108 Sun Salutations - Surya Namaskar - Salutations au Soleil

Yesterday we did 108 Sun Salutations to celebrate the Equinox! It was amazing to guide this class, it took us 2 hours and 40 minutes, but for me, it felt like just one hour had passed. We had a very good rhythm, and energy. I was so concentrated and focused, just breathing and feeling that my body was floating in between asanas... An amazing experience.

“The notion of a salutation to the sun is to pay your respects and surrender to the universe. This can be taken as a metaphor to let go physically – the mind follows as you move ‘inside’ the practice.”

It is often said that Surya Namaskar contains the entire practice within it. But what does that mean? If you examine which postures make up the sun salutations, you get a wide range of movements: forward bend, back bend, being still, lengthening the spine, grounding the feet, strengthening the upper body, stretching the hamstrings, expanding the lungs and more. That is why Surya Namaskar is the ideal way to warm the body at the beginning of a yoga practice. Even if you do not intend to practice yoga, the sun salutation is a great way to start the day, as it also works on the mind. By hearing the breath, holding the gaze (dristi), these movements allow us to center ourselves and to quiet our wandering mind.

The sun salutation is one of the most effective way to learn about the vinyasa, binding the breath to the movement. Every movement has a breath associated with it, an inhale when going up, and exhale when going down or constricting the lungs. Sometimes it takes years to be able to fully breathe through every movement of Surya Namaskar, but it is well worth it. Doing the Sun Salutations regularly will transform your yoga practice, your outlook on life and yourself.