How to Do Surya Namaskar is the first question comes to our mind when we hear from someone the magical effect of this asana. Surya means Sun in Sanskrit and Namaskar means bowing down. Sun is our life force and we bow down to it with gratitude while doing the set of asanas. Benefits of Surya Namaskar is not only confined to the physical body, it has a soothing effect on our mind too. Surya Namaskar is an easy self-conditioning that can easily help attain the level of healthy survival (1).

Yoga fanatics cannot help but lay emphasis on the importance of Surya Namaskar in our lives. A systematic blood circulation is one of the myriad plus points that it guarantees. Surya Namaskar can help evade most of the breathing problems that we suffer from in our diurnal activities. It assures sustainable development of the body. It is also a sort of salutation towards the sun which shines effortlessly and selflessly throughout the day. Hence we would be discussing below 12 asanas in Surya Namaskar which are effective in staying fit and healthy (2).

Surya Namaskar Mantra

Courtesy: LovingLifeonTheRoad

Surya Namaskar Mantra

How to Do Surya Namaskar

1. Pranamasana (Prayer pose)

1. You could use a mat to do the exercise.
2. You need to stand on the mat and balance your weight.
3. It would be convenient for one to stand on the edge of the mat and do these chores.
4. This exercise is all about relaxing your body and the various limbs attached to it.
5. One could lift up his hands while inhaling the air and then to bring back both the hands together during the exhaling of air.
6. Folding ones hand towards the end of the exercise leads to its completion.
7. As you inhale and exhale the air one folds his hands in the prayer position and tries of getting rid of bodily unrest.

Pranamasana

2. Hastauttanasana (Raised arms pose)

In this Asana, the body stands on the mat in an erect posture during the initial part of it.

1. Slowly breathing in the air and then gradually exhaling it in a very relaxed fashion.
2. This shouldn’t be done in haste then the whole purpose of it would stand defeated.
3. You need to steadily fold your hands in the prayer position and continue with the breathing exercise.
4. After a few minutes, one could stretch his arm in the backward direction and hold on to the posture for as long as he can.The more one stretches the better it is for the body.
5. If you want to better the yoga then there is a mechanism that needs to be followed.
6. The pelvic region could be pushed forward to ensure the proper flexing of the body. One must see to it that the entire body gets stretched starting from the heels to the tip of the fingers.

Hasta Uttanasana

3. Hasta Padasana (Hand to Foot Posture)

Even here the asana is done based on the breathing sequence.

1. Initially, the said person stands on the mat with his spines erect.
2. You gently inhale and exhale the air and in the process of it take your hands down to touch the feet.
3. As you exhale the air the hands need to reach the feet and continue touching it as long as the breathing exercise is not completed.
4. It is important to withhold the posture for a few seconds when the hands reach for the feet.There are ways of acing this yoga too.
5. While making efforts for the hands to touch the feet one might bend his feet to do the needful.
6. However, as soon as the posture is aced efforts should be made to straighten the knee.
7. This stretching helps to kill a chunk of the knee problems that every day growing adults suffer from.

Hasta Padasana

4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose)

1. In this yoga posture, the legs are stretched.
2. Hence the lower body part is stretched to an extent to make it more flexible than before. As one stands on the mat he is supposed to bend his feet.
3. Gradually sit on the mat and push your leg as far as possible.
4. This sequence is completed with the help of both the left and right legs.
5. Remember to withhold the stretching for a few seconds at least.
6. As you exhale the air the stretching needs to be done.
7. While stretching the lower part of the body remember to keep the knees as straight as possible, try not bending it.

Joint pain can be combated through these yoga postures. Stretching of the different body parts is important to rejuvenate the body and to make it as fit as possible.

Ashwa-Sanchalanasana

5. Chaturanga Dandasana (The Stick Pose)

This is popularly known as the Stick pose. Here the entire body is balanced on the toes and the posture is maintained for as long as possible. It is similar to the Plank Posture.

1. So you need to lie down on the mat and gradually lift your body.
2. The palms of the hand are placed next to the ears and the body is balanced on the toes.
3. Exhale the air when you complete the posture.
4. One needs to hold on to the inhaled air during the tenure of the posture.
5. The entire pressure of the body is exerted on the hands.
6. However, there are means of acing the posture simply by placing the hands in a right angle degree to the floor.
7. Balancing on the toes might seem difficult in the beginning but with practice, the posture can be aced in the best way possible.

Chaturanga Dandasana

6. Ashtanga Namaskara (Salute with eight parts or points)

In this exercise eight points of the body touch the floor as you do the breathing exercise.

1. Hence all these body parts are equally relaxed.
2. You need to lie down the mat and then gradually lift the pelvic region and to keep up with the posture for some time.
3. In this way the hands and feet, the chin and chest are in direct contact with the ground except for the pelvic region.
4. During the course of the exercise, the breathing should be as normal as possible.

This yoga is really good as it helps to tackle a lot of problems related to the waist and that of the posterior region.

Ashtanga Namaskara

7. Bhujangasana (The Cobra Pose)

This is a stretching exercise for the upper part of the body.

1. So initially the body is resting on a mat and then gradually the upper part of the body is lifted and stretched for a good number of seconds. This exercise is repeated at intervals.
2. You inhale the air as the body is stretched and then release it in the resting position. This is popularly known as the cobra pose as the maximum part of the body is risen above the resting phase.
3. The pressure of the body is exerted on the hands that help in withholding the cobra posture.

This exercise is indeed essential as it helps in reducing the weight of the upper part of the body and healthy survival. It is important to follow the exercise on a daily schedule to reap the maximum benefits out of it. This asana is extremely helpful in losing Belly Fat.

8. Adho Mukho Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog Posture)

1. This is the dog posture where the hands are stretched downwards, the hip region is elevated and the body is resting on the heel.
2. The person needs to make sure that the tailbone is stretched as much as possible by placing the heel on the ground. As you exhale the air the posture needs to be structured.
3. The body needs to be formulated in an inverted V structure.
4. Stretch as much as you can but try not forcing it on the body.
5. It would need a couple of attempts for one to actually be able to ace the pose.
6. Remember that the face is placed in the downward direction and the body is balanced on the palms of the hand.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

This posture is essential to kill knee related issues.

1. Firstly the body is at rest on the mat then gradually take one foot forward and stretch the other leg and keep the hip region elevated.
2. Look up throughout the tenure of the asana.
3. The entire posture is repeated for the other leg as well. Every posture needs to be sustained for a couple of seconds before it is released.
4. Remember to not bend the knees as far as possible.
5. Try to breathe in as you do the posture and release it at the completion of the exercise.
6. This exercise helps to move the stagnant body parts and rejuvenate the same.
7. In order to improve the posture, one must push the hip downwards in touch with the ground.

Ashwa-Sanchalanasana

10. Hasta Padasana (Hand to foot posture)

This exercise really helps in proper blood circulation.

1. For beginners, it might be a cumbersome task to ace the pose but with practice, the hands can easily reach the foot.
2. So first you need to stand on the mat and do the normal breathing exercise twice to relax the body effectively after which the hands are raised and then reach the foot.
3. The idle posture would be to place the hands next to the foot as you complete the pose.
4. Take a deep breath in and then reach for the foot, hold on to the pose for a couple of seconds and then exhale the air.
5. The more you practice, the better it is for the body.

Stretching of this sort helps to move the innate limbs in the body. Breathe control can be easily achieved at the end of the exercise.

Hasta Padasana

11. Hastauttasana (Raised Arms pose)

1. This pose is a continuation of the aforementioned postures.
2. Here again one needs to stand on the mat erect and do the breathing exercise gently.
3. After which the hands need to be folded in a prayer position and stretched backwards as much as possible.
4. Try doing the exercise in four sets and withhold the pose for a couple of seconds in order to work towards your advantage.

A lot of back problems can be easily dealt with by acing this exercise. Most people these days indulge in the table chair office work that doesn’t go down well with their backs. The outcome is backaches and chronic back pain. Hence finding some time in the morning before heading to the office can help us out. You don’t need to take medication or go to a gym to stay fit, simply dedicate 30 minutes of every day to healthy living.

Hasta Uttanasana

12. Tadasana

At the end of all these exercises, it is important to notice the sensations in your body, the changes you observe. In Tadasana the body is in a resting phase, one needs to stand erect and practice the breathing exercise as much as possible and see how revitalized he feels. This is the end posture of the aforementioned yoga poses and at the end of it, we hope that you feel better than before with a little less pain in life.

Tadasana is a very helpful asana for those who want to increase height.

Tadasana

Benefits of Surya Namaskar

It is important to note down the benefits you feel at the end of the exercise. Doing rigorous gym is not a cup of tea for most of us and hence yoga helps to do the needful. It directs life towards an art of living that is less stressful, less expensive and wouldn’t take up too much of our precious time too. Time is really precious if you got to survive in this rat race and hence such yoga poses for carved out for everyone.

• Surya Namaskar should be imbibed into our diurnal activity to reduce the stress, anxiety and other tensions.
• Surya Namaskar is excellent for weight loss when combined with proper diet routine.
• Asanas like Hasta Padasana and Bhujangasana help in increasing the blood circulation on the face and increases the Skin Glow.
• Surya Namaskar is not just a respect shown to the sun for bestowing light upon us throughout the day but a healthy regime which if practised can lead to a better tomorrow for our body.
• When you’re awake from sleep early in the morning fresh from all thoughts that kept irritating you at night, Surya Namaskar will help you sustain that freshness.
• It improves the breathing cycle and let to breathe the fresh air without feeling any itching of sorts.
• Doing Surya Namaskar every day can help cure asthma is a little-known fact.
• It also helps to release the stress and pain from the aching limbs of the body.
• Once the Surya Namaskar is completed you could go for these 12 yoga poses and then set out for the day.
• Try not imposing the postures by allowing your body to flow into it at ease. Your body is sacred and hence should be worshipped like a temple through yoga.