Month: May 2014

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The Sun Salutation – Surya Namskara

It is best to begin all sessions of yoga asanas with Surya Namsaskar. An excellent general warm up exercise, consisting of 12 different spinal positions the sun salutation give a varied range of vertebral movements to the spine and also promotes flexibility in the limbs of the body. The sun salutation is a great benefit to all, especially beginners, elderly and stiff people, as it aids the body in the rapid gain of flexibility, while regulating the breath and focusing the mind.  Technically Sun Salutation is not an asana but a series of gentle flowing movements synchronised with the breath. Once you have learned the positions of the Sun Salutation, tune them to a rhythmical breathing pattern.

The Sun Salutation gives an initial stretch to the body in preparation for the asanas proper. Hundreds of muscles are used. The Sun Salutation helps to regulate the breathing and focus the mind. its also recharges the solar plexus and stimulates the cardio-vascular system. The Sun Salutations should be repeated six-twelve times. traditionally it is practised early in the morning focusing the sun.

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Om

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Om is the name for Brahman, the cause and the basis of creation. Om, as a sound, also indicates auspiciousness and is chanted at the beginning of prayers and religious studies. Om is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root ‘av’ meaning ‘to protect’. When one chants Om with the understanding that it is a name for the lord, it becomes a prayer for one’s protection.

Om etymologically is composed of three sounds, ‘a’, ‘u’, and ‘m’. The first syllable, ‘a’ stands for the waking world, the waker, and the waking experience. The second syllable ‘u’, stands for the dream world, the dreamer, and the dream experience. The third syllable ‘m’, stands for the sleep world, the sleeper, and the sleep experience. As one chants Om repeatedly, the silence between the chants stands for the awareness, the consciousness which is the basis of the three worlds, the three experiencers, and the three states of experience. Om thus represents all that exists and the basis or substratum of all that exists