Asanas - Poses - Intro - Sun Salutation Series

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Welcome to the Third Limb of Yoga, Asanas. Today we are learning Sun Salutations! Asana (AH-sa-nuh), or “pose” in Sanskrit, is what most new Yogis think of when they hear the word “Yoga”

Whether Asana and Yoga are truly synonymous is up to interpretation. As we have learned, Asana is just one of the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Some deeply philosophical Yogis consider Asana practice as only one part of Yoga, and its main purpose is to increase flexibility and stability and minimize pain, in order to prepare the body for meditation and then the Upper Limbs of Yoga. Many other Yogis only enjoy the physical Asana practice, and do not care to pursue learning more about the other practices. Whether Asana is your entire practice or just a part, depends on what works for you and your journey!

Asana/Yoga classes come in many styles. These range from more active styles like Vinyasa which combines breath and movement into a rigorous workout that seems like a dance, to Restorative Yoga where relaxing poses can be held for up to 10 minutes.

Today’s Daily Yogi Practice is a traditional Asana series – Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations Series. We recommend adding to your morning routine as recommended by the traditional Yogic texts – try three on each side. We are covering a modified Sun Salutations C that adds extra chest opening. This Asana sequence is extremely common in most Vinyasa and “flow” classes.

Today I will introduce the full traditional Surya Namaskar sequence, and then over the next few days, we will cover each of these Asanas or poses in detail. Click the photos or links for a detailed breakdown of the pose. Whether you are new to Yoga or an advanced Yogi, please feel free to add your own experience with making these poses more accessible

Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutations

Begin standing with feet grounded, toes together, standing up straight
Tadasana – Mountain Pose

INHALE – Raise your arms over head, interlock fingers if comfortable, and come into
Talasana – Palm Tree OR Standing Backbend

EXHALE – Swan dive forward and bend at the hips, keeping knees bent if more comfortable, and come into
Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend

Hold your breath as you step your left leg back and drop your knee to the mat to come into Anjaneyasana – Low Lunge, Right foot forward OR stay up on the ball of your left foot and balance in Ashta Chandrasana High Lunge, Right foot forward for knee injuries.
INHALE your torso and arms up into High or Low Lunge

EXHALE arms down to the mat perhaps pausing briefly in runner’s lunge, INHALE and step your right leg back to come into
Phalakasana – Plank

EXHALE and lower slowly down to the mat into
Chaturanga Dandasana – Four-limbed Staff Pose OR Ashtanga Namaskara – Knees-Chest-Chin

INHALE push your hands into the mat and lift torso into gentle backbend
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana – Upward Facing Dog OR Bhujangasana – Cobra

EXHALE push your hands strongly into the mat and lift your hips into
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog
TAKE A FEW BREATHS, perhaps bend one knee and the the other to walk the dog” into the pose

Hold your breath as you step your left leg forward and drop your right knee to the mat to come into Anjaneyasana – Low Lunge, Left foot forward OR stay up on the ball of your left foot and balance in Ashta Chandrasana High Lunge, Left foot forward for knee injuries.
INHALE your torso and arms up into High or Low Lunge

EXHALE step right foot to meet the left, and keep bent at the hips to come back into
Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend. Perhaps bend your knees deep enough to rest torso on thighs

INHALE – Raise torso and arms, perhaps interlocking fingers into
Talasana – Palm Tree OR Mountain Pose, arms over head

EXHALE arms back down to
Tadasana – Mountain Pose

REPEAT switching legs for low lunge – first round of Sun Salutations starts with lunge with right foot forward, then left. The second sound of Sun Salutations starts with lunge with left foot forward, then right.

Check out our Top 5 Yoga Mats and Equipment for Newbies!

You may want to consider getting blocks for modifications to various poses as we progress through our detailed breakdown of each pose in the Surya Namaskar Sun Salutations Series.

Top 5 Yoga Equipment for Newbies

Top 5 Yoga Mats

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Please comment to share your experience with this Sun Salutations series or if you have any questions! I enjoy Talasana / Palm Tree after Mountain / Tadasana in my practice, since I have tight arms, neck/shoulders, and chest, from sitting at a desk, and this pose stretches out all three. What did you think? Which poses did you use when two options were offered? Would you benefit from more detailed instructions to get into each pose?

Please stay tuned for our series the next couple days breaking down the correct expression of each pose in detail. Always remember, be kind!