SUN SALUTATIONS (Suryanamaskara)
If you do only a little Yoga each day, do Sun Salutations.

For people with limited time, the Sun Salutations exercise every muscle and joint while stimulating all the major organs. The name itself means to give reverence to the internal sun as well as to the external sun, the creative force that radiates inside as well as outside the body.

Sun Salutation is a series of 12 poses linked by a continuous flowing motion, and accompanied by five deep breaths. Do this series twice in a row every morning and evening, more if you desire. As always in yoga, do it slowly and consciously.

1. Stand up straight with your feet together and your hands in prayer fashion. Feel awareness of the whole body.

2. Inhale as you raise your arms up over your head, arching your back slightly.

3. Exhale as you bend forward and bring your hands towards the floor. Keep your knees slightly bent and let your head hang relaxed.

4. Inhale as you reach the right leg back while bending the left leg into a lunge.

5. Slowly begin to exhale as you place your left leg back next to the right and straighten the body into plank pose…finishing the exhale as you…

6. …Lower your body to the floor, touching your chin, chest, knees, feet, and hands to the floor, and keeping your buttocks, thighs, and abdomen lifted.

7. Inhale, relax your lower torso, and slightly bend your upper torso, looking up until your arms are straight.

8. Exhale as you push back into down dog pose.

9. Inhale as you move your right leg forward until it rests on the floor between your hands. Lunge pose on the other side.

10. Exhale, bringing left leg back to forward bend.

11. Inhale and stand up, stretching your arms back over your head, looking up.

12. Exhale as you bring your hands down in front of your chest.

Read more about Pranayama.

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