The Sun Salutation

The Sun Salutation: It's Not Just a Warm Up

Surya namaskar is widely known as a sun salutation by those who practice yoga. We think of this as a series of movements to warm up the body as part of an asana practice.

 

RELATED: The Best Warm Up for Yoga and Lifting

 

But more than a warm up, the sun salutation is foundational for the rest of the asana practice. Indian yoga teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, who developed the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga method, gave the sun salutation such prominence that he wrote a small book on it calledSurynamaskara.

What Does It Mean?

Surya translates as “sun.” The word namaskar breaks down like this:

 

• Na: “not”
• Ma: “mine”
• Kara: “to do”

 

It’s a word that means, “Not of my own doing, but of the Divine.” In ancient times surya namaskar was a devotional offering to the Sun God performed at dawn, facing eastward.

 

"Even if your goal is simply a better asana practice, it can’t hurt to tune into the essence of surya namaskar and throw a little devotion into the mix."

Namaskar is also a traditional Indian greeting signified by placing the palms together in what we in the west think of as a prayer position. The hands are placed in front of the head or the heart, bowing to the object of your respect while offering the greeting, “namaskar.” It's similar to the way we wave and say, “hello,” only namaskar has spiritual significance that our hello doesn’t. Like namaste, it signifies a recognition of the divinity within both the sender and receiver.

 

Awareness Is the Heart of Yoga

This awareness is at the heart of the yogic practice where the foundational principle is ahimsa, the ｅxpression of harmlessness in thought, word, and action. Every physical gesture affects the subtle aspects of being – mental, emotional, spiritual. The act of bowing forward tends to lessen our attachment to the egoic aspects of our nature. The palms pressing together unites the left and right hemispheres of the brain because of the nerve endings in the hands, triggering the awareness of our wholeness and the oneness of all life.

 

RELATED: Low Back or Leg Injury? Stay Active With Modified Sun Salutations

 

It is believed that offering this greeting to a deity or a saint impresses their virtues on the mind of the one offering in a way that transforms their character. This greeting can be offered to objects of nature and animals, too.

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