Yoga is a form of exercise originated from India. Yoga is deep rooted in Indian culture and respected by millions of Indians everyday. Today will discuss one such exercise that is equal to a full body workout for the western gyms. This article will talk about how to do surya namaskar and the benefits of doing it. You all must have remembered it from your schools and your homes. It was a daily routine during our school time to do Surya Namaskar in front of the sun to get a good exercise and get vitamin D simultaneously. Surya Namaskar targets every single muscle group of the body with its 12 yogasanas. So let’s have a look at these 12 aasaans.
1. Pranamasana
Stand on the yoga mat in the open field and stand in a manner to salute the Sun. Stand straight and fold both your hands close to your chest and take deep, long breaths and stand in a relaxed state.
2. Hastuttanasana
While standing in the first position, take a breath and raise your hands upward. And bend backwards a little. Keep in mind that both hands are close to the ears. While taking the hands back, also take the body backwards.
3. Padahastasana
The specialty of Surya Namaskar is that all its steps are connected to each other. From the posture of Hastotanasana one has to come directly to the posture of Hasta Padasana. For this, try to bend forward while keeping your hands raised. Keep in mind that during this the breath has to be released slowly. Bending downwards from the waist, bring the hands next to the legs. Keep in mind that when coming to this position, do not bend the knees of the legs.
4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana
While rising straight from Hasta Padasana, inhale and take the left leg backwards and bend the right leg at the knee and bring it close to the right side of the chest. Keep your hands on the ground with your toes fully extended. Move the neck backward while looking upward.
5. Dandasana
Taking a deep breath, take the right leg backwards and keep the body in a straight line and remain in this position by giving emphasis on the hands.
6. Ashtanga Namaskar
Now slowly take a deep breath and touch your knees to the ground and exhale. Touch the chin, chest, hands, feet to the ground all over the body and lift part of your hip upwards.
7. Bhujangasana
Keeping the elbows close to the waist, lift the chest upwards with the help of the toes of the hands. Lift the neck upwards and move it backwards.
8. Parvatasan
Come to this position directly from Bhujangasana. In the phase of Adho Mukha Shavasana / Parvatasan, raise the hips upwards but keep the heels of the feet on the ground. Form your body into a V shape.
9. Ashwa Sanchalasana
Now once again come into the posture of Ashwa Sanchalasana but keep in mind that this time keep the left foot forward.
10. Padahastasana
After coming back to normal position from Ashna Sanchalanasana posture, now come into Padahastasana posture. For this, try to bend forward while keeping your hands raised. Keep in mind to release the breath slowly during this. Bending downwards from the waist, bring the hands next to the legs. Keep in mind that when you come to this position, the knees of the legs should not be bent.
11. Hastuttanasana
After coming back to normal position from the posture of Padahastasana, come back to the posture of Hastuttanasana. For this, raise your hands upwards and bend backwards a little. While taking the hands back, also take the body backwards
12. Pranamasana
After coming back to the normal position from the posture of Hastuttanasana, face the sun and once again come into the posture of Pranamasana.
Benefits of doing Surya Namaskar:-
So now that you have learnt how to do the Surya Namaskar let’s have a look at some of the benefits that it provides.
- Doing Surya Namaskar daily keeps digestion healthy. It increases blood circulation in the digestive system, which improves intestinal function. Its regular practice can provide relief from problems like gas, constipation, indigestion and acidity.
- During Surya Namaskar, air reaches the lungs by inhaling and exhaling deeply. Due to this, oxygen reaches the blood, which gets rid of carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases. It helps in removing the toxins present in the body, which detoxifies the body and increases immunity.
- By doing Surya Namaskar, blood circulation in the body improves, due to which important organs of the body are able to function smoothly. This provides energy to the body. Besides, your skin and face also gets brightened. Surya Namaskar also helps in preventing wrinkles and signs of aging on the face. If you want to have beautiful and glowing skin, then do this asana daily.
- While doing Surya Namaskar, the internal organs of the stomach are stretched. This strengthens and tones the abdominal muscles. Doing this asana daily can help in reducing belly fat.
- Regular practice of Surya Namaskar can provide many benefits to women. It balances hormones and also helps in reducing problems during periods. By doing this asana daily, the problem of irregular periods can be solved. Besides, it can also provide relief from period pain.
- Surya Namaskar not only keeps you physically healthy but also provides mental peace and strength. It reduces cortisol levels, which helps in reducing stress and anxiety symptoms. Its regular practice can also improve concentration and memory ability.
- Surya Namaskar can also prove to be very beneficial for weight loss. It boosts metabolism and helps in burning excess fat in the body. By doing this, calories burn faster, which reduces obesity.
- Different asanas of Surya Namaskar affect different parts of the body. This stretches the entire body and makes the body flexible. It makes the spine strong and flexible.
So this was all about the famous Indian yogasana Surya Namaskar. You should and corporate this in your daily life and within weeks will see changes in your body. It is an easy exercise that you can do without any equipment and right at your home. So make sure to try it out.
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