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Sun Salutations in Yoga
By Eliza Bicknell of Lotus Petal yoga
All yoga classes usually begin with the Surya Namaskar A or Sun Salutation A. It is a series of gentle flowing movements synchronized with the breath which warms up the spine and increases flexibility, relieving stiffness in the joints. The exact poses within the flow vary depending upon which discipline or type of yoga you are doing, what kind of practice it is and who the instructor is. Surya is the Sanskrit word for the sun. Namaskara derives from namas: "to bow, obeisance, reverential salutation." This is the same root that gives us the term “namaste.” I thought it would be interesting to research and write about the history of the Sun Salutation and have found that the actual history of Sun Salutations is not known. It is well-documented that the people of India historically had a practice of sun worship. It is thought that during the Sun Salutation, an awareness of breath is achieved as well as an awareness of our intentions. With each inhale we can practice gratitude and acceptance and with each exhale we bow humbly. A smooth and steady flow links the breath and links the movement. Since the sun provides the energy for all of life on earth, the Sun Salutations are a celebration of that life within us. Often following a Sun Salutation A the class will flow into a Sun Salutation B. Again, the sequence of poses in a Sun B flow will vary from discipline to discipline and instructor to instructor though the basic template remains the same. Traditionally Sun Salutation B consists of a wider variety of postures than Sun Salutation A. As with Sun A, the purpose is to link breath with movement, body and mind.
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Contributor's Note
I am a yoga instructor and truly enjoy doing and teaching the sun salutations, surya namaskar A and B.
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The Many Styles Of Yoga
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I took Yoga classes years ago (like the early 80's), it's something I probably need to return to now that I'm older. It's nice that something ancient is still used and so effective.
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