Classical Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
What is Classical Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) (Part 1)
Surya namaskar is Sanskrit for sun salutation. Yoga is not just a physical exercise for flexibility. This may be why someone begins their practice and is completely ok, however, there is so much more to discover about ourselves that will lead us to our full potential as a human. Personally, I think this is exciting! I mean, who doesn’t like an adventure? We book vacations, we go hiking and swimming. We go on the world wide web to explore topics and ideas that open our minds to new thoughts. This all fun and I surely do the same. What if a daily exercise took you on an inward adventure to allow you discover the magic of what it means to be you? Sounds exciting, right! You can think of surya namaskar as the entry point to this inward journey.
Surya namaskar is a dynamic stretching sequence that incorporates some twelve gracefully linked asanas (postures). Each asana corresponds to a sign on the zodiac. 12 asanas, 12 zodiac signs, 12 months in a year. Usually, this sequence is performed one breath per movement. This allows the practitioner to move with grace, generating heat, improving circulation, strength, flexibility, and overall health. It is called surya namskar for several key reasons. First, surya is considered the solar deity by many, for this writing, let’s just think of it as the sun. Now, the material sun is responsible for generating energy and is the main source of vitality for our life. Every morning the sun was worshipped and saluted out of gratitude and love for life. In addition to the material sun, yogis think of our soul as our inner sun. The sun also symbolizes spiritual illumination and knowledge of our inner light that illuminates the darkness and ignorance that causes suffering in our world. From the daily practice of surya namaskar at dawn, the yogis realized the sun to be a symbol immortality. It is as if the sun dies every evening to only be reborn every morning. The deeper symbolism suggests that this inward journey will help us realize out immortal nature.
Yoga and related philosophies have been practiced and cultivated for a very long time. From 5-12 thousand years are various numbers I have come across. With this in mind, yoga does change, or certain practices are more important at certain times in human history. If we were to practice very strict “traditional yoga” there would be only static postures and no surya namaskar. It is believed around the 9th century in India, the dynamic form of surya namaskar came to fruition. regardless of the exact date, it has been around for at least hundreds of years. I personally believe this is a boon in modern times and prepares one for stillness in mind amidst all the external turbulence and challenges we experience in modern times.
In the original surya namaskar, we learn different stages as we progress into the deeper layers of our being. For example, externally two people can look like they are practicing the same exercise, but internally each practitioner is working on different aspects of the practice. First, it is very physical. We are learning how to correctly perform each posture, how far to bend the knee, where to place our hands etc. Second, we deepen and lengthen our breath. From here, our awareness becomes more subtle, we begin to discover the importance of breathing correctly while becoming more aware of our mind and body. Third, we learn about chakra points. The word chakra means wheel. It implies a vortex where powerful energy can be stimulated and released as a spiraling force within the body. Materially, you can think of it as the major nerve plexus’ along the spine. In classical surya namaskar, each posture corresponds to a specific chakra. We learn to concentrate on these points when our breath becomes deep and controlled. Last, we can incorporate a mantra with each posture and specific chakra point. A mantra is a sacred sound that will help the mind focus, relaxing the nervous system, and can help stimulate energy in the mind and body. It guides us on the journey within. It is essential we can learn from an adept teacher or guru to understand all these layers to the practice. Yoga Rejuvenates is a great place to begin your journey.
If one patiently learns each stage of surya namaskar, the practice itself integrates hatha yoga (physical yoga) with pranayama (breathing exercises to increase energy) and kundalini yoga where we practice a more advanced stage of meditation. Stillness in the mind can come from movement and not forcing a static sitting posture. Naturally as surya namaskar deepens so does one’s meditation. All stages of yoga are integrated into this one routine. This is what makes it classical. The beginning stages integrate with the ending stage of the practice. This is the power of lineage-based teaching.
Classical surya namaskar is taught and trained at Yoga Rejuvenates. Mastery only comes through patient repetition with patience and perseverance. It is my hope that this article inspires you to try it for yourself. It is not as complicated as it may sound. The bottom line is we can improve our physical body, increase our energy, remove or reduce physical and emotional pain – including back pain, depression and many other ailments with one simple sequence. Of course, there is much more to learn, I hope to hear from you soon! Love, Michael.
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