January 2023 Studio Focus: SUN SALUTATIONS (Surya Namaskar)

Happy January! Each month at Ocean Bliss Yoga Studio we have one or two studio focuses to help bring awareness to different areas of our life. This month, our focuses are TAPAS (self-discipline) and SUN SALUTATIONS (Surya Namaskar). Read on in this blog post to discover more about SUN SALUTATIONS!

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The SUN SALUTATION, or Surya Namaskar, is a complete yoga practice in itself that, with alterations, is accessible to everybody!  SUN SALUTATIONS seamlessly flow through 12 yoga poses from one to the next and are often practiced as, "one breath, one movement."  The attention on the breath setting the rhythm of the practice helps to get practitioners into a calm and meditative state, while the quicker transitions call for consistent core awareness and work to build heat in the body.  Read on below for just a few of the many benefits of SUN SALUTATIONS.  Join us in the studio and virtual room this month to explore this wonderful practice with all of its variations and modifications!

(1) Improve Your Energy And Circulation:  Practiced first thing in the morning, SUN SALUTATIONS get your blood flowing, your body moving, and your day going!  This practice purifies the blood and increases circulation.

(2) Lengthen And Strengthen Your Entire Body:  Traveling through the poses involved in SUN SALUTATIONS targets the entire body.  This one practice will lubricate your joints, increase your flexibility, and tone and strengthen your bones and muscles.

(3) Calm The Body And Mind:  Moving rhythmically with the breath turns this practice into a moving meditation and quickly calms the nervous system and mind.

(4) Help You Center And Gather:  This practice brings the mind's focus inward and helps you to remember who and what you are, your deep desires, why you're here, and what you're grateful for.

(5) Increase Self-Awareness And Respect:  Practicing SUN SALUTATIONS regularly gives you information about what is going on in your body and mind, and helps you to learn to honor yourself by respecting what comes up and meeting yourself where you are with love and kindness.

Practicing SUN SALUTATIONS daily really does provide benefits for virtually all systems of the body.  The skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, and digestive systems are all positively impacted by SUN SALUTATIONS.  Try and see!