Health Benefits of The Sun Salutation in Yoga

By: Boris Dzhingarov

Sun salutations (Surya Namaskar) are ancient techniques meant to express gratitude and pay respects to the Sun as a life source for the planet. These poses are highly effective for so many different things. However, this will only be the case in the event you truly understand what surya namaskar is all about.

Understanding The Sun Salutation

According to ancient India Rishis, different body parts will be governed by Devas (divine light or divine impulses). Your solar plexus is the middle of the body and is connected directly with the sun. That is why sun salutations are important. It is said that regular practice is going to enhance your solar plexus so you automatically get to increase intuitive abilities and creativity.

Emotions, according to ancient Indian tradition, will be stored in our solar plexus. This is where our gut feeling appears. Solar plexus size is said to be that of a gooseberry. Through meditation and yoga it can become so much larger, around 4 times larger. You thus gain higher intuition and mental stability simply because of the larger size.

Starting The Day With Sun Salutations

Sun salutations are basically a set of twelve postures. Just as the name implies, it is recommended to do them when the sun rises. Regular Surya Namaskar practice is going to improve blood circulation, keeps the body disease free and maintains overall health. Surya namaskar has various different benefits for our stomach, intestines, chest, heart, throat and legs. Basically, every body part is going to be beneficially affected so it should be no surprise to see why the salutations are so recommended.

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The sun salutation postures will be a great link between asanas and warm-ups. You can do them whenever you want to, as long as the stomach is empty. Morning is normally the best time for them but when doing them during afternoons, it offers instant energy. The poses can be done at 3 speeds:

  • Slow salutations – Will increase body flexibility.
  • Medium salutations – Will tone muscles.
  • Fast salutations – Works as a cardio workout that can increase weight loss results.

Sun Salutations For Children

Sun salutations will be good for children as they have a calming effect while also improving concentration. We all know that children are faced with huge competition and stress at school. The salutations will increase endurance power and work great at reducing restlessness and anxiety. During exams they will work really great. The body will receive increased vitality and strength through a regular practice, being highly useful for the future athletes. You can start doing Surya Namaskar every day after 5 years old.

Surya Namaskar Benefits For Women

According to practitioners, sun salutations can do wonders for women that want to lose weight, much more than dieting. If you are health-conscious and you want to lose more calories, the routine you go through every day can easily include the salutations as they are really easy and you do not need gym memberships or extra equipment. Abdominal muscles will be naturally stretched and more fat will be lost because of having sluggish glands stimulated. This includes the thyroid, which is really important for all that want to lose weight. In addition, the sun salutations will help to regulate the irregular menstrual cycles while ensuring that childbirth will be easier. Combine this with the fact that face glow will come back and wrinkle appearance will be delayed and we have some clear benefits for women.

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