What if you could calm and center your mind, stretch and strengthen your body and let your soul grow with a simple sequence of exercises first thing in the morning?
The classic sun salutation in yoga makes all of this possible. The dynamic sequence of individual asanas combined with targeted breathing provides balance and energy on all levels. And the best thing about it is that even beginners can learn it quite quickly.
How yoga works: Sun salutation instructions for beginners
The sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) is one of the best-known yoga exercises from hatha yoga. It consists of 12 consecutive yoga poses that are dynamically linked together. Practitioners are guided by their breath.
To give you an idea of how this works, we have first explained the individual exercises for you in simple steps:
1. Tadasana – Mountain Pose: The yoga sun salutation begins with Mountain Pose. Stand with your feet hip-width apart! Your legs are slightly bent. Your hands are clasped in front of your chest. Take a few deep breaths here and tune into the yoga practice ahead! With your next inhalation, stretch your arms straight up!
2. Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend: As you exhale, bend your legs slightly more and lower your upper body toward the floor. Your legs should be bent enough so that your stomach rests on your thighs. It’s okay to round your back.
3. Arda Uttanasana – Half Forward Bend: As you inhale, raise your gaze slightly and straighten your back. It should form a parallel line with the floor. Simply place your hands on your calves, thighs, or two upright yoga blocks. You don’t need to touch the floor at first.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward-Facing Dog: Exhaling, bring your hands down, walk your feet back two steps, and come into Downward-Facing Dog.
5. Yoga Push-Ups: Inhaling, lower your hips and come into Plank Position. If holding the pose is too strenuous, you can simply place your knees on the floor.
6. Lowering: Exhaling, slowly and with control, lower your upper body to the mat.
7. Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose: Inhaling, keep your hands under your shoulders, and guide your back into Cobra Pose.
8. Exhaling and returning to Downward-Facing Dog: To do this, press your hands and the balls of your feet firmly into the floor and push your buttocks back and up. Lengthen your back and keep your legs slightly bent.
9. With your next inhalation, walk two steps forward and return to Half Forward Bend, Arda Uttanasana.
10. As you exhale, return to the full forward bend.
11. As you inhale, return to Mountain Pose with your legs bent and your back straight, arms extended.
12. As you exhale, clasp your hands in front of your heart.
Learning the sun salutation: what should you pay attention to?
Learning the sun salutation in yoga is quite quick, but in order to minimize the risk of injury and benefit optimally from the effect of the exercise, it is important to perform the individual basic poses – called asanas in yoga – correctly.
We therefore advise you to only practise the basic poses at first and only combine them into a dynamic flow once you feel confident in them.
It is equally important to perform the exercises on as empty a stomach as possible. This does not necessarily mean that you can only do the sun salutation in the morning. It can also release blocked energy in the evening and ensure harmony on all levels.
If you want to do yoga with the sun salutation in the afternoon or evening, just make sure you don’t eat for at least three hours beforehand!
How can we support you?
Even better than any online sun salutation instructions is, of course, practical learning in a classroom course. We offer you this opportunity at our yoga retreats at the Ayurveda Resort Mandira.
We specialize in a special form of hatha yoga, known as Iyengar yoga. The main focus here is on the correct alignment of the body in the individual yoga poses and staying in them for longer.
This makes our yoga classes perfect for you if you want to learn the basics of yoga postures and breathing.
In combination with a balanced and wholesome Ayurvedic diet and soothing stays in the thermal spa, you will find the perfect starting point for your start to a holistically balanced life.
