Sun Salutation: how to celebrate your inner light?
The basic yoga sequence
The sun salutation is so called because it salutes the Sun (surya in sanskrit) - the deity of health and longevity - who also represents the inner light of every human being.
Originally, it was performed early in the morning looking east.
It is a sequence (vinyasa) of different postures to which we associate the breath.
The benefits of the sun salutation
The Sun salutation awakens the body, in particular the spine. It helps raising the inner fire, which improves the cardiovascular system and purifies the body and mind.
As it warms the body, it is often practiced at the beginning of a class, especially in vinyasa yoga.
It is also an important component of Ashtanga Yoga Mysore style created by Sri Pattabhi Jois. In this style, the sun salutation, variant A, warms up the body before the asanas practice and is used to transition from poses to poses.
In addition, since it combines movement with the breath, it creates a meditative effect, which helps improve concentration and calm the flow of our thoughts.
Easy to practice any time
One of the great thing of the sun salutation in our modern lives is that if you don't have a lot of time in your day, you can only practice this sequence, because it is short and covers all the needs of your body.
Finally, note that there is not just one sun salutation, but that there are several variations.
Find below 2 versions (one softer than the other) of the sun salutation A to practice without moderation: