Yoga Articles by Tracey Rich
Seven Ways to
Savor Your Salutations
Suryanamaskar, the salute to the sun, can be a melodic
moving meditation. Surya translates to the word sun
in Sanskrit, the original language of yoga. Namaskaram,
the traditional greeting in the South of India, translates
to the word salutation like the more familiar word namaste
which is in the dialect of Hindi and is used in the
North of India.
There are many physical translations of Suryanamaskar
from various schools and dating to different origins
and traditions. These sequential vignettes or rhythmic
vinyasas can used to open a practice, singularly used
to link other sequences of asanas together and can become
an entire practice in themselves. Surynamaskar A, B,
and C are the most well-known and can be learned through
all of our Flow Series
DVDs in their proper alignment and with modifications
for greater accessibility.
Here are some suggestions to help you savor your salutations.
Try practicing each new repetition or grouping of salutations
with your full attention on one of the focuses suggested
below.
- Focus on the Fluidity of Your Breath:
Let each movement within the salutation begin and
end with a full, unbroken breath. Let the timing of
your breath create the pace of each movement. This
is finding rhythm in the salutation.
- Focus on Lines of Energy: Let extensional
energy be the key element of each movement. Find the
polarity within each action by sensing opposing directional
energies… left, right, up, down, forward, backward.
Over-effort will block energetic or nerve flow, whereas
under applied effort can block energy and create joint
tension.
- FOCUS ON ALIGNMENT: Let each complete
salutation and each movement within the salutation
follow the wisdom of proper placement. Finish each
movement fully before executing the next.
- FOCUS ON ATTENTION WHILE CONCENTRATING:
Keep your attention and concentration vigilant. Balance
one-pointed focus with awareness in all directions.
This includes upward and downward moving energy, inward
and outward attention, aware ness of the space you
occupy, the negative spaces within the form of the
asana, and awareness of the entire surrounding environment.
Energy comes from everywhere and can be lost thru
inattention.
- FOCUS ON GRAVITY: The trick here
is to work with and against gravity depending on the
movement. Don’t do your own heavy lifting. In
essence, learn to under stand and use gravity to elevate
your practice. This is the secret to creating lightness
in your asanas and experiencing the pleasure of being
on the planet.
- FOCUS ON FREEDOM: Give yourself
the freedom to explore range of motion, intuitive
variations and creative nuisances within the poses
that make up the salutation sequence. Letting go of
what you expect to experience in the asanas allow
the freedom of insight to surface and encourage the
joy of practice.
- FOCUS ON FLOW: Let one movement
flow into the next. Even though you want to execute
each aspect of the salutation completely, let the
next corresponding movement begin seamlessly. Focus
on the spaces between asanas as well as the asana
itself. Listen for the rhythm, look for the harmony,
and experience the grace in your practice. Flow is
achieved by bringing all of the aforementioned focuses
into play at one time. Namaste!
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