Surya Namaskar - The Secret of Good Health

Surya Namaskar

History of Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar, or more commonly referred to in the West as Sun Salutations, is one of the most basic yoga exercises that you will learn. It is known for its ease of performance and the wonderful rich benefits it can deliver both for the mind and body. But before you go deep into that, it is important to first gain an understanding on how it evolved by looking back into history.

         Some scholars attribute modern Surya namaskar practice to Tirumalai Krishnamacharya teachings. It includes modern day Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and the Visesha Vinyasa Sun Salutation subroutine from Vinyasa Krama Yoga, as well as a host of other popular forms of yoga.

          In his work The Yoga Body, Mark Singleton states Sūryanamaskāra may have been invented by Patinidhi Pant, the Rajah of Aundh. He adds that there is no evidence that the Sūryanamaskāra sequence was practiced prior to the early 20th century. According to Alter, while Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh called the warm up routine as surya namaskar, how exactly Sūrya Namaskāra came to be included in the yogic practices of Hatha and Ashtanga Yoga in India remains unclear.
His Holiness Meherban Shrimant Raja BHAVAN RAO SHRINIVAS 'BALA SAHIB', Pant Pratinidhi of Aundh (1868–1951; Raja of Aundh 1909-1947) occupies an important position in the history of surya namaskar. He helped to popularize surya namaskar as a simple physical exercise, introducing it into schools and encouraged ordinary men to be physically fit by performing surya namaskar every day. Some Western scholars classify surya namaskar as a modern physical exercise invented by Raja of Aundh. The Raja of Aundh himself never claimed to have invented Surya Namaskar, but rather stressed an ancient origin for this procedure.

Introduction to Surya

Surya has a lot of significance in the Hindu religion, while the term literally translates to “the Supreme Light”. Hindus believe it is the chief of solar deity since the term generally refers to the Sun. The mythical image representation of Surya has golden arms and hair. He is known to ride his triumphal chariot that is attached to seven horses that takes him through to the heavens. Those seven horses represent the seven chakras found all throughout the body.

 

1. Namaskar - salute. Standing with the feet together in tadasana, the mountain pose. 

2. Chandraasan - crescent moon pose. Inhale, raise arms above the head, extend the spine backwards.

3. Hastapadaasan - bending pose. Begin exhale, bending forward from the waist, place hands on the floor, relax head and neck.

4. Surya Darshan - sun gaze. Inhale, stretch the right leg behind in a big backward step, resting on the toes. Bend your back knee to the floor with your weight on your left foot and arch the spine backwards.

5. Adho Mukha Svasana - downward facing dog pose. Exhale, step left foot back in line with right, lift
the hips up.

6. Sashtang dandawat - lie down. Put the knees down first, then the chest to the floor. See that the 8 parts of the body are touching the floor: two hands, the chest, the chin or forehead, two knees and two feet. Sashtang means 8 limbs and dandawat means paying homage by touching the floor.

7. Bhujangaasan - cobra pose. Lower the pelvis and abdomen to the floor. Inhale and stretch toes and legs, raise the head slowly. Arch the spine and neck and look up. Keep legs together and elbows alongside the body.

8. Adho Mukha Svasana. Exhale back to downward facing dog.

9. Surya Darshan. Inhale and bring the right foot forward and assume pose #4.

10. Hastapadaasan. Exhale and bring the left foot forward, to pose #3.

11. Chandraasan. Inhale and return to pose #2.

12. Namaskar. Exhale and stand erect

 

Benefits of Surya Namaskar

Each one of the postures in Surya Namaskar was designed to benefit a portion of the body. The very first act of bringing the palms together in front of the sternum facilitates the spreading of the scapula which can become scrunched during a normal day of stress. When lowering into Plank Pose, the triceps are engaged and by holding the pose a few seconds longer, strengthened. The legs are engaged in alternately stretching and grounding into a pose such as Warrior Two. By maintaining this posture for the length of several breaths, the quadriceps of the forward bending leg along with the hamstrings of the back outstretched leg are strengthened with the effort of keeping you balanced. Contracting your abs throughout the series will ensure the safety of your lower back and have the added benefit of whittling your waist.

Tips

Attempt each pose in the Surya Namaskar series before you string them together. Discover the nuances of the postures and be aware of your limits. Surya Namaskar yoga is a challenging undertaking, but with practice can be enjoyed for its many benefits.

 

Practice 

Surya Namaskara, like most asanas, is recommended to be performed on an empty stomach. Therefore some recommend a gap of at least two hours after eating and before performing the namaskara. It is generally practiced in the morning before breakfast or in evening. 

Shavasana is practiced at the end of practice for rest. 

Pranayama is synchronized with asanas. 

Mantras can be pronounced at the start of each Surya namaskara. Bījas (seeds) or the 12 mantras specific to each asana can also be chanted while performing each asana. The 12 specific mantras, though, repeated mentally instead. 

Chakras are points-of-focus, when performing asanas. 

There are a total of 8 different asanas in the sequence of the 12 asana changes of Surya namaskara. Some asanas are repeated twice in the same cycle of a Surya Namaskara. 

In a traditional Hindu context, Surya Namaskara is performed facing in the direction of the rising (east) or setting (west) sun. 

As per the scriptures one who performs the Surya Namaskaras daily does not get poor in a thousand births

 Conclusion

Regular practice of surya namaskara for at least three months raises self-confidence, improves posture, helps manage menstrual complaints and boosts overall general health.