five deep breaths. Do this series at least twice in a row, more if you desire. As always in yoga, do it slowly and consciously.
Step 1 |
Stand up straight with your feet together and your palms prayer-like in front of the chest. Feel awareness of the whole body. Relax and begin to inhale. |
Step 2 |
Continue inhaling as you raise your arms up and back over your head, arching your back slightly. |
Step 3 |
Exhale as you bend forward and touch your hands to the floor in front of you. Keep your knees straight and let your head hang relaxed. (Dont strain.) |
Step 4 |
Moving neither hands nor the left foot, bring the right leg back as far as possible, bending the left leg. Support weight on both hands, left foot, right knee, and toes of the right foot. Tilt the head back; look up. Inhale and retain breath. |
Step 5 |
Exhale, and place your left leg back next to the right, pushing your buttocks up into a triangle and letting your head hang relaxed. Exhale completely. |
Step 6 |
Holding your breath, lower your body to the floor, touching your chin, chest, knees, feet, and hands to the floor, and keeping your buttocks, thighs, and abdomen lifted. |
Step 7 |
Inhale, relax your lower torso, and bend your upper torso and head backwards until your arms are straight. |
Step 8 |
Exhale as you form the triangle again by pushing your buttocks up.(position 5) |
Step 9 |
Inhale as you move your right leg forward until it rests on the floor between your hands. Extend the left leg back and lean your head back as in pose 4. |
Step 10 |
Exhale and bend forward until your hands touch the floor. (position 3) |
Step 11 |
Inhale and stand up, stretching your arms back over your head, arching your back slightly. (This will return to position 2, raising the hands while inhaling). |
Step 12 |
Exhale as you bring your hands down in front of your chest and relax. (You will return to position 1) |
| Benefits: |
- Positions 1 and 12 - Establish state of concentration and calm.
- Positions 2 and 11 - Stretch abdominal and intestinal muscles, exercise arms and spinal cord.
- Positions 3 and 10 -Aid in prevention, relief of stomach ailments. Reduce abdominal fat. Improve digestion and circulation. Limber spine.
- Positions 4 and 9 - Tone abdomen, muscles of thighs and legs.
- Positions 5 and 8 - Strengthen nerves and muscles of arms and legs. Exercise spine.
- Positions 6 and 7 - Strengthen nerves and muscles of shoulders, arms and chest.
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