Last time, I discussed the concept of vinyasa krama, which is the construction of a series of asanas that lead to a specific goal. The Western understanding of vinyasa, I noted, is the linking of postures with breath. Surya Namaskara, or Sun Salutation, is a specific sequence of poses that are linked together with breath and serves as the foundation for many vinyasa or “flow” yoga classes. There are many variations of Surya Namaskara, but what follows is a fairly common version of Salutations to the Sun. The breath sequence is included alongside the physical actions; the two are inseparable and the breath should be seen as the equal to the physical.
1. Stand in
Tadasana.
2. Inhale as you raise the arms to Urdhva Hastasana.
3. Exhale as
you fold forward to Uttanasana.
4. Inhale as
you place the hands on the floor next to the feet.
5. Exhale as
you step the feet back to Plank (there is no Sanskrit name for this pose, as it
is an intermediate asana in the sequence; I fond it valuable to remain in the pose
and find it beneficial, even if there is no agreed upon Sanskrit translation!).
6. Inhale to
firm the arms and legs.
7. Exhale to
lower down to the floor.
8. Inhale to
Bhujangasana.
9. Exhale
and shift back to Adho Mukha Svanasana.
10. Take
three full breaths in Adho Mukha Svanasana.
11. Inhale to
step the feet forward between the hands.
12. Exhale to
straighten the legs for Uttanasana.
13. Inhale to
rise up to Urdhva Hasatasana.
14. Exhale
and release the arms to Tadasana.
Repeat
the sequence for a total of six salutations*.
*For beginners,
three rounds may be sufficient. The salutations are most often performed in
multiples of three, representing the Holy trinity of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma.
Sun
Salutations are so named as they were a seminal part of the morning practices
of Brahman priests. I agree that practicing them first thing in the morning is
an excellent idea: there is a great stretch of the body, an awakening of the
breath (and awareness of the prana) and the mind is focused by the actions.
Practiced at any time during the day, however, the yogi will gain great
benefits from Surya Namaskara. In flow or vinyasa classes, the salutations
serve first as a warm-up for more strenuous or deep asanas. Then, poses are
added to the sequence or variations of Surya Namaskara are performed to deepen
the practice. An infinite number of poses can be inserted at different segments
of the sequence, depending upon what one hopes to achieve through the asana;
this is the true vinyasa krama, or directed practice, of which I spoke in the
last posting.
Remember:
the breath is key to the sequence. As you inhale to Urdhva Hastasana, for
example, allow the movement of the arms to match the length of the breath. This
breath-focus will help to cease the chattering of the mind and will create a
moving meditation of sorts as the body rides the wave of breath and is fully
supported by the pranic energy.
I am
aware that I have not covered the specific actions of each individual pose in
Surya Namaskara. Next time, we will look at Bhujangasana, or Cobra Pose.
Peace!
Trent
Nice posting. Do you know about these yoga books?
http://www.yogavidya.com/freepdfs.html
Posted by: sfauthor | Wednesday, 29 July 2009 at 02:11 PM
Yes, I do! I know the HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA best of all, and have some familiarity w/ BHAGAVAD GITA. The SIVA and GHERANDA SAMHITAS are new to me; I have browsed through them, but need to give them a deep read. Thanks for the link!
Peace,
Trent
Posted by: Trent De Long | Wednesday, 29 July 2009 at 03:43 PM