SURYA NAMASKAR

                                                                       -- Veer Anand

All about it.. 

Step (Asana)	Bījā mantra	Chakra	Breathing
Tadasana	ॐ ह्रां Om Hrāṁ	Anahata (heart)	exhale
Urdhva Hastasana	ॐ ह्रीं Om Hrīṁ	Vishuddhi (throat)	inhale
Padahastasana	ॐ ह्रूं Om Hrūṁ	Swadhisthana (sacrum)	exhale
Ashwa Sanchalanasana	ॐ ह्रैं Om Hraiṁ	Ajna (third eye)	inhale
Parvatasana	ॐ ह्रौं Om Hrauṁ	Vishuddhi (throat)	exhale
Ashtanga Namaskara	ॐ ह्रः Om Hraḥ	Manipura (solar plexus)	suspend
Bhujangasana	ॐ ह्रां Om Hrāṁ	Swadhisthana (sacrum)	inhale
Parvatasana	ॐ ह्रीं Om Hrīṁ	Vishuddhi (throat)	exhale
Ashwa Sanchalanasana	ॐ ह्रूं Om Hrūṁ	Ajna (third eye)	inhale
Padahastasana	ॐ ह्रैं Om Hraiṁ	Swadhisthana (sacrum)	exhale
Urdhva Hastasana	ॐ ह्रौं Om Hrauṁ	Vishuddhi (throat)	inhale
Tadasana	ॐ ह्रः Om Hraḥ	Anahata (heart)	exhale

12 Steps of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is composed of 12 different postures.

1. Pranamasana/ Tadasana (Prayer Pose)

Pranamasana is the first posture in the yoga sequence. To accomplish this pose, stand upright on your mat and ensure that your feet are placed close to each other. Next, take a deep breath, expand your chest and relax your shoulder. During inhalation, raise your arms from the side and while exhaling join both your palms together as if you are praying. The prayer posture or first salutation is complete.

2. Hasta Uttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)

Ensure that your palms are joined together, just like in the previous prayer pose. Take a deep breath, lift your arms and slightly bent backward. Your biceps must stay close to your ears.

3. Hasta Padasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)

Breathe out and bend forward from your waist. Try to touch the floor with your hands. However, ensure that your spine remains straight. While performing this pose, you should exhale slowly and thoroughly.

4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Lunge Pose)

Bend your knees slightly, so that the palms can rest on the floor beside your feet. Take a deep breath, bring your right knee towards the right side of your chest and stretch your left leg backward. Raise your head and look forward.

5. Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank Pose)

Inhale and bring your right leg back as well. Now both your hands will be right under your shoulders. Ensure that your body is parallel to the ground.

6. Ashtanga Namaskara (Eight Limbed Pose)

This is also referred to as salutations using eight points or parts. After performing Chaturanga Dandasana, exhale and slowly bring your knees down toward the floor. Rest your chin on the floor and keep your hips suspended in the air. If done correctly, both your hands, knees, chin, and chest will rest on the ground while your hips will remain suspended in the air.

7. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Rest your legs and midsection flat on the ground. Position your palms beside your chest. Inhale and apply pressure on the hands to raise your upper body. At this point, your head and torso will resemble a cobra with a raised hood.

8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

Keep your palms and feet where they are. Exhale and gently lift your hips, so that the body forms an inverted ‘V’. Straighten your elbows and knees. Look toward your navel.

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (High Lunge Pose)

After performing Adho Mukha Svanasana, go back to Ashwa Sanchalanasana by bringing your right foot forward. Keep your left leg stretched behind you and look forward.

10. Hasta Padasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Inhale and bring your left foot forward, such that it is next to your right foot. Keeping the position of your hands intact, exhale and slowly bend your torso to enter into the Hasta Padasana pose.

11. Hasta Uttanasana (Raised Arms Pose)

Inhale and lift your upper body. Join the palms and raise your arms above your head. Then bend backward as you did in step 2.

12. Pranamasana (Prayer Pose)

This is the last step. Breathe out and stand straight in a relaxed manner. Lower the arms and hold your palms in front of your chest. This marks the end of the first set of Surya Namaskar.

To reap the maximum benefits of Sun Salutation, perform 12 sets of these 12 asanas every day, that is six rounds on the right leg and six rounds on the left leg.

BENEFITS:

Sun Salutation provides various health benefits. Let’s take a look at them:

1. Your body becomes toned and flexible

Surya Namaskar‘s various poses engage different parts of your body. As a result, your whole body ends up getting toned. It also makes your body more flexible. This results in improving your overall posture and makes it easier to balance your body.

2. Weight loss

The regular practice of this yoga technique boosts your metabolism, which helps to reduce weight in the belly area. Along with that, it also stretches your abdominal muscles, strengthens your skeletal muscles, and prevents unwanted fat deposition in these regions.

4. Beautiful hair and skin

Surya Namaskar enhances your blood circulation. As a result, the natural glow of your skin returns. Along with that, it also prevents the occurrence of wrinkles, hair loss, and greying of hair. This gives you a youthful and radiant look.

5. Blood Pressure and Heart–related problems

Sun Salutation is a natural remedy for blood pressure fluctuations. It is also very beneficial for heart muscles and is an excellent way to treat irregular heartbeats. This yoga technique also reduces your sugar levels. As a result, the risk of heart attack reduces, and your eyes, kidneys, and nerves stay healthy.

6. Improves energy and awareness levels

Like other asanas, this routine also focuses on breathing exercises. This relaxes your mind and sharpens your intellect. A relaxed mind, combined with a healthy body causes your energy levels to rise and makes you self–aware.

7. Absorption of Nutrients becomes easier

In the modern age, people don’t have time to sit down and enjoy a healthy meal. This has led to the development of an unhealthy lifestyle, which in turn has caused an increase in many illnesses such as PCOD, PCOS, and obesity. By performing Surya Namaskar daily, you can boost your digestive system and prevent many diseases from occurring.

Enhanced digestion makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrients. Better nutrient absorption regulates hormones and enables the body to perform vital functions smoothly. Thus your overall health improves.

8. Mood Swings and emotion stability

Deep breathing techniques, combined with specific asanas, have a positive effect on your nerve cells. Performing Sun Salutation proves beneficial for your brain. It can create a sense of balance between your brain’s left and right side. This increases your emotional stability and enhances your creative and mental capabilities.

In addition to that, practicing Surya Namaskar improves the functioning of your endocrine system, especially your thyroid glands. This causes a decrease in anxiety and mood swings. It also induces a calming effect which enables you to concentrate and allows you to think clearly.

9. Helps regulate the menstrual cycle

Females with irregular periods can use this yoga technique to regulate their menstrual cycles. The daily practice of this routine can also make childbirth easier. Furthermore, it can also alleviate extreme period pain.

10. Insomnia

Surya Namaskar helps insomnia patients. It releases stress, tension, relaxes the mind and induces sleep. It also ensures that you don’t become dependent on drugs and can fall asleep naturally.

11. Detoxifies your body

An integral part of Sun Salutation is the inhalations and exhalations. If done correctly, it can help in the proper functioning of your lungs. Along with that, the amount of fresh oxygen supplied to your blood also increases. This releases carbon dioxide and other gases from your system and detoxifies your body.

12. Bone health

The lack of Vitamin D weakens an individual’s bones and can also cause skeletal deformities. People suffering from Vitamin D deficiency also have a high risk of heart diseases and premature death. Since Surya Namaskar is performed while facing the sun, it helps your body to absorb the required amount of Vitamin D. This ensures that both your bones and body remain healthy.