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All sessions of Yoga asanas begin with the Surya Namaskar or sun salutation. It is a series of gentle flowing movements synchronized with the breath. This excellent warm up exercise consists of a sequence of positions that move the spine in various ways and promote flexibility in the limbs. It is of special benefit to beginners, to stiff people, and to the elderly, since it helps the body to gain flexibility. It also regulates the breath and focuses the mind. The physical base of the practice links together twelve asanas in a dynamically performed series. These asanas are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards. When performed in the usual way, each asana is moved into with alternate inhalation and exhalation (except for the sixth asana where the breath is held in external suspension). A full round of Surya namaskara is considered to be two sets of the twelve poses with a change in the second set to moving the opposite leg first through the series. Proponents of the use of Surya namaskara as part of the modern yoga tradition prefer to perform it at sunrise, which the orthodox consider to be the most spiritually favorable time of the day. Address: , INDIA |