Exploring the deeper meaning behind this beautiful sequence
Sun Salutations are a common sequence found in vinyasa and power yoga classes. Are they merely there as a warm-up and as a way to get your heart rate up, or do they serve a deeper purpose? Find out in this post!
What Are Sun Salutations?
Many of us begin our yoga journeys as a way to work on our physical body. Maybe we want to improve our flexibility or maybe we want to improve our core strength. Then we usually see, ‘Oh wow, this practice is also great for my mind,’ and we start to enjoy yoga for the mental health benefits. Then maybe we start to become curious about the deeper meaning behind what we’re doing in our yoga classes. We may start to ask questions such as, “Is there a deeper purpose to practicing warrior poses beyond just strengthening my legs? Why do we end every practice with savasana?”
These types of questions help you to take your practice to the next level. If you haven’t asked these questions, don’t worry! You’ve still found your way to this post which means that on some level you are ready as well! That’s what we are looking at today, the deeper meaning behind a common sequence performed in vinyasa style yoga classes, the Sun Salutation.
Sun Salutations are a sequence of yoga poses done in a specific order. Sun Salutation A is probably the most common sequence that you’ll find in a yoga class (we’ll get into more details on the specifics later). While this sequence does offer many physical benefits to your body, there’s much more that you can get out of practicing Sun Salutations if you look a little deeper.
Looking at the Sanskrit translation, (the original language of yoga), can help us to understand the deeper meaning behind Sun Salutations.
The Deeper Meaning Behind Sun Salutations
Surya Namaskar Meaning
A wonderful way to deepen your yoga practice is to learn the Sanskrit names for your yoga poses. This elevates your practice and helps you connect with the roots of yoga because Sanskrit is the language that was traditionally used in this ancient practice.
The traditional Sanskrit name for Sun Salutations is ‘Surya Namaskar’. ‘Surya’ translates to ‘Sun’. ‘Namaskar’ is a greeting meaning “I bow to you.’ This greeting is often accompanied by bringing the palms together in prayer. This is how we start our Sun Salutations, by bringing the hands in prayer and bowing to the Sun which provides us with life here on Earth. So a Sun Salutation is really what it sounds like, a sequence to honor the Sun and offer our gratitude.
Also, when Sun Salutations are performed repeatedly with focus, they can become like a moving meditation. This makes them an excellent way to achieve a meditative state while moving. This can be especially useful for those who find it difficult to sit still for meditation. (Not that you shouldn’t work towards being able to sit in stillness, but it is nice to have options!)
Sun Salutation A Sequence:
Just note that traditional Sun Salutation A includes a jump back to chaturanga. This variation can be very physically challenging and can be difficult to do while keeping proper form. For this reason, (and one other reason which I’ll talk about later), I am listing the sequence without the jump back.
Also, it’s important to connect your breath with your movement as you move through this sequence. Below you will find breath cues next to each pose.
1- Mountain Pose With Hands in Prayer (Tadasana with Anjali Mudra) – Exhale breath (on your first round, you can do an inhale first and then exhale to begin the sequence)
2- Reach Arms Overhead (Urdhva Hastasana) – Inhale breath
3- Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) – Exhale breath
4- Flat Back (Ardha Uttanasana) – Inhale breath
5- Plank Pose (Palahakasana) – Exhale breath.. you will continuing exhaling through chaturanga
6- Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) – Exhale continues from plank pose
7- Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) – Inhale breath
8- Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – Exhale breath – Hold downward dog and take 5 rounds of inhales/exhales
9- Flat Back (Ardha Uttanasana) – Inhale breath
10- Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) – Exhale breath
11- Reach Arms Overhead (Urdhva Hastasana) – Inhale breath
12- Mountain Pose With Hands in Prayer (Tadasana with Anjali Mudra) – Exhale breath
There you go, one Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) is complete!
Other options you can take for your Sun Salutations
The sequence written above is just one option for Sun Salutation A.
You can modify this sequence by dropping to your knees in plank and then lowering to the ground. You would then move through a low cobra instead of an upward facing dog. This is a great modification to take.
You could also make your Sun Salutation A more traditional by hopping back into chaturanga and skipping the plank. Personally, I know that this variation isn’t accessible to many and I really like the variation above because it has you moving through 12 distinct poses instead of 11.
What's the significance of moving through 12 poses?
By moving through 12 distinct poses, you can add another layer of meaning to your Sun Salutation practice by also honoring the 12 constellations of the zodiac. This isn’t taking the focus away from the sun, it is actually deepening the focus on it.
The sun moves through all 12 of these constellations each year. This is why you are considered a different zodiac sign depending on when you’re born. The constellation that the sun is in when you are born is typically how people will describe their zodiac sign. There’s much more to you in terms of astrology than your sun sign, but I hope this descriptor helps to clarify this point!
Anyway, I like having the 12 poses because I find that it just adds another layer of meaning to your Sun Salutations which I personally find impactful.
Final thoughts on this beautiful practice...
Always listen to your body and do what feels right for you.
At the end of the day, the exact movement you do within your Sun Salutations doesn’t matter so much, what matters is your intention as you practice.
There are many layers to ‘sun energy’ that you can place your intention on. Some suggestions are to honor the divine masculine and/or to honor the sun and show it gratitude for allowing life to flourish here on Earth.
Honor the sun for giving us light, what a beautiful gift!
I recently attempted a 30 day Sun Salutation Challenge and documented the journey. I learned some valuable lessons along the way that I thought I would share on youtube. Check out the video below if you’re interested!
Thank you for reading!
Namaste
Sources:
“Meaning of Namaskar or Namaskaram – i Bow to You.” Meaning of Namaskar or Namaskaram – I Bow to You, 2 Jan. 2023, isha.sadhguru.org/en/wisdom/article/namaskar-meaning.
“What Is Namaskar? – Definition from Yogapedia.” Yogapedia, 21 Dec. 2023, www.yogapedia.com/definition/9912/namaskar.