How To Do Surya Namaskar Step By Step:
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The series of 12 poses of Surya Namaskar are all linked in a Vinyasa. In yoga, we believe that the right step comes on the heels of the right thought. That is how to do Surya namaskar with the following Surya namaskar steps. With the Surya Namaskar, this means that we must concentrate on the right breath so that the alignment and breath in the following pose are correct.
Yoga asanas with various health benefits, you can add more practices with yoga for students to improve concentration in students.
The literal translation of Surya Namaskar is salutations to the Sun. However, if you look carefully into the etymological meaning, it has a deeper meaning that relates to each posture that the asana involves. “Surya” means “One who expands and illuminates the world”. “Namaskar” refers to: “I bow my head with complete gratitude and offer myself to you wholeheartedly without any bias in my heart”.
When we practice this way, we are mindful of all our movements. It is best to learn the steps to the Surya Namaskar from a good teacher, who will give you variations that are suitable for your body.
Surya Namaskar Benefits:
In a sense, the Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is the core of yoga. The Surya namaskar benefits of both Asanas and Pranayama can be attained in this series of 12 postures.
It should ideally be done early in the morning, facing the rising sun, and each movement of the body is synchronized with breath, exhaling at the folds and inhaling as you lengthen or stretch out the body. Even if you don’t have the time for any other strenuous routine, upping your Surya Namaskar count can amp up your fitness level and ensure fat burn. Doing the Surya Namaskar provides a good cardiovascular workout.
However, nothing in yoga is cast in stone, and it may be practiced at any time, as long as it’s on an empty stomach.
- It improves overall body strength
- Induces deep and rhythmic breathing
- Loosens up the joints in the body
- Tones the muscles and massages internal organs
- Removes lethargy, alerts the mind
- Builds stamina
- Develops flexibility.
- Sun salutations are also a very good cardiovascular exercise, helping to increase the metabolic rate of the body, and in turn, aiding in weight loss.
- A full-body workout
- Burns extra fat in the body when done briskly.
- Balances the respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, and endocrine systems.
Those who are from the Hatha Yoga school know that it is an essential part of the asana practice.
12 Poses Of Surya Namaskar:
The 12 postures in Surya Namaskar indicate devotion to the Sun God and other elements of nature, science also backs it up with unbelievable physically strengthening and psychologically uplifting health benefits. The 12 poses of surya namaskar’s names and steps are as follows:
1, 12. Pramanasana (Prayer Pose):
- Stand on the edge of your Yoga mat and look straight.
- Place your feet together balancing your whole body weight equally on both feet and relax your shoulders.
- Exhale; bring the arms to the prayer position between your chest.
2, 11. Hasta Uttanasana:
Inhale; lift your arms up and back. Make sure your biceps are close to your ears. And bend your body backward as much as you can.
3, 10. Hasta Padangustasana:
Exhale; bend forward from your torso and place the palms beside the foot.
4, 9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana:
- Inhale; take your left leg backward and stretch it as much as you can as you bend your right knee with your palms still flat on the ground.
- Arch your back now. Tilt your head backward and see straight ahead.
5, 8. Parvatasana:
- Inhale; take your right leg back and place it in position with your left leg.
- Now, raise your buttocks and keep your head between your hands.
6. Ashtanga Namaskara:
- As you hold your breath bring your body forward.
- Let it touch the ground at 8 points – 2 Feet, 2 Knees, 2 Hands, Chest, and Chin.
7. Bhujangasana:
Inhale and raise your body with the help of your hands tilting your head backward and seeing straight up.
Now, go back through five to one and that completes a cycle of Surya namaskar.
Precaution:
People with fever, acute inflammation, blood toxicity, high blood pressure, spinal disc herniation, back pain, and have had surgery in the recent past.
Make Sure You Do Surya Namaskar Right:
People say they do 108 in one go, which is fine for an advanced practitioner, but for someone who is beginning, it is not a good idea, because the synchronization of breath and movements may go awry. Regularly increasing the number of sets. For starters, it is recommended to perform four sets of Surya Namaskar daily and then slowly increase the number of rounds. This will give you enough time to understand the movements involved in all the yoga poses correctly.
While doing the postures you need to take care that the neck should not float back your arms, because it can cause serious injury to the neck. We will not be bent down randomly or directly without stretching. Which will get problems in the back muscles. Here are other common mistakes people make.
1. Sacrificing the breath for movements
Synchronize each step with the movement, beginning with breathing in as you arch your back, and then out with the next movement, and so on. Surya Namaskar is never done at a fast pace, as the essence of the whole practice is lost.
2. Barely lifting the spine in the half lift
You might skim over Ardha Uttanasana, barely lifting your spine. But if you give this transitional pose short shrift, you’ll skimp on your breath and potentially strain your neck. You’ll also miss the main benefits: strengthening and decompressing the spine. I often watch students skipping this pose as the lift up from the forward bend Uttanasana to half Uttanasana is so small that students keep skipping it. The idea is to inhale and lift the front of the chest, stretching the entire spine and placing the fingertips on the floor or the palms on the shin bone.
3. Dropping the lower spine in the plank
Students tend to put pressure on the lower spine and drop it towards the floor in Ardha Chaturanga. This can lead to lower back pain. Simply learn to press the palms and the toes deep into the earth, engaging the upper body and the abdominals.
4. Getting mixed up between the cobra and upward-facing dog
Students tend to do neither Bhujangasana nor Urdhva Mukha Svanasana and instead do some in-between poses. Master the cobra, so you gain strength for the advanced variation of the upward-facing dog.
5. Struggling to bring the foot forward in the low lunge
It can be a struggle for students to get their foot forward all the way between the hands when one is transitioning from the Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog) to Anjaneyasana. Students end up in a pose where the knees are hyperextended and regular practice done this way will put too much pressure on the knees and not stretch the hip flexors. Try to drop the knees down for a second and then gently bring the foot forward, or just walk through the pose.
Note: People with bodily weakness and a bad back should avoid Surya Namaskar.
Is Surya Namaskar good for skin and hair?
Regular practice of the Surya Namaskar improves one’s blood circulation which brings a glow to your face; improves the elasticity of the skin, thus preventing the onset of wrinkles and making your skin look radiant.
Adho Mukha Svanasana, better known as the downward-facing pose, is among the 12 poses we practice during the Surya Namaskar. It is a transitional resting pose, which increases the blood flow. Due to this, there is a boost in the oxygen reaching the scalp which promotes hair growth.
Can I drink water before Surya Namaskar?
Being hydrated before you start a yoga practice will make it easier for you to reach deep into each asana without the risk of fainting. Have enough water and wait for 20 min and then start your practice.
You should never head straight for a shower without a cool down after yoga. You should give your body enough time to adjust to the environment and get the racing heart rate back to normal.
