The Sun is the prime source of energy in this universe. We cannot imagine our life on this earth without the Sun's energy. Surya namaskar, or sun salutation, is an ancient technique to give respect and express our gratitude that enabled life on the earth.
What Is Surya Namaskar?
Surya namaskar is the unique technique of yoga that provides an opportunity to showcase one's gratitude to the Sun. It consists of 12 yoga positions, which one should perform on an empty stomach. Although there are slight variations in performing this asana, one must stick to a particular sequence for optimum Surya namaskar yoga benefits.
In ancient times, people practised Surya Namaskar as a means of respecting the Sun, a source of our life. The twelve postures make it a complete workout for mind, body, and spirit. Its sequence helps stimulate the muscles, organs, and the chakra system cultivates concentration and stillness of mind.
Types Of Surya Namaskar
The proper sequence or steps on how to do Surya Namaskar are as follows:
- Prayer pose – Pranamasana
- Raised arms pose – Hasta Uttanasana
- Hand to foot pose – Hasta Padasana
- Equestrian pose – Ashwa Sanchalanasana
- Mountain pose – Parvatasana
- Ashtanga Namaskara
- Cobra pose – Bhujangasana
- Mountain pose – Parvatasana
- Equestrian pose – Ashwa Sanchalanasana
- Hand to foot pose – Hasta Padasana
- Raised Arms Pose- Hasta Uttanasana
- Standing Mountain pose – Tadasana
Different traditions teach different techniques, though the basic sequence remains the same. For instance, Sivananda teaches every pose with a combination of the Sanskrit mantra.
Surya Namaskar Benefits
Sun radiates energy in the form of heat and light to the earth. Practising this yoga daily for 10 minutes provides multifaceted Surya Namaskar Yoga benefits.
1. Improves Digestive System
Performing Surya Namaskar yoga benefits your digestive functioning. It improves the blood flow in the intestines, ensuring the smooth functioning of the digestive tracts. Stretching and forward bend postures enhance the abdominal space. Further, it helps release the gas trapped, improving digestion.
2. Deal With Insomnia
Surya Namaskar benefits one's sleeping pattern. However, regular practice is a foremost requisite. Different asanas in Surya Namaskar ease tension, calm down the mind, and relax the body. All this promotes better and restful sleep at night.
3. Enhances Intuition
Regular practising of Surya Namaskar leads to the expansion of almond-sized solar plexus. This growth helps develop one's intuitive ability and enhances focus. The contraction of the solar plexus might lead to negative tendencies and depression.
4. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Different asanas in Surya namaskar help enhance the functioning of the endocrine glands while increasing the blood flow. It reduces the stress-hormones cortisol, thereby reducing stress and anxiety.
It involves deep breathing techniques that help relax the nerve cells or the chakras. It ensures better balancing of the left and right sides of the brain, boosts emotional stability, and enhances the creativity level.
5. Enhances Nutrient Absorption
Including Surya Namaskar in your daily routine enhances blood circulation. It makes digestion better while increasing the nutrient absorption capacity of the body. Enhanced nutrient absorption improves various body functions. It also keeps unhealthy lifestyle disorders like PCOS and obesity at bay.
6. Provides Glowing Skin
Surya namaskar enhances blood circulation, providing a radiating glow to the face. Smooth circulation helps prevent wrinkles and early ageing issues.
Moreover, Surya namaskar yoga benefits your sleep cycle, provides relaxation, and improves digestion. All this promotes glowing skin. Doing this yoga at a faster pace allows greater sweating. Increased perspiration removes accumulated toxins through the skin.
Removed toxins prevent boils and pimples, helping achieve a glowing and fresh complexion.
7. Surya Namaskar for Weight Loss
It is an ideal workout routine for achieving weight loss rather than switching to hectic gym workouts. Calories burned in Surya Namaskar while doing one set are approx 13.90 calories. Hence, doing it approx five sets and increasing the number to 12 would help burn 416 calories.
This yoga asana and a balanced diet enhance insulin sensitivity. The entire module facilitates stretching, compressing, and twisting the body and abdominal region, ideal for weight loss.
As it stimulates the digestive tract, it ensures the better production of digestive juices. Consequently, it helps improve metabolism and burn extra calories and fat from the body. It is an excellent cardiovascular exercise, and doing it at a fast pace would help lose weight easily.
8. Surya Namaskar Benefits for Hair
Surya namaskar helps alleviate hair issues. It induces better blood circulation to the scalp and follicles. Improved blood circulation plays a vital role in nourishing the scalp, reducing hair fall, and preventing premature greying.
Yoga asanas like Padhastasana and Parvatasana increase blood supply to the head region. It provides massage to the scalp that promotes hair growth.
9. Benefits of Surya Namaskar for Weight Gain
People often go underweight to follow the ongoing trend of getting slim. It hampers genuine growth and development at a particular age.
Being underweight invites several health issues like weak bones and lower BMI. Surya namaskar is a healthy method to gain weight proportionately.
One of the steps of Surya namaskar contains Bhujangasana. The basic Hatha asana targets the spine, upper back, and shoulders. Including Surya Namaskar in your daily routine helps purify the blood and improve digestion, ultimately enhancing BMI.
10. Surya Namaskar Benefits for PCOS
Studies reveal that doing Surya Namaskar for 10-15 minutes for 12 consecutive weeks proves more effective than the conventional exercise.
It helps improve lipid profile, regulate the menstrual cycle, and even aids in weight loss. It even lowers the waist to hip ratio and improves irregular periods. Studies show that Surya Namaskar reduces stress hormones, typically responsible for causing PCOS.
11. Surya Namaskar Benefits for Women
Giving 10 minutes daily to Surya Namaskar benefits while bringing dramatic changes to one's life. Devoting at least 10 minutes ensures that you have a set schedule, helping bring greater stability despite various dynamism.
It is a full-body workout, allowing you to burn 417 calories in 30 minutes of regular sun salutation yoga. The 12 different poses help you lose extra fat, especially around the belly. It is a natural way to be in proper shape.
Surya Namaskar asanas stimulate the thyroid gland, allowing smooth and increased hormone secretion. While practising it regularly, it allows women to regulate the menstrual cycle. It even assists in childbirth and also reduces wrinkles, providing glowy skin.
Long term benefits of Surya Namaskar
Here are the long term benefits of Surya Namaskar:
- Improves complexion
- Massages internal organs
- Stimulates Manipura Chakra
- Improves hip flexibility
- Vital in the treatment of frozen shoulders
- Balances both sides of the body
- Eliminates digestive ailments
- Regulates menstrual cycle, etc.
Importance Of Surya Namaksar
Surya Namaskar holds a valuable part in one's life. Here are its important aspects:
1. Breathing Process
It enhances the breathing process. It helps expand and contract the chest, helping control and deepen the breath throughout the process. Initially, it can get difficult to sync breathing with the body posture. However, regular practice enhances performance, resulting in a healthy mind and body.
2. Improves Social Behaviour
Surya Namaskar helps enhance consciousness, making one aware of others' feelings. Along with the physical benefits, it also balances mental health, which is often reflected in one's social relationships.
3. Beneficial Energetic Poses
Surya Namaskar is a combination of 12 poses that induces stimulation and relaxation. In turn, it keeps you energised throughout the day. One of the essential perks of doing Surya Namaskar is it helps balance the three impurities or Tridosha of the body, called Kapha, Pitta, and Vasha.
How To Do Surya Namaskar?
- Prayer Pose: It is the Namaskar position while keeping the spine erect and placing the feet together.
- Raised Arms Pose: The second position is Hasta Uttanasana, wherein one raises the arms beyond the head along with the backbend.
- Hand to Foot Pose: It is the third and forward bend pose. One requires flexibility in leg muscles for touching hands to the foot.
- Equestrian Pose: It is the runner's pose, wherein one needs to inhale and stretch the left leg back while bending the right knee. Set your eyes in the forward direction while keeping the head straight.
- Downward Facing Dog Pose: While exhaling, lift your tailbone and hip in a way that the entire body looks similar to an inverted 'V.'
- Eight Limb Pose: In this pose, the hands, chest, knees, and chin should touch the ground.
- The Cobra Pose: One needs to slide forward and raise the chest like the cobra. Keep the elbows bent and shoulders away from the ears; look up at the ceiling.
Rest five steps (from 8-12) is the repetition. The 8th step is the downward-facing dog pose, the 9th step is the equestrian pose, the 10th is hand to foot pose, the 11th step is raised arms pose, and the 12th is the prayer pose.
Pro Tips On Surya Namaskar For Beginners
Here is a bundle of tips you must follow to master Surya Namaskar poses:
- Consistency: It is essential to be constant and consistent in doing Surya Namaskar. In other words, include it in your daily routine for effective results.
- Breathe: Focus on breathing and start doing slow to align the posture with your breathing. Make sure it goes smooth and calm.
- Align well: Concentrate and align all the 12 postures well with your breathing for beneficial results. Even the slightest missing in alignment can cause injuries and lead to long-term pain.
Can We Do Surya Namaskar During Periods?
Yes, one can do Surya Namaskar during periods. The twisting and stretching pose prove beneficial in relieving menstrual cramps. However, avoid it if you have intense cramps and heavy bleeding.
Disadvantages Of Surya Namaskar
Doing Surya Namaskar often gets contradictory if:
- You have heart problems, arthritis, and wrist injuries. For instance, doing cobra poses while having wrist injuries may cause more stress and injuries to the wrist.
- You have body weakness or back pain, blood pressure issues.
- You are pregnant as it puts pressure on the abdominal and back regions. One should particularly avoid it, especially after the 3rd trimester.
Summing Up On Surya Namaskar Benefits
Various studies and research shows the overall health benefits of doing Surya Namaskar. Hence, doing a few sets of Surya Namaskar before starting a hectic work schedule helps you keep energised throughout the day. Think about incorporating it into your daily routine.
FAQs
How many calories are burned while practising Surya Namaskar?
One set or a round of Surya Namaskar burns approx 13.90 calories. However, doing it for approximately 20 minutes burns approx 417 calories.
How many Surya Namaskar in a day will help you lose weight?
Doing around 12 sets of Surya Namaskar burns 416 calories.
Can we do Surya Namaskar in the evening?
Yes, one can do Surya Namaskar in the evening. However, one must do it on an empty stomach. However, morning is the best time to do Surya Namaskar, providing both physiological and meditative benefits.
Does Surya Namaskar increase height?
Yes, Surya Namaskar increases height. However, it is crucial to keep the spine straight and bend gently. Starting with the gentle arm and shoulder stretch before doing Surya Namaskar proves better. Moreover, incorporating it in the growth stage stimulates the growth hormones, helping increase height.
References
- Masoumeh Shohani, Gholamreza Badfar, February 2018; The Effect of Yoga on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5843960/
- Cheryce L. Harrison, Catherine B. Lombard, March 2011; Exercise therapy in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review - https://academic.oup.com/humupd/article/17/2/171/692261
- Bhavesh Surendra Mody, July 2011; Acute effects of Surya Namaskar on the cardiovascular & metabolic system - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21665111/
