சூரிய நமஸ்காரம்

Surya Namaskaram

Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation is a sequence of 12 powerful yoga poses. Besides being a great cardiovascular workout, Surya Namaskar is also known to have an immensely positive impact on the body and mind. 

Surya Namaskar is best done early morning on an empty stomach. Each round of Sun Salutation consists of two sets, and each set is composed of 12 yoga poses. You might find several versions on how to practice Sun Salutation. However, it is advisable to stick to one particular version and practice it regularly for best results.

Besides good health, Surya Namaskar also provides an opportunity to express gratitude to the sun for sustaining life on this planet.

For next 10 days, do 12 rounds of sun salutation, followed by other yoga poses, and then relax. You will be amazed to find that this simple mantra will help you stay fit, happy, and peaceful throughout the day.

Incredible benefits of Surya Namaskar:

• Helps maintain cardiovascular health
• Stimulates the nervous system
• Helps in stretching, flexing and toning the muscles
• Excellent exercise for weight loss management
• Strengthens the immune system
• Enhances cognitive functions
• Improves overall health, strengthens the body and relaxes the mind

Steps to do Surya Namaskar:

Step 1. Pranamasana (Prayer pose)

Stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet together and balance your weight equally on both the feet. Expand your chest and relax your shoulders. As you breathe in, lift both arms up from the sides, and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in prayer position.

Step 2. Hastauttanasana (Raised arms pose)

Breathing in, lift the arms up and back, keeping the biceps close to the ears. In this pose, the effort is to stretch the whole body up from the heels to the tips of the fingers.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

You may push the pelvis forward a little bit. Ensure you're reaching up with the fingers rather than trying to bend backward.

Step 3. Hastapadasana (Standing forward bend)

Breathing out, bend forward from the waist keeping the spine erect. As you exhale completely, bring the hands down to the floor beside the feet.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

You may bend the knees, if necessary, to bring the palms down to the floor. Now make a gentle effort to straighten the knees. It's a good idea to keep the hands fixed in this position and not move them henceforth until we finish the sequence.

Step 4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, push your right leg back, as far back as possible. Bring the right knee to the floor and look up.

Tip: How to deepen this yoga stretch?

Ensure that the left foot is exactly in between the palms.

Step 5. Dandasana (Stick pose)

As you breathe in, take the left leg back and bring the whole body in a straight line.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor.

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

Gently bring your knees down to the floor and exhale. Take the hips back slightly, slide forward, rest your chest and chin on the floor. Raise your posterior a little bit. The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest and chin (eight parts of the body) should touch the floor.

Step 7. Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

Slide forward and raise the chest up into the Cobra pose. You may keep your elbows bent in this pose with the shoulders away from the ears. Look up at the ceiling.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

As you inhale, make a gentle effort to push the chest forward; as you exhale, make a gentle effort to push the navel down. Tuck the toes under. Ensure you're stretching just as much as you can and not forcing your body.

Step 8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog pose)

Breathing out, lift the hips and the tailbone up to bring the body into an inverted ‘V’ pose.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

If possible, try and keep the heels on the ground and make a gentle effort to lift the tailbone up, going deeper into the stretch.

Step 9. Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian pose)

Breathing in, bring the right foot forward in between the two hands. The left knee goes down on the floor. Press the hips down and look up.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

Place the right foot exactly between the two hands and the right calf perpendicular to the floor. In this position, make a gentle effort to push the hips down towards the floor, to deepen the stretch.

Step 10. Hastapadasana (Standing forward bend)

Breathing out, bring the left foot forward. Keep the palms on the floor. You may bend the knees, if necessary.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

Gently straighten the knees, and if you can, try and touch your nose to the knees. Keep breathing.

Step 11. Hastauttanasana (Raised arms pose)

Breathing in, roll the spine up. Raise the hands up and bend backward a little bit, pushing the hips slightly outward.

Tip to deepen this yoga stretch:

Ensure that your biceps are beside your ears. The idea is to stretch up more rather than stretching backward.

Step 12. Tadasana (Mountain pose)

As you exhale, first straighten the body, then bring the arms down. Relax in this position and observe the sensations in your body. 

This completes one set of Surya Namaskar. Complete the round by repeating the steps. Only this time, start with taking the left foot behind in step number 4 and bringing the right foot forward in step number 10. Once done, you would’ve completed one round of Surya Namaskar.

Yin Yoga and its benefits

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga, which incorporates principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, along with Asanas (poses). In this form of yoga asanas are held for a longer period of time. Beginners can hold postures in Yin Yoga from 45 seconds to two minutes; whereas, more advanced practitioners may stay in an asana for five minutes or more. 

The sequence of asanas are meant to invigorate the channels of the subtle body which is known as meridians in Chinese medicine and as Nadis in Hatha yoga.

Yin Yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body, such as tendons, fasciae, and ligaments. Besides, these poses aim to increase circulation in the joints and improve flexibility. Performing these poses daily helps one to become aware, and achieve inner silence. 

History of Yin Style Yoga

Martial arts expert and yoga teacher Pauli zink’s Taoist in the late 1970s, founded Yin Yoga. Zink’s approach consists of the full range of Taoist yoga, which includes both yin and conventional. Today, Yin Yoga is taught across North America and Europe by the Yin Yoga teachers and developers Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. However, they don’t teach it as a complete practice in itself, but they teach as a complement to more active forms of yoga and exercises. 

How is Yin Yoga different from other yoga asanas?

Yoga practices, such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa physically target the superficial muscles, while in Yin yoga, the deep connective tissues of the body, such as ligaments, bones, joints, and deep fascia networks are targeted.

More often than not, a Yin class consists of a series of passive floor poses and each pose is held for up to 5 minutes or more. These passive floor poses majorly focus on the areas specifically rich in connective tissues or the lower part of the body – the hips, pelvis, lower spine, and inner thighs. 

People who practice Yin yoga not only experience improved energy flow and enhanced flow of chi in the organs, but also they achieve immense peace and emotional stability. 

Can everybody practice Yin yoga?

Basically, yin yoga is used to balance the energy. For instance, if you are extremely tired and feel a lack of energy or if you are overstimulated and have too much energy. In both the situations Yin yoga will work perfectly. However, Yin yoga can be dangerous for pregnant women, hypermobile people, and the ones suffering from osteoporosis, etc.

Effect of Yin Yoga on the body

Yin yoga specifically works on the connective tissues – also known as Yin tissues. Connective tissue tend to respond to a slow, steady load, which is why poses are held for longer. When in yin pose, you gently stretch connective tissue by holding it for a longer period of time, your body will respond by making it a little longer and stronger – and that’s what you want. 

Sequences of poses are meant to stimulate the myofascial meridians in the body and remove blockages from there, thereby balancing the body’s internal organs and systems. Yin yoga requires the muscles to relax around the connective tissue so that one can get a good stretch. Like Ashtanga Yoga, Yin style yoga poses are also have different names.

Effects on the mind

Today, almost everybody is going through a certain level of stress, stress could be of work, relationships, finances, etc. Yin style yoga is one such practice which balances all the aspects of life. This form of yoga is more than just asanas, it is an art, an effective system of practice, which helps balancing one’s health at physical, mental, social and spiritual level. The poses help one to become still and staying for a while creates space for anything that wants to come up. This could be anything from anxiety to sadness, happiness to boredom…any emotion or feeling that you suppress in your day to day life. It basically, gives you the time and space to allow all your emotions, thoughts and feelings that you have suppressed come to surface.

In this form of yoga, you are encouraged to allow all those feelings to be there, but you don’t need to identify with them. You need to observe your emotions, but not get caught up in them. Yin encourages you to observe only the pure physical sensations of emotions, without getting caught up in the reasons or stories about those emotions.

Practicing yin regularly not only helps you have more flexible, toned, and healthy body, but also it helps you to unite with yourself on a deeper level. Every pose you perform activates nervous system – brain, connective tissues, bones, and emotions all at once. 

Expert tips for beginners

Beginners are advised to find their appropriate edge before moving to their maximum. You need to move slowly and gently into the pose. 

Hold the pose for 45 seconds to 2 minutes, depending upon your comfort level, make sure you don’t stretch so far as to cause pain. Gradually you can progress to 5 minutes or more.

Stillness is the aim of YIN. However, it will be difficult initially. But you have to consciously try to release into the pose, and to remain still, without fidgeting or shifting position too much.

Benefits of a regular Yin yoga practice

Yin yoga provides you with a lot of benefits. People who perform yin experience great change in their lives. Here are some of the benefits:

1. First things first, it calms and balances your mind and body simultaneously.
2. It releases fascia and improves joint mobility.
3. Balances the internal organs and improves the flow of Prana or Chi. 
4. It is actually a gateway to strengthen mindfulness and create a formal mediation practice.
5. Reduces any kind of stress and anxiety. These poses gives you a positive physiological shift in your feeling state and energy.
6. It improves flexibility and increases circulation.
7. Impacts your attitude, stress level, energy level, flexibility, emotions, body aches, and ability to sleep all at once.
8. It helps you feel good, relaxed, and go within.
9. It eases joints and helps you with joint pains.
10. Lastly, it helps you develop a mind-body awareness beyond expectation.

You are never too inflexible to perform YIN STYLE YOGA…Try it out!