Let’s talk about Sun Salutation
Sūrya Namaskāra or Sun Salutation is the most known and most practiced yogic sequence in the world. It’s a morning ritual of sun worship, made up of postures, invocations (also know as mantra in Sanskrit) and breath control techniques (pranayama). Sūrya Namaskāra is a very effective training to reawaken our physical and spiritual awareness and to warm up the muscles.
Even though it may sound strange, the today’s sun salutation has no ancient origins. Like yoga in its early days, this practice was not accompanied by poses but only by recitations of mantras and breathing techniques.
In the ancient texts there is no record of the sun salutation as we know it today, or as a sequence of asanas. However, a reference to the movement of the body present in today’s Sun Salutation is found in some Vedic texts. Indeed, in Vedic times the sun was worshipped by the recitation of Vedic mantras; at dawn, it was usual to bow down to the sun, facing down and reciting sacred words.
There are different variations of sun salutation, depending on the style of yoga that is practiced and the level of experience achieved.