Practice Sun Salutation |

Doing a Sun Salutation means remembering to salute the creative energy that generates movement, expansion and pulsation throughout the planet. New life is what most people want when they start a new cycle in their lives.

And in a tropical country like Brazil, nothing better than honoring this sacred sun, a natural source of energy, which illuminates our lives. But, before that, it is important to show the essence of this practice.

In the old days, the sun was so admired and respected that it was called the Sun God, the central star that illuminates everyone and provides life on Earth. At dawn and dusk, meditating and praying became sacred to ancient peoples.

They discovered that the first and last rays of the sun emanate a powerful energy that penetrates the skin and aura like a balm that heals, revitalizes and illuminates.

Even with cloudy weather we can connect with this moment. After all, the clouds only prevent us from seeing the sun, but its vital energy is still there.

Energy that is good

It is important to understand that the energy that comes from the sun brings with it a reserve of vital forces, healing energy. Aurora offers an energy that no other power is capable of.

Today, people go to the beach in order to get tanned, but they forget that tanning is just a result of nutrition and capturing the sun’s rays. We need to fill ourselves with protection against UVA and UVB rays, as the Earth’s protective layer is weakened.

However, morning or late afternoon sun contributes to making the body healthy and immune to harmful rays to the skin.

Raw, sunlight-grown foods such as vegetables and green tea nourish the body, especially when one also incorporates the daily Sun Salutation sequence into one’s routine,

To understand the benefits of the sun is to understand the power of things, the life force that lives in us, in food and in the universe.

And it is exactly when we understand the meaning of the sun that we awaken the attitude of reverence for it, as we remember that in everything and in everyone there is vibrant and pulsating light. This is what generates the ability to transform, love and procreate.

The effects of Surya Namaskar

We can practice Saluting and yoga as a way of giving thanks for the day, purifying the body, calming the mind and illuminating the spirit.

Surya Namaskar becomes a dance when body movements are fluid and harmonic. In addition to warming up the body, it also helps to prepare the person to remain in the postures that the exercise requires, acting on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

Physically, Surya Namaskar develops the body’s musculature and promotes muscle stretching, detoxifies the internal organs and joints, warms the musculature and works the whole body by providing energy.

It allows to keep the spine healthy and stimulates the respiratory and circulatory system. On the mental and emotional levels, it works on rebalancing the energy centers (chakras), that is, it balances and acts on the hormones of the body’s glands, thus calming the thoughts.

On a spiritual level, awakening inner energy activates intuition and expands one’s perception of oneself and the world.

saluting the sun

Surya Namaskar can be practiced slowly and paused, as well as fluidly or faster, always respecting breathing, which should preferably be done through the nose. The synchronicity in the exercise flows naturally, as the practitioner begins to assimilate the postures and movements.

The classic Sun Salutation is composed of twelve postures that connect with the four phases of breathing: inhale, hold or suspend, exhale and keep the lungs empty.

As mentioned before, depending on the capacity of each person (biotype) and the moment of the practitioner, you can do it fluidly or try to stay for a certain period (3, 6 or 12 breaths) in each posture, always keeping your concentration on the breathing and attention in the present moment.

Check out the step-by-step of some postures used in saluting the sun:

1 – Take three deep, conscious breaths. Let the thumbs touch the center of the chest to activate the love energy.

two – Inhaling, raise your arms by your sides, bringing your hands together at the top of your head. If possible, watch your thumbs.

3 – Exhaling, lean your torso forward, bring your arms down by your sides, until your hands touch or approach the floor.

4 – Inhaling, bring your left leg back.

5 – Then take your right leg back as well, pausing.

6 – Breathing out, bring your knees, chest (between your hands) and chin to the ground until you can bring your torso to the ground. Place your hands on the floor – in line with your chest – and your elbows pointing back.

7 – Inhaling, press your hands into the floor and raise your torso. Then roll your shoulders back, setting the intention to project your chest forward.

8 – Exhale, bring your glutes to your heels, keeping your arms straight and lengthening your spine.

9 – Breathing in, get on all fours.

10 – Exhaling, place your hands firmly on the floor and stretch your body, distributing your weight on your feet and hands.

11 – Inhaling, take your left foot between your hands. Then do the same with the right foot.

12 – Exhaling, completely release the torso.

13 – Inhaling, raise your arms by your sides until your hands come together at the top of your head.

14 – Exhaling, bring your hands in front of your chest.

*Repeat the series starting with the right foot and returning to the end of the position, with the same foot.

This Sun Salutation sequence can be done twice a day or more, depending on one’s time availability.

Ideally, the sequence should always be done in an even number, that is, the person starts the exercise with the left leg and then with the right leg. This helps to achieve harmony between the two hemispheres of the brain and the sides of the body.

With practice time, the number of repetitions of the positions can increase. In the beginning, the person can start doing two positions, then four and progress until they can do 12 repetitions.

It is important to point out that, right at the beginning, it may not be easy to synchronize the movement with the breath.

However, practice and the fluidity of the body will help to synchronize the movement with the breath. When the practitioner evolves, he can skip some postures (9-10) and advance, moving from posture 8 to 11.

Contraindication: In the case of herniated disks, severe joint problems or various surgical interventions, one should consult the teacher before starting to practice.

And most importantly: when you salute the sun, connect with its real meaning. After all, the sun that dwells in me salutes the sun that dwells in you!