Know everything about Surya Namaskar - Eduauraa Blog

Yoga is something that can help us find peace within ourselves.

It is not only a great method to improve and maintain mental health, but it is also a great way to enhance one’s mental state.

It has been embraced by people all over the world.

Yoga has its own programs, with people specialized in it.

It also has an international day to celebrate it. Yoga poses help one stay healthy and keep themselves fit.

People who do regular Yoga Practice lead longer lives due to its benefits.

What is Surya Namaskar?

One of the most common yoga asanas is Surya Namaskar.

The literal translation of the name derived from Sanskrit is Salute to the Sun or Sun Salutation.

It is an umbrella term given to a flow sequence of some twelve gracefully linked asanas.

The most basic order of performing the asana is by moving from a standing position into a Downward and Upward Dog pose and then back to the standing position. Ashtanga Namaskara, Ashtanga Dandavat Pranam,

Ashtanga Dandavat Pranam, Ashtanga Dandavat Pranam, Ashtanga Dandava Eight Limbed Pose, Caterpillar Pose, or Chest, Knees, and Chin Pose is a yoga asana in which the body is balanced on eight points of contact with the floor: feet, knees, chest, chin, and hands. It is sometimes employed in the Surya Namaskar sequence in modern yoga as an exercise.

However, there are many variations possible for this. The asana is dedicated to the solar deity Surya. In some Indian traditions, the positions are each associated with a different mantra.

Origins of the asana

a. Origins of Surya Namaskar are vague. Indian tradition connects the famous 17th-century saint Samarth Ramdas with Surya Namaskar exercises. 

b. In the 1920s, Bhavana Rao Srinivasa Rao Pant Pratinidhi, the Rajah of Aundh, popularized and named the practice, describing it in his 1928 book The Ten-Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars. 

c. Others have also stated that Pant Pratinidhi invented it. However, Pant asserted that it was already a commonplace Marathi tradition.

What is the asana about?

a. Now we move onto understanding the asana itself. It is a sequence of around twelve yoga asanas connected by jumping or stretching movements, varying somewhat between schools. 

b. As there are many different types of yoga, each has a different way of expressing the asana also. We start off with Iyengar Yoga.

c. The basic sequence is put forth in it is : Tadasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Uttanasana with head up, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Chaturanga Dandasana, and then reversing the sequence to return to Tadasana.It also encourages the use of other poses that can be inserted into the sequence.

d. In the traditions of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, there are two different types of Surya Namaskar sequences, types A and B.

e. The type A sequence of asanas is Pranamasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Phalakasana (high plank), Chaturanga Dandasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana and back to Pranamasana.

f. The type B sequence of asanas (differences marked in italics) is Pranamasana, Utkatasana, Uttanasana, Ardha Uttanasana, Phalakasana, Chaturanga Dandasana, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Virabhadrasana I, repeat from Phalakasana onwards with Virabhadrasana I on the other side, then repeat Phalakasana through to Adho Mukha Svanasana (a third time), Ardha Uttanasana, Uttanasana, Utkatasana, and back to Pranamasana.

Surya Namaskara has many kinds of variations. Some of them have been discussed below:

Inserting other asanas

a. Many variations of this Surya Namaskar are possible. One such example was discussed above in Iyengar Yoga. 

b.The sequence may be intentionally changed or switched up to incorporate more types of asanas like Tadasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Adho

c. Mukha Svanasana, Lolasana, Janusirsasana (one side, then the other).

d. This can also be reserved. 

e. Reversing the sequence from Adho Mukha Svanasana to return to Tadasana is also a very common practice. 

f. Other asanas that may be inserted into the sequence include Navasana (or Ardha Navasana), Paschimottanasana and its variations, and Marichyasana.

Chandra Namaskar

a. Variant sequences named Chandra Namaskar, the Moon Salutation, are sometimes practiced; these were created late in the 20th century. 

b. This is a relatively newer way of practicing this asana. 

c. One such sequence consists of the asanas Tadasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Anjaneyasana (sometimes called Half Moon Pose), a kneeling lunge, Adho

d. Mukha Svanasana, Bitilasana, Balasana, kneeling with thighs, body, and arms pointing straight up, Balasana with elbows on the ground, hands together in

e. Anjali Mudra behind the head, Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Adho Mukha Svanasana, Uttanasana, Urdhva Hastasana, Pranamasana, and Tadasana.

f. The main difference between the Surya Namaskar and Chandra Namaskar is that one is performed in the morning and the other one is practiced at night. 

As an exercise

a. Yoga has been recently embraced as a common way of exercising. 

b. We can classify it as a type of light exercise. 

c. The segregation is done by using the energy cost of exercise as measured in units of the metabolic equivalent of task (MET). 

d. Less than 3 METs count as light exercise; 3 to 6 METs is moderate; 6 or over is vigorous. American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart

e. Association guidelines count periods of at least 10 minutes of moderate MET level activity towards their recommended daily amounts of exercise.

f. It is recommended that healthy adults between the age of 18 to 65 that moderate exercise should be practiced for at least 30 minutes five days a week.

g. The other option is doing vigorous aerobic exercise for 20 minutes three days a week.

h. Surya Namaskar's energy cost ranges widely according to how energetically it is practiced, from a light 2.9 to a vigorous 7.4 METs. 

i. The higher end of the range requires transition jumps between the poses.

Benefits of Surya Namaskar

Let us take a brief look into the benefits of the Surya Namaskar:

a. The asanas are a good mix of warm-ups and asanas.

b. It aids in keeping you disease-free and fit.

c. Body equilibrium is promoted by regular practice.

d. Blood circulation is improved.

e. Tones the digestive tract and strengthens the heart

f. Abdominal muscles, respiratory system, lymphatic system, spinal nerves, and other internal organs are all stimulated.

g. Tones the muscles of the spine, neck, shoulder, arms, hands, wrist, back, and legs, resulting in increased flexibility.

h. It calms you down and boosts your energy levels by regulating the connectivity of your body, breath, and mind.