Surya Namaskar-Time to reconnect with your inner soul
Sun plays an important part of life on Earth, and to pay gratitude to the sun, humans since ancient times do Surya namaskar. Moreover, since the sun is the source of energy, doing Surya namaskar poses is a powerful way to awaken one’s body and mind.
If you often find that you’re busy to work out or meditate, simply set aside 30 minutes of your day to practise Surya Namaskar poses, which focus both on the mind and the body. Surya namaskar is a yoga asana that is also a full-body workout.
Practising Surya namaskar poses has various benefits on the mind and body, such as weight loss, helps develop a strong upper body, improving strength and endurance, maintaining cardiovascular health, and reviving the nervous system, among many other benefits.
If you are keen on beginning your practice, we will show you how to perform the Surya namaskar poses in the right way.
- Prayer pose: Simply stand straight with your hands in a folded prayer position as you inhale deeply and breathe out.
- Raised arms pose: While still maintaining your prayer pose, start bending backwards with your prayer hands up in the air. Keep your biceps close to your ears as you stretch your whole body.
- Standing forward bend pose: Bend forward to touch your toes with your fingers but make sure your spine is straight while your neck and shoulders are relaxed. Exhale while you bend down and inhale as you slowly come back up.
- The lunge pose: Bend your knees slightly while your palms are resting on the floor near your feet. Inhale you as you bring your right knee towards your right chest while pushing your left leg back. Try balancing your body as you keep your head straight.
- Plank pose: Inhale as you bring your right leg next to the left leg, keeping both of them stretched backwards while balancing your body on your toes and palms. Your spine should be erect, and your body should be in a straight line.
- Eight limbed pose: Exhale while bringing your knees down to the floor and rest your chin on the floor. Slowly raise your hips from the ground with the support of your hands, knees and chin on the ground. Your chest should touch the ground as you suspend your posterior in the air for a few seconds.
- Cobra pose: Lie on your stomach and place your arms by your chest. With the support of your hands, start lifting your upper body off the ground like a cobra. Your hips should be intact with the ground, and your head should be straight.
- Downward facing dog: Lie on your stomach and lift your hips so that your body forms a ‘V’ shape. Your elbows should be straight, while your feet should be firmly placed on the ground.
- High lunge pose: As mentioned above, get back into the high lunge pose.
- Standing forward bend: As you start coming to the end of the exercise, move back into the standing forward bend pose.
- Raised arms pose: As practised earlier, go back into the raised arms pose.
- Prayer pose: Complete your 1 round of Surya namaskar with the prayer pose.
With so many benefits to reap, start practising Surya namaskar poses from today.