Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit, is a powerful sequence of yoga postures. An easy full body work out that can be enjoyed by anyone, anytime, anywhere. Also, it continues to astound me how the same sequence of postures can be moulded (through intention) to satisfy each individuals personal goal.
Let me clarify what I mean. Yoga means different things to different people, for instance some might practice for the mindfulness, others the flexibility and strength whilst others want only the fitness. Incredibly the Sun Salutations can be moulded to each of these intentions.
Sun Salutations Sequencing (Classic Form)
Each round of Sun Salutation consists of two sets, and each set is composed of 12 yoga poses. Step back in each set with alternate legs
Also begin and end each set with palms in pray pose at the centre of your chest, this however will become a less obvious pause when flowing.
Intention: Mindfulness
I didn’t fully appreciated the mindful aspect of yoga until I moved to India and fully immersed myself the practice. Seems utterly barbaric to me now. Saying that however, it is now forms a huge part of why I practice. Also, Sun Salutations is the perfect way for anyone who hasn’t done formal training or been practicing for very long to lose them self in the mindful aspect. Once you have learned the 12 basic poses you no longer need to think about what comes next and you can just allow your body to rhythmically move and focus on your breath.
Practice ideas:
- 6 rounds slowly but with a flow aspect
Intention: Flexibility and Strength
Undoubtedly flexibility has the most common association with yoga. And without a doubt strength is often overlooked when thinking about yoga. However, strength is a fundamental part of a safe yoga practice. Women in particular are prone to injury due to lack of upper body strength and core engagement. With this in mind, always value form over quantity, when you are no longer able to hold a posture safely stop.
Practice ideas:
- 5 rounds: hold each posture for 4 deep breaths or 20 seconds
- focus on a particular muscle group ie abdominals and fully engage this muscle throughout the number of rounds you practice
Intention: Fitness/Cardio
Other than practicing Sun Salutations I seldom do any other form of cardio. Furthermore, the body weight aspect means it’s an all round workout.
Practice Ideas:
- intermittent training: 16 rounds – do 4 slow followed by 4 fast and repeat
- cardio blowout: 108 Sun Salutations (54 rounds)
Good to know:
- please consult with your doctor that is it safe for you to work out.
- always begin with a brief warm up before starting your practice
- quick and easy full body work out
Finally, check out stuck at home for more ideas of things to to do at home