Sun Salutations - Surya Namaskara

Sun Salutations - Surya Namaskara

Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara in Sanskrit) are the core of a Vinyasa style yoga practice. A sun salutation is a series of poses done in succession so that one pose flows into the next. The pace of the flow and how long the poses are held may vary, but the movement is done in accompaniment with the breath. The purpose of the Sun Salutation is to warm up the body for more intense stretches.
First, a basic Sun Salutation sequence for beginners. Click the link if you don’t know the pose.
1. Come to stand in Tadasana
2. Inhale - Bring the arms out to the sides and up to Urdhva Hastasana
3. Exhale - Swan dive down hinging at the hips bringing the palms flat on either side of your feet to Uttanasana*
4. Inhale - Come up to a flat back bringing the chin up and the finger tips to the floor
5. Exhale - Bring the palms flat, forward bending again into Uttanasana
6. Inhale - Bring the right foot to the back of the mat, come up on to the finger tips into a low lunge
7. Exhale - Bring the left foot back to meet the right coming into Downward Facing Dog
8. Inhale - Come forward to a Plank position
9. Exhale - Drop to your Knees, Chest, and Chin
10. Inhale - Come forward to a low Cobra
11. Exhale - Back to Downward Facing Dog
12. Inhale - Bring the right foot next to the right hand into low lunge*
13. Exhale - Bring the left foot forward next to the right and forward bend into Uttanasana
14. Inhale - Bring the arms out to the sides and up, reversing the swan dive to Urdhva Hastasana
15. Exhale - Drop the arms back to Tadasana
Repeat on the left side.
*Tips for beginners :
-In Uttanasana, bend the knees if you need to in order to bring the palms flat. When you come to a flat back, bring the hands off the floor onto your shins.
-When you bring the right foot back up to the front of the mat, help the foot up with your hand if it doesn’t make it to the front.