Tips for Practicing Sun Salutation as a Beginner Do what makes your mind and body feel good. Some people say that if the moon is visible when you practice Sun Salutation, it then becomes Moon Salutation, which is basically the same sequence with one additional pose added in (Child’s Pose).īut honestly, if you don’t have time to wake up at sunrise or if you want to practice Sun Salutation after work or in the morning after a cup of coffee, I say go for it. It’s traditional name “Surya Namaskar” translates to “Sun Offering” which refers to offering respect to the sun. Sun Salutation is commonly practiced at sunrise, hence the name. Sun Salutations can be an excellent cardio workout when practiced this way. Twelve rounds of Sun Salutation is said to burn as much as 156 calories! Imagine how many you burn when you do 108! If you are practicing Sun Salutations for weight loss, keep in mind the more sets you do, the more calories you burn. But starting out with 2 rounds and building up from there is definitely a great way to start.

To obtain optimal benefits, I would suggest aiming to practice at least 12 sets (one set equals two rounds practiced on opposite sides). How many Sun Salutations should you practice a day? I suggest starting off with 2 rounds of properly implementing the poses and then building up from there. Some people do as many as 108 (!) Sun Salutations during the changing of the seasons or other big events like marriage or the new year as 108 is seen as a very sacred number that appears in many disciplines relating to yoga. The amount of rounds depends on this as well. This all depends on what your preference is and what makes you feel the best. Some practices of Sun Salutation say to stay in each pose only for a breath or two, while others have you hold each pose for 10-15 breaths. Sun Salutation A has fewer poses than Sun Salutation C, so of course Sun Salutation A will probably take less time. One Sun Salutation is said to take about four minutes. This depends on a few factors like which Sun Salutation you are practicing, how long you hold each pose, and how many rounds you do. Practicing multiple rounds regularly can give you a great cardio workout and improve stamina. Increases stamina: Sun Salutations can be hard work! Especially if you’re doing as many as 108 rounds in a row.Flowing sequences like this are great for stress and anxiety relief as well. You are focusing on coordinating movement with your breath, like a moving meditation, which is what yoga is. Calms the mind and improves focus: Vinyasa flows such as Sun Salutations push you to get out of your head and focus on the present moment.Promotes weight loss: The constant movement in Sun Salutations, especially in the morning, boosts your metabolism and burns more fat than compared to practicing isolated poses.The poses focus on a variety of different areas of the body, and the constant movement helps relieve stiffness and improve range of motion.

Strengthens muscles & improves flexibility: When practiced regularly, this sequence will build strength and improve flexibility.

Many people practice this sequence in the morning as a warm up prior to their full yoga practice.

Increases energy: Sun Salutation poses increases circulation to all parts of the body due to the focused movement with the breath.

We’ll be showing you the beginner friendly version, but will include variations to make certain steps more challenging. There are also variations to Sun Salutation A that make it either more advanced or more beginner friendly. Sun Salutation A is the most traditional of the three, and the one you will be learning today! There are 3 different types of Sun Salutations: A, B, and C. In today’s culture, Sun Salutations are commonly used in yoga practice as a warm up or are intertwined into yoga routines, especially Vinyasa classes. Sun Salutations originate over 3,500 years ago and were traditionally a spiritual practice and used as a way to worship the sun, and therefore were traditionally practiced at sunrise.

Downward Facing Dog (Adho mukha śvānāsana)Ī Sun Salutation, also known as Surya Namaskar, is a traditional yoga practice that in today’s modern culture is made up of 12 poses that are linked together to form a flow.Today I want to share with you the Sun Salutation for beginners which helped me begin my practice, in hopes it will help you begin or improve yours! I started mine with Sun Salutation A, which is made up of 12 poses. They are a great way to get your yoga practice started and introduce you to the many benefits of yoga. Sun Salutations are how I began my yoga practice, with a little printed piece of paper taped to my mirror.

Yoga sequence printable