200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training

SUN SALUTES

Surya = Sun |Namasakara = Bow / Surrender / Salutation. The Sun Salutes are rich in symbolism. Traditionally Surya Namaskar were practices facing the rising or setting sun, opening to and inviting in the solar energy, warming and energising the body and spirit, offering the practice and connecting to the source of light. Our ‘inner sun,’ is seen as the source of light and truth along our life’s path. In Surya Namaskara we are bowing to the truth of who we are in essence.

The Sun Salutations are a combination of poses practiced in series and introduce different elements of movements to the body, models on which to build a full practice. Incorporating vinyasa flow, transitions, pose and counterpose, centering, forward folding, arm balancing, back bending and inverted asana, giving an almost total body experience, minus twisting and side bending.

Sun Salutations are typically performed at the start of the practice and can be used as a warm-up for the full practice. With modifications and variations, nearly everyone can participate and can help unify the class as everyone breathes and moves largely in unison.

There are numerous variations and adaptations of Surya Namaskar. There is no ‘sample script’ for these sequences, as you learn and practice teaching we encourage you to develop your own way to cue.

ARTICLE - SUN SALUTATION GLORIFIED BURPEE?

In the majority of yoga asana we work with the the Deep Front Line of Fascia so we've chosen to focus on it here.

deep front line

(DFL) THE BODY'S MYOFASCIAL 'CORE'

The line has roots deep in the underside of the foot, passing up just behind the bones of the lower leg and behind the knee to the inside of the thigh. From here the track passes in front of the hip joint, pelvis, and lumbar spine, while an alternate track passes up the back of the thigh to the pelvic floor and rejoins the first at the lumbar spine. The DFL continues up through the rib cage staying internal surrounding the organs up to the cranium.

The DFL lifts the inner foot arch, stabilises each segment of the legs, including the hip. Supports the lumbar spine from the front. In the trunk it invests in many organs. It stabilises the chest while allowing the expansion & relaxation of breathing and balances the fragile neck and heavy head atop it all.

Aside from hip adduction and the breathing wave of the diaphragm, there is no movement that is strictly the province of the DFL, yet neither is any movement outside its influence. The DFL provides stability and subtle positional changes to the core structure to enable the more superficial structures and lines to work easily and efficiently.

Lack of support, balance, and proper tone in the DFL (i.e where short DFL myofascia does not allow the hip joint to open fully into extension) will produce overall shortening in the body, encourage collapse in the pelvic and spinal core, and lay the groundwork for negative compensatory adjustments in all the other lines. This is shown by movement with slightly less elegance and grace, and slightly more strain to the joints and tissues, which can set up the conditions over time for injury and degeneration.