But what poses does a sun salutation consist of, exactly?
Ahead is your complete guide to incorporating sun salutations into your routine, featuring insight from certified yoga instructors.
Traditionally yoga is practiced first thing in the morning before breakfast as the sun rises."
Photo:Getty Images
So, which yoga poses make up the sun salutation sequences, exactly?
Sun Salutation A
1.Tadasana(Mountain Pose)
A.
Stand with your feet slightly apart and parallel to each other.
Release your arms down alongside your torso, palms turned out, shoulders relaxed.
2.Urdhva Hastasana(Upward Salute)
A. Inhale and sweep your arms overhead in wide arcs.
Bring your palms together, drop your head back, and gaze up at your thumbs.
Release your neck so that your head hangs heavily from your upper spine.
B. Straighten your elbows, then lift your front torso away from your thighs.
C. Lengthen the front of your torso as you arch evenly along the entire spine length.
Plank Pose
A. Exhale and step your feet back into the top of a push-up.
Adjust so that your shoulders are directly over your wrists and your feet are hip-distance apart.
C. Lower knees to the mat if needed.
D. Gaze down and slightly forward, keeping the back of your neck long.
E. Inhale and lengthen through your back.
6.Chaturanga Dandasana(Four-Limbed Staff Pose)
A. Exhale and hug your elbows tight to your body.
Bend your elbows as you slowly lower your entire body toward the ground.
Continue lowering until your elbows make a right angle, then pause.
C. Gaze down and slightly forward.
Press the tops of your toes into the mat, keep your legs strong, and relax your glutes.
C. Pull your shoulders back and broaden through your collarbones.
D. Gaze straight ahead or slightly up.
Press down through your palms, lengthen through your back, and release your heels toward
the mat.
If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees as much as needed.
11.Urdhva Hastasana(Upward Salute)
12.Tadasana(Mountain Pose)
A.
Release your arms down alongside your torso, palms turned out, shoulders relaxed.
Below are just a few of the potential mental and physical benefits of sun salutations.
The modern practice called morning movement relies on a similar science.
That exact thing happens throughout sun salutations once or twice, depending on the specific sequence.
Increases full body strength
Sun salutations also can increase strength, says Hirsch.
Each of the poses in the salutation builds strength in slightly different portions of the body.
Improves muscular endurance
You dont just build muscular strength doing sun salutations, however.
You also buildmuscular endurance.
Some flows for instance, fast-pacedvinyasa flows will involve holding poses for just a breath or two.
Regardless, you will increase your muscular endurance.
So, performing the blood-pumping sequence of a sun salutation can also improve flexibility, says Hofer.
It eases stiffness, increases flexibility, as well as improves range of motion and mobility."
Promotes better mobility
Mobilityis defined as strength within your flexibility.
When pushing through an intense sun salutation sequence, you have no option but to focus on that.
Improves mind-body connection
Each pose in the salutation is linked together with breath, says Galvin.
Variations and Modifications
Sun salutations arent like 300-level university classes.
Meaning there are no prerequisites for giving them a whirl.
Meanwhile, if your wrists are the limiting factor, you might scale it to dolphin pose.
During thechaturangayoga push-up, you might reduce the intensity of the movement by dropping to your knees.
Or, you might increase the muscular demand of the movement by doing two consecutive yoga push-ups.
There is so much to learn that your number one focus should be on moving pain-free, she says.
Typically, sun salutation is meant to be done breath-to-movement, says Hofer.
Then, the beginning of an exhale acts as a cue for your next transition.
In practice, this means that the fullness of your lungs sets the pace as you flow.
If, for example, you havewrist pain, ask your instructor to include wrist-friendly modifications in their instruction.
Only do what you’re able to do without pain, says Hirsch.
There is plenty of time to advance to higher-level variations of the positions, she says.
Again, this can be avoided by leaving your ego at the door and embracing abeginner mindset.
Remember that longevity (not perfection!)
