30 Jul What is Sun Salutation?
In Sanskrit it is called Surya Namaskar. We all know the value of the sun in our life on this planet and how much our body requires sun for our physical and mental health. And so we know that the sun is the only source of energy and value of it. Not only we human beings need the sun but all plants and other species require sun as much as we need.
Surya Namaskar is a very popular name among yoga practitioners, Surya means Sun or solar and Namaskar means salutation. In India sun salutation has been practiced as a worship. It is a tradition for morning and evening worship. We have all these symbolic associations with not only the sun but with other natural phenomena too, for example nature, river, moon and other planets. If one doesn’t wish to name that something great “God” one can name it Sun or the supreme being or the consciousness force. Name whatever you wish.
Sun is the symbol of light and the ideal is to wake up before sunrise. Whenever you stand before the sun, don’t stand just like you are standing in front of an ordinary phenomenon. The ideal in yoga is to establish a connection between two, that is the actual meaning of yoga. Yoga means to yoke. If someone can not wake up early doesn’t mean that person can not do sun salutation afterwards. Whenever you are ready, stand before the sun with a worshipful mind and build a connection with solar.
Let go of the yoga body as you look up and immerse yourself in the field of light, the spiritual light within, the light of prana in your vitality and in your physical personality. Worship is not something you do with your speech, it is a whole process, it is worship with body and each gesture has a mental connection.
When you join your hand together in front, you should not join formally but join and imagine hands in the shape of a flower which is about to blossom and placed before the heart center. Attitude of worship is important to begin practice.
This practice involves the whole body to practice it and in many yoga styles, they start with sun salutation. It is practiced in the beginning to warm-up the whole body. Practicing only sun salutation will not only give physical benefits but also mental and spiritual.
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