Sun Salutations are a very important part of my own personal yoga practice. They can be practised independently from any other yoga postures (remember though to not skip Savasana at the end!) and they are great to get energised in the morning! Much healthier than a cup of coffee!
Including a toddler in your practice makes Sun Salutations a bit - well, a lot - harder of course, but if you have little monkeys at home like me, you might not have any choice but to let them join in!
***For beginners I would definitely suggest to practise WITHOUT toddlers/pets or other distractions until you feel comfortable as Sun Salutations are not easy!***
Why practise Sun Salutations
So why do we practise Surya Namaskar (surya means “sun”, Namaskar means “to bow”)? Sun Salutations are a great way to energise the whole body. They can be a great workout for the cardiovascular system, especially if you do them quite fast (always with the breath) and they are also great to get toned and loose weight if that’s what you’re looking for!
Benefits of Sun Salutations
Sun Salutations are comprised of about 12 different yoga postures (asana) which means you get the benefits of 12 yoga postures in one mini sequence. They are traditionally practised in the early morning hours before sun rise but of course if you don’t want to get up at 5am to do yoga then it’s fine to do them any time during the day!
- good for the cardiovascular system
- energises the nervous system
- can help to prevent high blood pressure
- good for the digestive system
- strengthen arms, legs, shoulders and back (and the rest of the body too!)
- reduce fat around the hips and waist
- strengthen the immune system
- increases stamina
How to do Sun Salutations
As part 3 of my YouTube beginner’s course I’ve included two simple versions of Sun Salutations which can see here.
There are many different variations but what they all have in common is that you move with the breath (inhale one movement, exhale next movement, inhale next movement etc etc) and that they all include lots of backbends and forward bends.
1000 Sun Salutations – 24th July
Now that you get the basic idea of Sun Saluations (or maybe you do them already) you might get a sense of how physically demanding they can be – especially if you practise a few in a row.
My fellow yoga teacher, Peter Thompson, who teaches Broga (Yoga for Men) is crazy enough to attempt to do 1000 Sun Salutations  during a charity Yoga Marathon for Animal Aid! No, that’s not a typo… One Thousand Sun Salutations!!!
And trust me, if you watch the video on his site you will see that these are not the easy versions!
This complete madness is taking place on Sunday, the 24th July and I’ll definitely be thinking of him on that day or possibly watching him if he films it for Facebook Live!
Do check out his website and donate £3 if you want to support him and his charity. It’s a fabulous cause and he has been extremely dedicated to it. I’ve seen some of his training on facebook and it’s pretty impressive!
In the meantime, I’ll stick to my toddler-enhanced versions of Sun Salutations…
Hi Christine, I try to fit in a sun salutation every morning before the day begins. There’s not doubt that it totally sets me up for the day 🙂
That’s great! It’s such a good start to the day!
What a truly wonderful post. I feel very humbled by what you have done to help Christine. Can you come along on the day? Xx
Would love to come along but I’m in France! Good luck and will be thinking of you! xx