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12 Reasons You Should Start Your Day With The Sun Salutation
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It seems as if everyone is talking about yoga lately. Yoga has suddenly become extremely popular for a dozen good reasons. Ok, there are actually more than 12, but we will limit ourselves to 12 in this article.
One of the best yoga practices is called Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation in English. This is a flowing series of 12 yoga postures that is, as the name implies, meant to be done first thing in the morning as a means of greeting the sun and starting your day off right.
The best way to do this exercise is to perform it outside, enjoying the fresh air and the rays of the sun on an empty stomach. This s a great way to wake up your body and get all the vitamin D you need for the day.
It’s important to note that those who might be suffering from back pain, a hernia, a slipped disc, or heart disease should speak to their doctor before performing this routine. Pregnant mothers should also skip the sun salutation after their first trimester unless they get an OK from your doctor.
If you have been practicing yoga for a while, you are most likely familiar with the sun salutation, but if you are new to yoga, this is a great place to start.
This set of 12 poses is meant to be done 12 times, but if you can’t do that many, or if you don’t have time for that, even just three or four repetitions are good. Many people like to track their progress and take satisfaction in noting that, perhaps in the beginning, they could only do three or four reps but with time, they find they can complete seven or eight reps with no problem.
Are you ready?
First, the 12 poses of the sun salutation are:
- Salutation posture (pranamasana)
- Raised arm posture (hasta uttanasana)
- Hand to foot posture (padahastasana)
- Equestrian posture (ashwa sanchalanasana)
- Mountain posture (parvatasana)
- Salutation with 8 limbs (ashtanga namaskara)
- Cobra posture (bhujangasana)
- Mountain posture (parvatasana)
- Equestrian posture (ashwa sanchalanasana)
- Hand to foot posture (padahastasana)
- Raised arm posture (hasta uttanasana)
- Salutation posture (pranamasana)
As you can see, this is a sort of a circle of poses that starts and ends with the salutation. This is a complete set of exercises that many find not only gives them physical benefits, but it also improves their mental health.
Let’s take a look at the top 12 reasons why you should start practicing the sun salutation.
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