Starting your day with Sun Salutations
Surya Namaskar, otherwise known as Sun Salutations, can be the warm up to your practice, or, a complete practice in and of itself. Over time, the poses linked in a series will lengthen, strengthen, flex and extend both the big muscles groups of the body, and the smaller connective tissues. Incorporating Sun Salutations into your practice will also help in distributing the prana flow throughout the physiological system.
I was in Vancouver BC’s Banyan Books sometime last month, and I found this children’s book on yoga. I’m not sure if its Baba the elephant that I grew up with, as I’m used to seeing them wear crowns and suits, but who cares!? Its adorable!
There are several variations of sun salutations, but I like the one which incorporates the lunge because it simultaneously strengthens, whilst providing a deep stretch for one of the muscles in our major hip flexor, the psoas. Very often, a tight psoas is the cause of an annoying ‘tingling legs’ sensation. One may try to stretch the sensation away, but its usually deeply embedded at an unidentifiable location somewhere on the legs. If the tingling is not too bad, stretching the legs and going to bed might be the cure. However, I have known of people who lose a night’s worth of sleep because they can’t shake off the tingles! So as part of my regular practice, I’d rather throw in some lunges, than suffer from tingly legs all night!
1) Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Starting at the front of your mat, stand in Tadasana, inhale and reach up.
2) Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend): Exhale and fold down to Uttanasana. Inhale, keeping the hands down, and lift the chest. Exhale and step the right foot back, plugging your right heel firmly into the mat, and turning your toes out 45 degrees. Distribute your weight evenly on your entire hind foot, paying more attention to pressing down on your inner arches.
3) Lunge: In the lunge, inhale and lift the arms up. Attempt to level your hips. Try to keep the neck in a neutral position as you look forward. Stay for five breaths, then exhale and lower the arms.
4) Plank: Inhale and step the left foot back into Plank Pose.
5) Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose): Exhale and lower to Chaturanga Dandasana.
6) Salabhasana (Locust Pose): Lower the pelvis, tuck the toes, and inhale as you lift the chest and legs in Salabhasana. This strengthens the lower back. Stay in Salabhasana for five breaths. Exhale and lower the feet and head.
7) Plank: Inhale up to Plank.
8 ) Adho Mukha Svasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose): Exhale to Adho Mukha Svanasana. After five breaths inhale and step the right foot forward into a lunge on the other side. Plugging your left heel firmly into the mat, now turning your toes out 45 degrees. Distribute your weight evenly on your entire hind foot, paying more attention to pressing down on your inner arches.
9) Lunge: Inhale and lift the arms for five breaths. On the fifth exhalation, lower the arms, and on the inhalation, step the back foot forward to meet the front one. Lift the chest and inhale.
10) Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend): Exhale, and fold into Uttanasana.
11) Tadasana (Mountain Pose): On the next inhalation, lift the arms, leading from the sternum, and come up to standing. Exhale, standing tall with the hands in Namaste.
Feel free to repeat as many sets as you feel is necessary to heat up your body for a more active practice. The yogis believe 108 to be the magical number so if you and your wrists are feeling up to it, take on the 108 sun salutations challenge and go for it!
In the meantime, I’ll be by my window, celebrating the sun rise, whilst enjoying my cup of Raspberry rooibos tea. Oh yeah, and I’ll be cheering you on too 