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Yoga Sun Worship

Yogis traditionally perform this splendid sequence of exercises at dawn as a prelude to their morning asanas, and in the modern world it makes a per, start to the day. The exercises originated as a series of devotional movemen practiced as a form of worship of the sun. Sunrise has great symbolic importance to yogic practitioners, and many exercises are a form of worship of the sun.

This salutation to the dawning of a new day consists of a sequence of 12 stretches, including most forms of movement except for inversion. It can make a good start to a yoga session, toning the muscles and speeding respiration and the heart rate without causing fatigue.

The best approach to Suryanamaskar, the Sanskrit name of the exercises, is to spend some time practicing each exercise separately, trying the easiest ones first. Students who have been working through the stretches and postures described earlier in this section should not find the movements too difficult, and it should take no more than a few days to become familiar with them all.

The next step is to choose a suitable day on which to perform all the exercises in succession. Completing the entire sequence may take a few minutes on the first occasion. The salute to the intended to be performed rapidly and rhythmically, however, not slowly. Its purpose is to energize and students should aim at completing the entire sequence in 20 seconds. Practiced yogis work up to repeating the salutation 40 times in 10minutes. To perform the salute at speed requires a high level of concentration so as to achieve uninterrupted rhythm. Turn the east, think of the invigorating warmth of the sun, and cosmic force suffuse your and your whole body.

High praise has been paid to the salute to the sun by converts over the centuries. As well as superb health and vibrant energy, it has been said to rejuvenate and aid weight loss, make the skin glow,release toxins, strengthen immune system, and even improve the memory.

Namaste, the prayer position that punctuates many yoga postures, begins and ends the salute to the sun. It is a focus for your concentration at the start of the sequence, and at the end it becomes a pause for relaxation, from which you can go on to a new phase of the day.

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