Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)

You will need: a mat.

Before you move: Start in an easy sitting posture, close your eyes slowly. Take several deep, nasal breaths. Connect with the level of energy in your physical body. Is it high, medium, or low? Note the speed of your mind, or thoughts. If you’re tuned in to your nervous system today —your “wiring”—take a moment to note whether it’s tightly wired (in overdrive) or balanced. You can also tune in to the depth of your breath and your sense of connection to your center.

Warming up: Please use the exercises from Beginner Hatha Practice – Warming Up sheet to warm up your body before starting your movement practice.

Sun Salutations – Surya Namaskar: The classical Sun Salutation move fluidly through following , each of which is held for just the length of the natural pauses between breaths.

1. Start in , or Mountain pose. Fold your palms together in front of your heart center in Anjali . 2. Inhale, and reach your arms overhead for a Sky Reaching Pose, Urdhva Hastasana. 3. At the end of your exhalation, soften your knees and hinge from the hips into Standing Forward Bend pose, . 4. Inhale; exhale and step your left foot back to a pose, Anjaneyasana (back knee to the mat) or Warrior 1 pose, (back knee off the mat). With your inhalation, lift your torso up and reach your arms above your crown. 5. With your next exhalation, bring your hands to the mat and step your right foot back into Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana. 6. Inhale; exhale and glide forward into a plank pose, Phalakasana. 7. With your next exhalation bend your elbows to lower your body all the way to the mat. 8. Inhale, and lift your chest and torso off the mat into a Cobra pose, . 9. Exhale, release the cobra pose and return to Downward Facing Dog. 10. With your next exhalation step your left foot forward for a lunge or Warrior 1 pose. Inhale, lift your torso and reach your arms up above your crown. 11. Exhale, bring your hands back to the mat and step forward into Standing Forward Bend pose.

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12. Inhale, and roll up, reaching your hands to the sky for a Sky Reaching Pose. 13. Exhale, and return your hands to your heart center in Tadasana, or Mountain Pose. 14. Stay in Mountain Pose for at least 3 breath cycles. 15. Repeat steps 1 – 15 on the right side (right foot steps back in 3 and forward in 10).

Home Practice: Start with 2 – 3 complete sets and slowly progress toward 8 – 10 rounds, gradually replacing beginner warm up practice with Sun Salutations.

Alignment Principles:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose): Position your feet about hip width apart, with your toes traveling forward. Engage your feet by bringing your awareness to 4 corners of your feet (inner heel, outer heel, root of big toe and pinky toe).

Urdhva Hastasana (Sky Reaching Pose): to transition from the Mountain pose to the Sky Reaching Pose, keep your pelvis neutral (it will tend to tilt forward), and soften the lower front ribs in and away from skin to maintain a neutral spine. Lengthen the side body, and reach your fingertips up toward the ceiling, while keeping the shoulders broad and relaxed. , or gaze point, is forward to protect the neck, or upward for more challenge.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend): Soften your knees to reduce stress on the hamstrings and low back, and fold forward from the hips. Once you have found comfort in the hamstrings, focus on activating your feet, keeping your legs firm, spine long, shoulder blades drawing down your back and heart center open. Avoid shifting your hips back; work gradually toward keeping your legs vertical by bringing weight forward into the balls of your feet, while keeping your heels firmly rooted down.

Anjaneyasana (Lunge Pose): Maintain length through your spine and openness of the heart center as you step your foot back. Bring the back knee to the mat; if your knees are sensitive, place padding under the grounded knee. Keep your pelvis level and square to the front of the mat, and ensure that your front knee is tracking over the second and third toes. Lightly soften the front bottom ribs to maintain pelvic neutrality and spine length.

Virabhadrasana (Warrior 1 Pose): As in lunge pose, experiment with straightening your front leg all the way or giving your back leg some slack by bending the back knee, to find pelvic neutrality. From there, press your back leg straight and strong, and lift the torso up into a vertical position with arms up above your head. Checking the alignment of the front knee,

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ensure that it doesn’t travel out beyond the heel. Draw the lower front ribs down gently to encourage neutral lengthening of your spine.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog): Build Downward Facing Dog from the ground up. Press firmly down into the entire span of your hands and length of your fingers - this rooting action should originate at the top of the arms (for more detail on hand alignment check Warm Up, Part 1 sheet.) Keep your arms are parallel to each other. Position your feet hip-distance apart and root into the balls of your feet to engage them. Firm up your thighs, press the tops of your femur bones strongly back, while spiking your hips up.

Phalakasana (Plank Pose): Position your hands directly underneath your shoulders and extend through your body; keep your legs firm, heels pressing back, tailbone and pubic bone drawing slightly back. Keep your low belly lightly engaged to support middle body, and draw your shoulder blades down your back. Lengthen the back of your neck by keeping your gaze to the mat ahead of yourself (or look slightly forward if OK with your neck).

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose): Extend through the legs, ground the hips and tops of the feet firmly into the floor, and press the tailbone toward your heels. Sustaining active engagement of the legs, press into your hands - placed directly underneath your shoulders – and lift the chest up while shrugging the shoulder blades down your back. Look slightly down to maintain ease in the neck.

Remember to breathe!!!

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