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Yoga is India's gift to the world. This ancient practice embodies the unity of mind and body. To address its plethora of health benefits, International Day of Yoga is celebrated every year on 21st June. The United Nations took this initiative in 2015 after PM Modi made a suggestion in his speech at the UNGA about dedicating a day to yoga.
Yoga poses or asanas basically rely on two things, breathing and correct posture. There are many forms of this holistic healing exercise. One of those is Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation. Practised early in the morning, this yoga asana involves 12 forward and backward bending movements and rhythmic breathing.
Surya Namaskar is a Sanskrit word. Surya means the Sun and Namaskar means to Salute or to greet. This name identifies the sun as the soul and the source of life. This yogic practice, in its present form, dates back to 1900. It was popularised by Bhavanarao Pant Pratinidhi, the ruler of a small kingdom known as Anudh, which is now part of Maharashtra, in the 1920s. He wrote a book introducing Surya Namaskar and urged people to adopt it for the development of their physical and spiritual health. Surya Namaskar became a part of yoga in the mid-1930s. It honours the sun through a dynamic asana sequence. This exercise originated during Vedic times as a ritual prostration to the dawn, replete with mantras, offerings of flowers and rice, and libations of water.
As we celebrate International Yoga Day today, we give you a low-down on the heart benefits of this asana while giving you a step-by-step guide to perform it.
Doing Surya Namaskar regularly can bring various health benefits to you. It can strengthen your muscles and joints, offer ageless, radiant skin, balance your hormone levels, and help you shed those extra kilos. Also, you can perform this yoga asana to ensure better functioning of the digestive system, deal with insomnia, keep anxiety at bay, detox your body and regularise your menstrual cycle. It refreshes your body and mind and keeps you energetic the whole day.
Yoga is always associated with good health and general well-being. However, performing a particular asana can be beneficial to a certain organ or help in combating a particular ailment. Surya Namaskar is the asana that can help you strengthen your cardiovascular system. On International Yoga Day today, we tell you how.
High blood sugar level is one of the main causes of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, etc. "Surya Namaskar helps achieve a significant reduction in fasting serum glucose level and post-prandial serum glucose level in diabetic patients", says a study published in the International Journal of Yoga and Allied Sciences. It does so by massaging the internal organs and this increases insulin sensitivity. This asana helps the body to burn glucose and fats thereby decreasing the sugar level in the body.
Stress is one of the major contributing factors to many heart related problems like increase in blood glucose level, heart attack, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, etc. and Sun Salutation helps in reducing it by calming you down. Perform it daily to reduce the secretion of the stress hormone called cortisol.
High blood pressure is responsible for causing heart problems like stroke, heart attack etc. Surya Namaskar involves conscious and deep breathing and synchronised body movements. Throughout the Sun Salutation series, the active inhalation and exhalation process keeps the blood oxygenated and lungs ventilated. This optimal flow of fresh blood in the body can potentially detoxify the body making it free from toxic elements. This keeps blood pressure in control.
High cholesterol levels in the body causes obesity, one of the leading causes of high blood pressure and heart attack. Performing Surya Namaskar daily can stretch your abdominal muscles and help in reducing weight around the stomach area. This yoga asana can tone your abs and strengthen the musculoskeletal system.
As already mentioned, there are 12 steps in this asana and it is important that you get all the steps right. We bring you a step by step guide to help you perform this asana in the correct manner so that you can derive the maximum benefit from it. You can start practising it from today itself. Happy International Yoga Day.
Begin with the Prayer pose (Pranamasana). Stand upright with feet close together. Take a deep breath, expand your chest and relax your shoulders. Raise your arms while inhaling and, as you exhale, fold the hands in prayer position before your heart.
Retain the previous position. Lift your arms up while inhaling and slightly lean backward. You're your biceps close to your ears.
Bend forward at the hip and bring your arms downwards while exhaling. Place hands next to your feet. Make sure your knees are straight and spine erect. The pose strengthens the back, abdominal muscles, and nervous system.
Inhale and extend your left leg behind as far as possible. Now, fold your right knee and place it close towards the right part of the chest. Keep your hands on the floor and spread the fingers. Look up and bend your neck slightly backward.
Inhale and stretch your right leg behind and bring your body into a straight line parallel to the floor.
Slowly kneel on the floor and exhale. Rest your chin, chest, hands, feet on the ground and raise your hips and abdomen high.
Keep your elbows close to your body. Press your palms into the mat and lift your chest and head off the ground. Rotate your shoulder blades away from the ears and arch your neck backward. Look up.
Exhale and push your hips and tailbone up. Your body should form an inverted V during this posture as your head almost touches the ground.
Inhale and extend your right leg behind as far as possible. Now, fold your left knee and place it close towards the left part of the chest. Keep your hands on the floor and spread the fingers. Look up and bend your neck slightly backward.
Gently bring your right foot next to your left foot. Keeping the position of your hands intact, lift your body upward and slowly come into an Hasta Padasana Posture.
Inhale deeply, lift your arms up and slightly arch your back. Try to stretch your body upward instead of backward and keep your biceps close to your ears.
Exhale and bring your arms down and stand upright in a relaxed manner. Feel the positive vibrations within your body and mind.