Basic Sun Salutation- Perfect for a Mid-Week Pick Me Up

I love a good Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar). A Salutation is the perfect way to warm the muscles and prepare them for deeper stretching and strengthening. A sun salutation can be pretty bares bones with just a few poses or fairly lengthy with several poses or poses that are held for longer periods of time. This week we will work on a pretty basic one that will be sure to lift your spirits as we head to the middle of the week.

Basic Salutation-

1. Mountain
Begin by standing in Mountain pose, feet about hip width apart or closer, hands either by your sides, shoulders back and down. Take several deep breaths.

2. Hands up and Swan Dive
On your next inhale, in one sweeping movement, raise your arms up overhead and gently arch back as far as feels comfortable and safe.

3.Forward Fold
As you exhale, bend forward, bending the knees if necessary, and bring your hands to rest beside your feet, dangle besides the legs or to your legs for support. Inhale half way up hands on shins or thighs, flat back. Exhale forward fold.

4.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right leg back

5. Plank
Exhale and step the left leg back into plank position. Hold the position and inhale.

6. Lower down either all the way with elbows touching ribs or coming down into Four Limbed Staff Pose. Which is exhaling and lowering yourself as if coming down from a pushup. Only your hands and feet should touch the floor.

7. Upward Dog (or cobra or sphinx)
Inhale and stretch forward and up, bending at the waist. Use your arms to lift your torso, but only bend back as far as feels comfortable and safe. As you lift the chest through the arms roll the thighs out. No compression in your lower back. Shoulders back and down. Push the top of the feet into the floor (shoelaces). As you become more comfortable you can work to lifting your legs up so that only the tops of your feet and your hands touch the floor.

OPTION TIME-

8.Extended Child's pose
Hips back towards heels, knees as wide as mat, chest heavy between thighs and arms stay extended.

or

8. Downward dog
Exhale, lift from the hips and push back and up.

9.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right foot forward.

10.Exhale, bring the left foot forward and step into forward fold at the top of the mat. Inhale half way up into half forward fold and exhale back into forward fold.

11. Inhale Reverse Swan Dive. Hands up

12. Exhale hands together hands to heart center. Repeat 1-12 times a day. :)