Ayurveda’s Gem Surya Namaskar

In Ayurveda, there is an ancient saying: “Food is medicine.” If you eat right, you will stay healthy and fit. As you begin your day with Surya Namaskar, all 72,000 nerve endings in your body are worked out. As a result, your circulation and digestion will be improved!

Practising Suryanamaskar yoga can benefit your body as well as your mind. It’s an ancient and fast-growing form of exercise that focuses on using your body weight and gravity to build strength, flexibility, and balance.

This ancient yogic practice was developed to help the ancient yogis reach higher levels of consciousness through meditation and physical exercise. This yoga practice incorporates breathing techniques, balancing postures, strengthening poses, stretching movements, and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. These help you gain a sense of calmness, strength, flexibility, balance, focus, confidence—and maybe even enlightenment!

Suryanamaskar yoga is the ultimate health and wellness practice. This ancient, holistic approach to living has been practised for thousands of years. It involves a series of 12 different postures held for a specific time, combining physical and spiritual elements to promote balance and harmony in your body and mind.

The best part about Surya Namaskar is that it doesn’t require any equipment – just your body! Whether you live or what kind of weather conditions exist outside today (or tomorrow), there’s no excuse not to get up early and practice this ancient tradition before sunrise with all its health benefits.

The 12 Asanas

Surya Namaskar, known to us as Sun Salutation, is the most vital of practices in Yoga. In Ayurveda, the combination of these asanas has been indicated for ages as vital components of one’s health and life.

1. Pranamasana

Pranamasana is a yoga pose that helps you connect with your body and breath and the divine energy that flows through all things.

The first step in this pose is to stand with your feet and arms extended above your head. Then, fold forward while keeping your knees straight and your back as tall as possible. Finally, bring your hands down onto the ground in front of you and interlace the fingers.

2. Hastauttanasana

Hastauttanasana is a yoga pose that stretches the hips, thighs, and ankles. Hastauttanasana is one of the most challenging asanas in traditional yoga practice because it requires flexibility in the hips, thighs, and ankles. The posture also requires strength in the shoulders and back.

First, stand with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips. Inhale as you lift your arms overhead, palms facing each other. Exhale as you bend backwards and stretch your arms towards the floor.

3. Hastapadasana

In addition to increasing strength and balance, the pose helps us improve our flexibility by stretching muscles such as the back, legs, and arms.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and close your eyes to get started. Inhale as you raise your arms above your head and exhale as you bend forward from the hips until they parallel the floor. Gently press down through your feet as you reach toward the floor with your arms. If your hamstrings are tight, bend them slightly at the knees while keeping both legs straight so that only your torso is in a deep forward bend position.

4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana

It is a great way to stretch your leg muscles and strengthen your core. It also improves balance, so it’s an excellent pose to practice if you’re trying to balance on a surfboard or skateboard.

Start in a standing position with your feet together. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing them in and up. Keep your spine straight and reach both arms overhead, hands together or palms facing each other.

Bend one knee while keeping the other extended, bending your torso forward over the bent knee until you feel a stretch in the hip of that leg. You can save both hands above your head or lower one hand down to the floor for extra support.

5. Dandasana

It is excellent for building strength and helps improve balance and flexibility. Also, it helps strengthen many different muscles, including those of the chest, shoulders, back, hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, and abs.

Start by getting into a push-up position and placing your forearms on the floor to do this pose. The palms of your hands should be facing down and touching each other while your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. Next, inhale and lift onto your toes while keeping your back straight and pressing down into the forearms. Hold this position for as long as possible before returning to starting position.

6. Ashtanga Namaskara

It is a practice that combines the breath and body as it focuses on Ashtanga Namaskara. It is believed to be one of the oldest forms of yoga, and it’s been around for thousands of years.

The eight limbs are yama (restraint), niyama (observance), asana (posture), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption of the self in the object of meditation).

Exhale while bringing your knees to the floor. Your hips should be slightly back, and your chest and chin should be resting on the floor. Raise your posterior a little bit. The two hands, feet, knees, chest, and chin (eight body parts) should touch the floor.

7. Bhujangasana

The Bhujangasana is a yoga pose that stretches the body and improves flexibility. It is an excellent pose for those who suffer from back pain or stiff muscles.

Lie on your stomach with your legs extended straight behind you and your hands resting on the floor in front of you. Gently push your chest up off the ground while keeping your neck relaxed and letting your headrest comfortably on the ground. Breathe evenly through both nostrils while holding this position; then return to the original position and repeat three times.

8. Adho Mukha Svanasana

This pose stretches the muscles in the back, shoulders, and arms. Additionally, it stretches your feet’ hamstrings, calves, and arches. It helps to improve digestion and relieve stress.

In this pose, you are standing on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. You then push back with your hands and lift onto the balls of your feet as much as possible while lifting onto the tips of your toes.

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana

From here, a backward cycle begins. Repeat the steps as mentioned in the 4th point.

10. Hastapadasana

Repeat the steps as mentioned in 3rd point.

11. Hastauttanasana

Repeat the steps as mentioned in the 2nd point.

12. Tadasana

It’s a variation of the first yoga asana of Surya Namaskar. Instead of bringing hands in front in folded position joined together, you keep hands by your side.

For those who are still new to the concept of Surya Namaskar and sun salutation, it may seem somewhat daunting to start off with. Making sure to breathe and stand correctly while performing this routine might be a bit of a challenge at first. However, with time and practice, you will find that there is nothing more invigorating than performing Surya Namaskar before your day begins. The benefits of Surya Namaskar are endless, so if something in your life is lacking, then maybe this is the path you have been looking for!