What is Surya Namaskar?

Here’s Everything You Must Know About Surya Namaskar

The sun is the source of all energies on planet Earth. So, what if we tell you that you can use this energy to nourish your health. By practising a combination of yoga sequences that are commonly known as Surya Namaskar or sun salutation, you will be able to harness the sun's energy to build strength. Let this article guide you to learn everything about the Surya Namaskar yoga pose.

Learn the History & Origin of Surya Namaskar

As mythology depicts, the King of Aundh was the first to introduce the Surya Namaskar pose. During his reign, he made sure that his people performed these yoga sequences on a daily basis. It is believed that the tradition of Surya Namaskar originated from this era.

 

The translation of ‘Surya Namaskar’ in English is salutations to the sun. However, a much more profound meaning of the word ‘Surya’ is the sun - the source that illuminates our world. The word ‘Namaskar’ means bowing down with complete gratitude and offering yourself wholeheartedly without being biassed in any way. Together, ‘Surya Namaskar’ means bowing down in gratitude before the source that illuminates our world.

How to Do Surya Namaskar?

You have to perform a total of twelve yoga poses one after another which form one set of Surya Namaskar, so here are the steps:

 

• Step 1: Prayer Pose (Pranamasana)

  Stand in the prayer pose with your palms together.

• Step 2: Raised Hands Pose (Urdhva Hastasana)

  Raise both of your arms above your head and arch your back while keeping your hands parallel to each other.

• Step 3: Standing Forward Fold Pose (Uttanasana)

  Bend forward and let your hands reach towards your feet while your knees remain straight.

• Step 4: Equestrian Pose - Right Leg (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)

  Stretch your right leg behind you and let the knee touch the ground. Bend your left knee with your arms on either side.

• Step 5: Plank Pose (Phalakasana)

  Step into a plank position where your body forms a straight line with your arms supporting your weight.

• Step 6: Salute with Eight Parts/Points (Ashtanga Namaskar)

  You need to touch the ground with your hands, feet, knees, chest and chin, the eight parts of the body.

• Step 7: Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

  Slide your upper body forward and raise your chest in the cobra pose while allowing your back to form an arch.

• Step 8: Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

  Form an inverted ‘V’ with your body by lifting your hips upwards.

• Step 9: Equestrian Pose - Left Leg (Ashwa Sanchalanasana)

  Bring your right knee forward and push your left leg as far back as possible.

• Step 10: Standing Forward Fold Pose (Uttanasana)

  Bend forward and let your hands reach towards your feet while your knees remain straight.

• Step 11: Raised Hands Pose (Urdhva Hastasana)

  Again, raise your arms over your head and arch your spine.

• Step 12: Prayer Pose (Pranamasana)

  Come back to the prayer pose that you started with.

 

Health Benefits of Surya Namaskar

While you got a glimpse of the step-by-step Surya Namaskar poses, here are a few ways in which Surya Namaskar benefits your body:

• Tones Muscles & Improves Flexibility

  The yoga sequences performed during Surya Namaskar focus on different muscles in the body, such as your arms, abs, and butt. It helps tone these muscles, improves your posture and the overall flexibility of your body.

• Helps With Weight Loss

  Surya Namaskar yoga poses are known to be a great workout routine. If executed properly, it acts as excellent cardio exercise. If you perform the sun salutation at a faster pace, the yoga sequence can really assist with losing weight and increase your metabolism.

• Improves Digestion

  Whether you do Surya Namaskar or any other workout, exercising and maintaining a balanced diet will improve your overall digestion. Performing sun salutation boosts the blood flow to your intestines, in turn improving your intestine’s functioning. Furthermore, it helps with better blood circulation and heart health.

• Increases Awareness

  As you perform these yoga sequences, you will be able to understand your breathing pattern better. This contributes to deep conscious relaxation of your body and mind. Performing sun salutation strengthens your senses and increases your awareness level.

• Reduces Stress & Offers Emotional Stability

  Gaining control over your breathing helps provide great relaxation to the nervous system in the body. It has a positive impact on your brain and reduces stress over time. Moreover, it stabilises the activity of the endocrine gland.

• Detoxifies the Body

  During the yoga sequences of Surya Namaskar, your lungs are sufficiently ventilated due to active breathing. The highly oxygenated blood in your body aids with detoxifying and removing any toxins.

• Improves the Skin

  The blood circulation of your body is greatly improved due to Surya Namaskar yoga poses which makes your skin glow and look radiant.

Go through the Dos and Don’ts of Surya Namaskar

Here are a few things that you should remember when performing the sun salutation:

Insider Tips to Help Practice Surya Namaskar

With these tips, you can get better at executing Surya Namaskar for beginners without any trouble:

 

• Avoid directly beginning with the sun salutation and warm up your body with some stretching.

• Make sure your breathing is normal throughout the yoga sequences.

• Allow your body to relax after completing the Surya Namaskar.

• Hold the plank position correctly during Phalakasana.

• Ensure to practice the cobra pose so that you don’t mix it up with an upward-facing dog pose.

Conclusion

Now that you have learnt Surya Namaskar step-by-step with us, you can begin your morning in a great way! While it provides several health benefits, you should continue following a healthy diet, good sleep routine, and work-life balance.

 

However, despite following a healthy lifestyle, medical emergencies can arise without prior warnings. During these times, it is best to have a health insurance plan in place. Such a policy will cover unforeseen hospitalisation and treatment expenses.

 

You can consider buying health insurance at Bajaj MARKETS and benefit from cashless claim settlements, reinstatement benefits, tax benefits, extensive coverage, hassle-free renewals, and more. So, while you continue a healthy lifestyle and perform sun salutations daily, get yourself and your family insured with health insurance available on Bajaj MARKETS today!