The first 3 sessions of this Short Course break down the twelve steps of Surya namaskar, and then put them together again.
Surya Namaskar can be an energising and strengthening practice, It is especially suited to morning and cold weather, and not so well suited to a hot climate or as an evening practice.
Although absolute beginners may work with this Course, it does go into some of the finer points and nuances of each of the steps of Surya Namaskar, which might not make complete sense to Beginners. People with shoulder, wrist and back weakness are advised caution, although some adaptations are possible to work around these weaknesses without aggravating them. Surya namaskar is not recommended for women during menstruation and pregnancy, and for anyone with recent abdominal surgery or other conditions like diarrhoea and dysentery, those with heart ailments, and anyone with any debilitating condition.
You will find 3 Short Courses for Surya Namaskar in our recorded classes library. These are for the 3 levels – Experienced Beginners, Intermediate and Gentle Levels. This is how they are organised. You are encouraged to explore these other Courses as well to get a wider and more interesting perspective on Surya Namaskar:
For the Experienced Beginner Level: the 12 steps are broken down across the 3 sessions, and in each session, time is spent in preparing for the positions. Simpler adaptations are shown, but they are without the use of any props.
For the Intermediate Level: After the first session which is common between the Experienced Beginner and the Intermediate levels, the other 2 sessions of the Intermediate level explore how Surya Namaskar can be integrated into our asana practice beyond just repetitions of a certain number of cycles. The second session integrates Surya Namaskar in a short practice session preceded and followed by inversions, while the third session integrates a variety of asanas within the Surya Namaskar itself.
For the Gentle Level: Adaptations are shown using supports and props
All sessions in this Short Course start with preparatory actions, in most cases, adaptations are shown for the positions which people usually find difficult to do.
This Short Course includes 2 FREE Resources – a 15 min dialogue discussing various aspects of Surya Namaskar to be kept in mind, and a recording of 108 Surya Namaskars done by the Practice Room student community on the occasion of Guru Purnima, 2020.
The 5 parts of the Experienced Beginner Course are:
Part 1: Surya Namaskar Part 1: Stepping Between Uttanasana and Adhomukhasvanasana
Part 2: Surya Namaskar Part 2: Weight Bearing on Hands
Part 3: Surya Namaskar Part 3: The Back Arches and Alternatives
Part 4: A 15 min dialogue discussing various aspects of Surya Namaskar to be kept in mind– FREE Resource
Part 5: A recording of 108 Surya Namaskars done by the Practice Room student community on the occasion of Guru Purnima, 2020.- FREE Resource
Surya Namaskar Part 1: Stepping Between Uttanasana and Adhomukhasvanasana
The sessions in this Short Course and good stand-alone sessions by themselves. This one is good to learn arm actions, to learn the connection of hips to legs, the engagement of the abdominal area, to understand Uttanasana, and Adhomukha svanasana. In this session we do the first few steps of the Surya Namaskar multiple times.
This session is part of the Short Course Constructing and De-constructing Surya Namaskara (Short Course, Level Exp. Beginners). and the Short Course. Constructing and De-constructing Surya Namaskara (Short Course, Level Intermediate). Save by renting the entire Course.
Level: Experienced Beginners, Intermediate
Duration: 60mins
Tagwords: 60mins, Surya namaskar, hips, legs, arms, abdominals, favorite, Uttanasana, Adhomukha svanasana.
Surya Namaskar Part 2 for Experienced Beginners: Weight Bearing on Hands
This session is part of the Short Course Constructing and De-constructing Surya Namaskara (Short Course, Level Exp. Beginners). Save by renting the entire Course.
Level: Experienced Beginners, Beginners
Duration: 60mins
Tagwords: 60mins, Surya namaskar, hips, legs, arms, shoulders, chaturanga dandasana
Surya Namaskar Part 3 for Experienced Beginners: The Back Arches and Alternatives
The sessions in this Short Course and good stand-alone sessions by themselves. This session explores the backarch of Sun Salutation: Urdhvamukhasvanasana. This positions is sometimes difficult to do repeatedly especially for those with shoulder and wrist weaknesses and injuries. We spend time in preparing the arms and shoulders for the back arching positions, and also look at a couple of alternatives that are more workable in such conditions. In this session we do the full cycle of Surya Namaskar multiple times.we also spend some time preparing the arms and legs before the fast actions, and some pacifying actions after.
This session is part of the Short Course Constructing and De-constructing Surya Namaskara (Short Course, Level Exp. Beginners). Save by renting the entire Course.
The audio of this session has disturbances. The rental is marked down for this reason
Level: Experienced Beginners, Beginners
Duration: 45mins
Tagwords: 45mins, Surya namaskar, hips, legs, arms, shoulder, favorite, Ustrasana, Bhujangasana
Surya Namaskar – Some Thoughts: FREE Resource
Thoughts and reflections on Surya Namaskar: what to keep in mind, when its appropriate and when it should be avoided. This is a a FREE Resource