What are Sun Salutations, Why are they Important, and Why You Should Care
There’s many different types of yoga around the world and even within our studio. Signing up for a yoga class could mean a focus on breathwork, relaxation, and connecting body to mind like in our Hot Yoga Freedom Flow class. It could also mean a focus on strength training, building your core, mixed in with a balance of flexibility like in Hot Yang Yin Yoga. We think this variety is a great thing because it allows room for variation between workouts and provides options for everyone to find the class that is perfect for them. We also know that if you haven’t jumped into one of our options, or if you’re looking to try something new, this might make it feel like there’s a bigger hurdle to jump over. The good news is, there’s similar threads through many classes, from poses that pop up frequently to flows you almost never get through a class without. One of those, that you’ll see in many variations of yoga classes, is the sunset salutation.
Sun Salutations, as explained by Masterclass, are also called Surya Namaskars or “Sun Salutes”. The origins of this flow is uncertain, but the practice has been recorded since the mid 1930s and it’s also been suggested there may be even earlier roots. Amy Lewis explained sun salutations in Byrdie as having been used for “morning prayer and worship rituals” by Hindus in ancient tradition. The practice has traditionally been practiced at sunset or sunrise facing the sun, likely because of its connotation as a greeting to the sun, but will also pop up in yoga classes regarding the time.
If you’ve been to a yoga class, you may have done this flow before without even realizing you’re doing it. Some tentpole moments in the salutation that you might recognize include flowing from downward dog, a pose in which you have your feed and hands separated on the ground to form a triangle like pose with your body, through push up position and into cobra, a pose performed by lifting one’s chest off the ground from a position laying facing the floor. The entirety of the sun salutation is made up of 12 poses which you flow through.
There’s a myriad of benefits to practicing sun salutations. Sun salutations target many muscles in your body, including your arms, neck, shoulders, back, abs, hamstrings, quads, and calves. In addition to the broad physical focus of the flow, studies have suggested practicing daily sun salutations can lessen stress, put you more at ease, and even increase joy. Studies aside, you may find pleasure in sun salutations because of the balance of challenge, relaxation, and enjoyment. Simply put, you may find flowing through sun salutations one of the most rewarding moments in class if one of your goals in class is to get your body moving and to feel like you’re connecting your mind and body throughout movements.
Look out for sun salutations in your next yoga class, and ask your instructor about how you can best utilize sun salutations to achieve your goals both in and out of class.