3.4.
Vivekananda - Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation)
1. Prayer Posture (Pranamasana)
• Practice: Stand straight with legs together. Bring the palms together to
salutation gesture (Namaskara Mudra).
• Benefits: It creates a feeling of physical and mental balance. It helps to maintain
balance between both sides of the body.
• Contra-Indications: No Contra-Indications.
2. Raised Arm Posture (Hasta Uttanasana)
• Practice: Take the hands above the head while inhaling and bend the trunk
backwards.
• Benefits: Promotes balance, stimulates the respiratory system, exercises shoulder,
back and neck muscles.
•3.Contra-Indications: Avoid
Hand to Foot Posture those who having cardiac or vertigo problem.
(Padahastasana)
• Practice: Bend the body forward while exhaling. Touch the forehead to
the knees. Keep the palms on the floor on either side of the feet.
• Benefits: Promotes balance, promotes digestion, exercises arms and
shoulder muscles, tones the spine, promotes flexibility in back and hips
• Contra-Indications: People suffering from vertigo, severe degree of
hypertension, cervical spondylosis, and disc prolapse have to avoid this
4. Equestrian Posture (Asva Sancalanasana)
• Practice: In this step inhale and bring the right leg back.
• Push the buttock forward and downward so that the left leg is
perpendicular to the ground. Look up.
• Benefits: Promotes blood circulation, tones abdominal tracts, stretches
back and leg muscles, stimulates spinal nerves, and stimulates
lymphatic system.
• Contra-Indications: No Contra-Indications.
5. Staff Posture (Dandasana)
• Practice: In this step, exhale and take the left leg also back, resting
only on palms and toes. Keep the body straight from head to toes
inclined to the ground at about 30 degree.
• Take care to keep the neck in line with the back.
• Benefits: Strengthen spine, hand and wrist muscles
6. Half-Moon Posture (Sasankasana)
• Practice: While inhaling, bend the legs at the knees and rest
them on the floor with buttocks resting on the heels without
altering the position of the palms and toes. Exhale as you
rest the forehead on the floor.
• Then relax in normal breathing.
• Benefits: Tones up the functioning of lungs.
• Improves the functioning of abdominal gland and digestive
system
7. Salutation with Eight Limbs (Astanga Namaskara)
• Contra-indications: Those who have knee pain should not
• Practice: While exhaling without shifting the positions of
practice.
hands and toes, glide the body forward and hold the
breath and rest the forehead, chest, hands, knees and toes
on the ground.
• Raise the buttocks off the ground.
• Note that eight points of the body are in contact with the
ground - hence the name sastanga namaskara (Salutation
with eight parts).
• Benefits: Strengthens leg and arm muscles, increases
flexibility in neck and shoulders, stretches arms, shoulder,
8. Cobra Posture (Bhujangasana)
• Practice: Inhale, raise the head and trunk making the spine concave
upwards without lifting the position of the hands and feet.
• Arch the back as far as you can until the elbows are straight. Keep the
knees off the ground.
• Benefits: Stimulates circulation to abdominal organs, tones digestive tract,
stretches upper and lower body, promotes flexibility in the back, and
stimulates nerves in spine.
• Contra-indications: No Contra-Indications.
9. Mountain Posture (Parvatasana)
• Practice: While exhaling, raise the buttocks, and push the head
down until the heels touch the ground without shifting the
position of hands and feet.
• Benefits: It develops the blood circulation to the brain.
• Gives power to the heart. Reduces the pain in the neck and
shoulders and relax them. Gives strength to the arms.
• Contra-indications: No Contra-Indications
10. Half-Moon Posture (Sasankasana)
• Practice: While inhaling, bend the legs at the knees and rest them
on the floor with buttocks resting on the heels without altering the
position of the palms and toes.
• Exhale as you rest the forehead on the floor.
• Then relax in normal breathing.
• Benefits: Tones up the functioning of lungs. Improves the
functioning of abdominal gland and digestive system
• Contra-indications: Those who have knee pain should not practice.
11. Equestrian Posture (Asva Sancalanasana)
• Practice: In this step inhale and bring the right leg back.
• Push the buttock forward and downward so that the left leg is
perpendicular to the ground.
• Look up.
• Benefits: Promotes blood circulation, tones abdominal tracts, stretches
back and leg muscles, stimulates spinal nerves, and stimulates lymphatic
system.
• Contra-Indications: No Contra-Indications.
12. Hand to Foot Posture (Padahastasana)
• Practice: Bend the body forward while exhaling.
• Touch the forehead to the knees. Keep the palms on the floor on either
side of the feet.
• Benefits: Promotes balance, promotes digestion, exercises arms and
shoulder muscles, tones the spine, promotes flexibility in back and hips
• Contra-Indications: People suffering from vertigo, severe degree of
hypertension, cervical spondylosis, and disc prolapse have to avoid this
posture.
13. Raised Arm Posture (Hasta Uttanasana)
• Practice: Take the hands above the head while inhaling and bend the trunk
backwards.
• Benefits: Promotes balance, stimulates the respiratory system, exercises shoulder,
back and neck muscles.
• Contra-Indications: Avoid those who having cardiac or vertigo problem.
14. Prayer Posture (Pranamasana)
• Practice: Stand straight with legs together.
• Bring the palms together to salutation gesture (namaskara mudra).
• Benefits: It creates a feeling of physical and mental balance.
• It helps to maintain balance between both sides of the body.
• Contra-Indications: No Contra-indications
