The spiritual tradition of solar worship goes back a long while to the time when yogis identified the brilliant sun in the sky to be an image of the spirit shining within them. In hatha yoga there is nothing more splendid than the practice of the 12 postures that form the Surya Namaskar, which literally means sun salutations. The 12 asanas are performed as part of the solar worship tradition after specific other exercises that combine pranayam, chanting of mantras (words with sacred sound vibration) and mudras—special hand movements that channel the solar energy to various parts of the brain and body. The postures work on all parts of the physical body strengthening and elongating the muscles; the bending and the flexing compresses and relaxes the organs allowing them to detoxify. The rhythmic movement of the body as in a dance works like an aerobic exercise by expanding and contracting the lungs and oxygenating the body.

After mastering the asanas that form the twelve postures, the yogi learns to breathe correctly and to synchronise the breath with the posture. This practise can be kept confined to only the physical by just practicing the postures mechanically or taken higher. The postures flow into one another and the whole sequence resembles a dance. When done with complete concentration the body movement, the breath and mind synchronise to take the practitioner into an altered state of awareness. As the practitioner becomes more adept in yoga then the next step to focus and visualise specific chakras in every posture is taught. By this dynamic process of combining the posture and the breath and focusing awareness on the chakras they are activated and balanced. By now the practitioner is capable of various rhythms of Surya Namaskar, the sequence can be done in speeds of slow, medium and fast depending on the fitness of the one practicing and the depth of enjoyment. After this comes the stage of chanting the mantras with every posture. Thus gradually the practitioner is taken to higher and deeper levels of awareness of the dynamic qualities of the sun and its rejuvenating capacity as the body starts directly soaking the energy of the sun.

Finding balance

Stand with back straight, feet together heel to toe touching. Keep the shoulders back as if touching a wall in the rear, chest slightly protruding out. Both hands are hanging to the side. Now without changing your stance, bring both hands up to join the palms together at chest level while elbows are parallel to the ground. Stay in this posture without swaying or losing balance for three minutes.