| Description
Suryanamaskar is a rhythmic combination of
yogasana and pranayama. It starts with a small prayer and
a mantra. This asana is usually done at sunrise as well as
sunset. One has to face the sun. The asana begins with the
chanting of the following verse:
- Hiranmayena patrena satya sapihitam mukham Tat twam
pusam apavarnu satya dharmaya drustaye.
- Like the lid of a vessel, O Sun, your gold covers the
entrance to the truth. Please open the door to lead me
to the truth.
Soorya is sun and namaskar is salutation.
Benefits
Physical
- Regular practice of suryanamaskar helps you prepare
your body for other asanas by improving flexibility. It
is also useful in weight reduction efforts.
- As suryanamaskara is a chain of different asanas, one
reaps the benefits of these asanas simultaneously. Individual
benefits are described along with the related asana section.
Suryanamaskar exercises the muscles, bones, the respiratory
and digestive system and the nervous system, (the sympthetic
and parasympthetic) which act on the thyroid, pitutory,
pineal, adrenal, pancreas and liver.
Mental
If you do suryanamaskar for at least 10 min
per day, you notice positive changes in you. You become more
alert and get more happiness out of life.
Pranic
Suryanamaskar has a beneficial effect on
almost all the chakras from muladhar to sahastrar.
Techniques
Each time you want to start the suryanamaskar,
chant the prayer given above. With every suryanamaskar, chant
omkar, beejamantra and the corresponding name of the Sun.
You can practice 3, 6, 12 or 24 suryanamaskaras in the given
sequence, according to your requirement, endurance and convenience.
Cautions
Patients suffering from hypertension, hernia,
spondylosis heart disease or knee pain should not practice
suryanamaskar, or should practice it under observation and
guidance of an expert.
Duration
Suryanamaskar can be practiced in different
ways.
a) in exact co-relation with breathing by
extending natural breath effortlessly.
b) With the principle of Asana i.e.
- Maintain each step for a longer duration, change the
position only if the pain in the stretched muscles exceeds
pleasurable limit or if the stretched muscles start trembling.
- One suryanamaskar with exact co-relation with breath
may be for 1 to 2 minutes but with the principle of asana
it can extend to even half an hour or more, depending
on the individual’s capacity to remain in each step.
c) Suryanamaskar can be repeated 12, 24,
30, 40 times or more to have aerobic exercise. If you practice
it in this way, the muscles should not be stretched too much.
Young Indian children who participate in Suryanamaskar competition
repeat the pose in multiples of hundred.
Variations
We have discussed twelve-step suryanamaskar.
One can do ten-step suryanamaskar by avoiding the fifth and
ninth positions.
Please remember that no practice can be adequately learned
from a book, written instructions. The guidelines given in
the web pages are intended to give you an introduction to
different yogic postures. However, it is advised to practice
the asanas under the guidance of a Guru or a qualified yoga
instructor.
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