Asana Practice
Unit 12
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Surya Namaskar - Sun Salutation
1. Exhale - Tadasana
2. Inhale - Utkatasana
3. Exhale - Uttanasana
4. Inhale - Uttanasana (head up)
5. Exhale - Chaturanga Dandasana (or Phalakasana)
6. Inhale - Urdva Mukha Svanasana
7. Exhale - Adho Mukha Svanasana
8. Inhale - Virabhadrasana I (right side)
9. Exhale - Chaturanga Dandasana (or Phalakasana)
10. Inhale - Urdva Mukha Svanasana
11. Exhale - Adho Mukha Svanasana
12. Inhale - Virabhadrasana I (left side)
13. Exhale - Chaturanga Dandasana (or Phalakasana)
14. Inhale - Urdva Mukha Svanasana
15. Exhale - Adho Mukha Svanasana (five breaths)
16. Inhale - Uttanasana (head up)
17. Exhale - Uttanasana
18. Inhale - Utkatasana/Urdva Hastasana
19. Exhale - Tadasana
There are many variations of surya namaskar. The variation presented here is one of the slightly more complicated vinyasas. This particular version was chosen because it can easily be modified or made simpler as needed, while still offering students something to work towards.
Vinyasa by definition is the flowing together of a series of asanas. Because of this moving flow, it is more difficult to articulate each individual pose. Therefore, it is recommended that you have some proficiency in the individual postures before practicing them in a vinyasa format.
In surya namaskar, the breath is the thread on which the asanas are strung and it is recommended that you use ujjayi breathing throughout the vinyasa. Ujjayi is used so that the inner body remains soft and open. It also minimizes any excess pressure in the head while transitioning from back bends to forward bends or from partial inversions to standing asanas.
Each asana is formed as the result of the movement of the breath. The inhalation and exhalation of each breath should move you through the vinyasa. The poses should be synchronized with the inhalation and exhalation as described in the text rather than letting the breath be controlled by the mind’s idea of how the postures should flow.
When first practicing this variation of surya namaskar, you may feel like you are not taking in enough breaths. If you need to breathe more often, feel free to do so, but eventually the breathing pattern given here will feel utterly natural and supportive of the vinyasa.
Begin standing in tadasana at the front of your mat. This will be where you both start and finish the series. Care should be taken during the vinyasa to continually align and realign yourself with tadasana in mind. At the end of the vinyasa, you should ideally end up in the same place on the mat that you started.
From tadasana, with an inhalation, externally rotate the arms to lift them overhead as you bend the knees, moving into utkatasana. In utkatasana, the front of the body is likely to be longer than the back body. This will set you up for the next pose, which is uttanasana, where the bias is reversed. Take advantage of this front body length as you go into uttanasana.
Deepen the groins and broaden the sacrum as you lift the sitting bones to straighten the legs. Then exhale and fold forward into uttanasana. If you can, place the palms on the floor alongside of the feet with the fingertips in line with the toes. The palms will need to be on the floor to move into the next pose, so bend the knees if necessary to accomplish this.
The next pose is a transitional asana, which is essentially uttanasana with the head and torso lifted. This is accomplished with an inhalation. This re-lengthens the front body and shifts the body’s weight forward of the palms. This is needed in order to make the jump back to chaturanga dandasana a light one. The jump should be as light and free of momentum as possible. It should occur more as a shifting of balance than utilizing the momentum of a jump. If this movement is too difficult at first, rather than jumping, simply step back.
In uttanasana (with the head and torso lifted), the weight of the chest is forward of the hands, so that with an exhalation, the legs can simply be lifted and extended back as you bend the arms into chaturanga dandasana. (If chaturanga dandasana is too difficult, phalakasana can also be used.) During this transition, the elbows may need to go a bit wider than the shoulders. This is fine, but do not overly indulge it because this can lift the scapulae and cause the shoulders to destabilize.
Keep the sternum forward of the shoulders and draw the inner scapulae deeply down and into the back. Use this action together with straightening the arms as you inhale into urdva mukha svanasana. Bhujangasana can be substituted for urdva mukha svanasana if you prefer, but urdva mukha svanasana is actually easier for tractioning the spine. (The knees need never touch the floor during this transition or throughout the entire vinyasa. However, if they do need to rest on the floor during transitions, keep it to a minimum.)
With an exhalation, lift from the inner thighs, drawing the pubic bone back between the legs and up into adho mukha svanasana. From adho mukha svanasana, with one long inhalation, step the right foot forward so that the toes are in line with the wrists. Externally rotate the arms, sweeping them out to the sides and lift them up into virabhadrasana I. The movement from adho mukha svanasana to virabhadrasana I should theoretically be accomplished with one inhalation, but breathe more if necessary. Ideally, the entrance into virabhadrasana I should also be completed simultaneously with the completion of the inhalation.
Eventually virabhadrasana I can be taken with a wider stance, that is, with the toes in line with the finger tips. (If you can sustain the internal rotation of the back leg and the squaring of the torso, this is possible, but it will be the exception rather than the rule.)
Exhaling, fold forward and place the palms on the floor, as they were in adho mukha svanasana, and step back into chaturanga dandasana (or phalakasana). The exhalation should complete chaturanga dandasana. Let the next inhalation lift you again into urdva mukha svanasana. Then exhale into adho mukha svanasana.
Rolling over your toes while transitioning from urdva mukha svanasana to adho mukha svanasana is a good habit to get into. However, a certain degree of flexibility in the whole body is needed in order for your stance to remain consistent enough to do this. For example, if back bends are a challenge, your feet may need to go further back in urdva mukha svanasana than they do in adho mukha svanasana in order to keep the shoulders from going too far forward and putting stress on the wrists. Adjust your stance as needed for the quality of the pose.
With the next inhalation, bring the left foot forward, toes in line with the wrists, sweep the arms out to the sides in external rotation, and up into virabhadrasana I on the left side. With the completion of the inhalation and having formed virabhadrasana I, now exhale and fold forward again into chaturanga dandasana (or phalakasana). Inhale into urdva mukha svanasana and exhale into adho mukha svanasana.
This time use adho mukha svanasana as a resting pose. Typically you would stay here for five breaths. Stay longer if needed in order to give the body and breathe a mo- ment to stabilize.
With an inhalation, lift the collarbones and the head and step or lightly jump so the toes are brought back in line with the fingertips. In this jump, lift the groins as high as possible. It will feel as though you are beginning to go into a handstand. The higher you lift the groins, the lighter will be the jump. This is uttanasana with the head up again.
Take advantage of this pose to broaden the pelvis and deepen the groins in preparation for the next exhalation, which will fold you forward into uttanasana.
From uttanasana, inhale, bend the knees and lift the torso and arms into utkatasana, continuing the inhalation as you straighten the legs all the way up into urdva hastasana. (The hold in urdva hastasana should be very brief.) Keeping the length of the inner body, exhale the arms back down to tadasana. This completes one full surya namaskar vinyasa.
Tadasana (1) |
Begin standing in tadasana at the front of
your mat. This will be where you both start and
finish the series. Care should be taken during
the vinyasa to continually align and realign
yourself with tadasana in mind. At the end of
the vinyasa, you should ideally end up in the
same place on the mat that you started.
Utkatasana (2) |
From tadasana, with an inhalation, exter-
nally rotate the arms to lift them overhead as
you bend the knees, moving into utkatasana. In
utkatasana, the front of the body is likely to be
longer than the back body. This will set you up
for the next pose, which is uttanasana, where
the bias is reversed. Take advantage of this front
body length as you go into uttanasana.
Uttanasana (3) |
Deepen the groins and broaden the sacrum
as you lift the sitting bones to straighten the legs.
Then exhale and fold forward into uttanasana.
If you can, place the palms on the floor along-
side of the feet with the fingertips in line with
the toes. The palms will need to be on the floor
to move into the next pose, so bend the knees if
necessary to accomplish this.
Uttanasana (head up) (4) |
The next pose is a transitional asana, which
is essentially uttanasana with the head and torso
lifted. This is accomplished with an inhalation.
This re-lengthens the front body and shifts the
body’s weight forward of the palms. This is
needed in order to make the jump back to
chaturanga dandasana a light one.
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Jump (5)
The jump should be as light and free of momentum as possible. It should occur
more as a shifting of balance than utilizing the momentum of a jump. If this movement
is too difficult at first, rather than jumping, simply step back.
Chaturanga Dandasana (7)
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Urdva Mukha Svanasana (8) |
Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose (optional) |
Keep the sternum forward of the
shoulders and draw the inner scapulae
deeply down and into the back. Use this
action together with straightening the
arms as you inhale into urdva mukha
svanasana. Bhujangasana can be s
ubstituted for urdva mukha svanasana if you
prefer, but urdva mukha svanasana is
actually easier for tractioning the spine.
(The knees need never touch the floor
during this transition or throughout the
entire vinyasa. However, if they do need
to rest on the floor during transitions,
keep it to a minimum.)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (9)
With an exhalation, lift from the inner
thighs, drawing the pubic bone back
between the legs and up into adho
mukha svanasana.
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Virabhadrasana I (right side) (10)
From adho mukha svanasana, with one long
inhalation, step the right foot forward so that
the toes are in line with the wrists. Externally
rotate the arms, sweeping them out to the sides
and lift them up into virabhadrasana I. The
movement from adho mukha svanasana to
virabhadrasana I should theoretically be
accomplished with one inhalation, but breathe more if
necessary. Ideally, the entrance into
virabhadrasana I should also be completed
simultaneously with the completion of the inhalation.
Eventually virabhadrasana I can be taken
with a wider stance, that is, with the toes in line
with the finger tips. (If you can sustain the internal
rotation of the back leg and the squaring of
the torso, this is possible, but it will be the
exception rather than the rule.)
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Chaturanga Dandasana (11)
Exhaling, fold forward and place
the palms on the floor, as they were in
adho mukha svanasana, and step back
into chaturanga dandasana (or
phalakasana). The exhalation should
complete chaturanga dandasana.
Urdva Mukha Svanasana (12)
Let the next inhalation lift you again into urdva mukha svanasana.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (13)
Then exhale into adho mukha svanasana.
Rolling over your toes while transitioning from urdva mukha svanasana to adho mukha svanasana is a good habit to get into. However, a certain degree of flexibility in the whole body is needed in order for your stance to remain consistent enough to do this. For example, if back bends are a challenge, your feet may need to go further back in urdva mukha svanasana than they do in adho mukha svanasana in order to keep the shoulders from going too far forward and putting stress on the wrists. Adjust your stance as needed for the quality of the pose.
Virabhadrasana I (left side) (14)
With the next inhalation, bring the left foot
forward, toes in line with the wrists, sweep the
arms out to the sides in external rotation, and
up into virabhadrasana I on the left side.
Chaturanga Dandasana (15)
With the completion of the inhala-
tion and having formed virabhadrasana
I, now exhale and fold forward again
into chaturanga dandasana (or
phalakasana).
Urdva Mukha Svanasana (16)
Inhale into urdva mukha svanasana and exhale into adho mukha svanasana.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (17)
This time use adho mukha svanasana as a resting pose. Typically you would stay
here for five breaths. Stay longer if needed in order to give the body and breathe a moment to stabilize.
Jump (18)
Jump (19)
With an inhalation, lift the collarbones and the head and step or lightly jump so the
toes are brought back in line with the fingertips. In this jump, lift the groins as high as
possible. It will feel as though you are beginning to go into a handstand. The higher you
lift the groins, the lighter will be the jump. This is uttanasana with the head up again.
Uttanasana (head up) (20)
Uttanasana (21)
Take advantage of this pose to broaden the
pelvis and deepen the groins in preparation for
the next exhalation, which will fold you forward
into uttanasana.
Utkatasana (22) |
Urdva Hastasana (23) |
From uttanasana, inhale, bend the knees and lift the torso and arms into utkatasana,
continuing the inhalation as you straighten the legs all the way up into urdva hastasana.
(The hold in urdva hastasana is extremely brief.)
Tadasana (24)
Keeping the length of the inner body, exhale the arms back down to tadasana. This
completes one full surya namaskar vinyasa.
