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Yoga improves general health by integrating physical activity, mental focus, and emotional stability. Regular sessions enhance the range of motion, strength, and posture while managing anxiety and stress levels. It improves heart health, strengthens the body’s defences, and supports healthy weight loss. Pranayama breath work increases lung function, and aids in relaxing the body, while meditation assists in mindful self-awareness and emotional health.
Yoga & Wellness
By adding yoga into the daily routine, chronic problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis can improve. It also improves focus, productivity, and sleep patterns which makes it an overall great benefit for one’s physical and mental health. Research indicated that yoga aids with lowering cortisol levels which help in alleviating stress and improving general wellbeing.
For holistic well-being, yoga combines physical, emotional, and spiritual providing the incentive for a healthy lifestyle. Attained with Vinyasa or restorative Yin yoga, its benefits can be gained by people of all ages. Incorporating yoga into everyday life can yield positive health outcomes in the long run.
Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar, also known as Sun Salutation, is a combination of 12 poses of yoga that require chanting, breathing, meditation, and yoga movements. It is regarded as having several benefits to health, like shedding fat, gaining better mental health, and increased flexibility.
Origins Of Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation, has its roots in ancient Indian traditions and has evolved over centuries into a structured yoga practice. While its exact origins are debated, it is believed to have been practised as a form of sun worship in Vedic times, where devotees offered prayers and prostrations to the Sun God, Surya.
The modern sequence of Surya Namaskar, consisting of 12 postures, is attributed to the Raja of Aundh, Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi, in the early 20th century. He promoted it as a physical exercise, integrating elements of traditional yoga and gymnastics. Over time, it became a fundamental part of Hatha and Ashtanga yoga styles, emphasizing breath control, mindfulness, and flexibility.
Today, Surya Namaskar is widely practised worldwide, both as a spiritual ritual and a full-body workout. It serves as a foundational sequence for many yoga practitioners, promoting holistic well-being
Benefits of Surya Namaskar
The various benefits of Surya Namaskar include:
- Boosts Overall Health – Regular practice improves cardiovascular health, digestion, and immune function.
- Lowered Stress and Anxiety – Concentrated breathing eases tension within the mind and provides a general feeling of calmness.
- Improved Appetite – Promotes better functioning of the internal organs which aids in digestion.
- Energy Booster – The controlled breathing yoga sequence during Surya Namaskar enhances the assimilation of oxygen, ensuring that one remains active for the rest of the day.
Importance of Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar is a practice that encourages bodily movement, rests the mind, and simultaneously relieves tension. It also stimulates and balances the Manipura Chakra, which is associated with self-esteem and energy, therefore helping to awaken confidence. Let’s check the importance of Surya Namaskar in our daily lives.
- Surya Namaskar’s Role In Weight Loss: When used in combination with cardio workouts and a proper nutrition plan, Surya Namaskar can help achieve your weight loss goals. It boosts metabolic activity, accelerates fat burning, and aids in maintaining hormonal harmony.
- Calorie Burn in Weight Loss: One cycle of Surya Namaskar, depending on its execution pace and level of difficulty, burns about 13-14 calories, and doing 12 cycles aids in burning close to 150 calories. Abdominal muscle tone and subcutaneous fat decrease with consistent practice.
Procedure of Surya Namaskar (12 Poses)
The procedure of Surya Namaskar includes:
- Prayer Pose (Pranamasana) – Standing up, place both hands so that they touch the chest.
- Raised Arms Pose (Hasta Uttanasana)– Stretch both arms upwards and slightly backward.
- Hand-to-Foot Pose (Padahastasana) – Bend down as if in motion to touch the toes.
- Equestrian Pose (Ashwa Sanchalanasana) – Look ahead as you stretch out one leg backwards.
- Stick Pose (Dandasana) – Other leg is pulled back together with the first leg to get into a plank stance.
- Saluting with Eight Points (Ashtanga Namaskara) – Keeping the chest and the knees along with the chin to the floor.
- Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) – Hands firmly on the ground while the user pushes their upper body away from the ground.
- Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) – Shifting the hips to face upward (the body should be in an inverted V fashion and head down).
- Equestrian Pose (Ashwa Sanchalanasana) – Allow one leg to come back to the forward position.
- Hand to Foot Pose (Padahastasana) – Position the other leg forward and flex.
- Raised Arms Pose (Hasta Uttanasana) – Raise the arms backwards.
- Prayer Pose (Pranamasana) – Go back to the original stance.
A person’s body and mind can benefit greatly from daily Surya Namaskar practice. It is the most basic way of staying healthy.
Can Surya Namaskar Be Combines With Other Form Of Exercises For Weight Loss
While Surya Namaskar alone is beneficial for weight loss, the calorie burn in Surya Namaskar can be increased by combining it with other forms of exercise stated below.
- High-Intensity Interval Training: Surya Namaskar combined with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) employ techniques in which rest breaks of short duration are interspersed with fast-paced yoga sequences, combined to create an intense cardio and strength workout. Rapid heart rate performance not only increases calorie expenditure and stamina but with every additional round, opens avenues for rapid pacing. Concerning HIIT, this blend of yoga enhances muscle tone, flexibility, and cardiovascular health, all the while maintaining the mindfulness benefits yoga offers. It is a highly effective and efficient method for weight loss and improvement in physical condition overall.
- Strength Training: This is an effective way to build muscle endurance and flexibility along with improving overall fitness. Core, arms, legs, back, and other regions are worked out with this movement that improves balance and posture. Regular practice increases arm and shoulder muscle strength through Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank) and strengthens the legs through forward bends and lunges. Apart from that, Surya Namaskar also facilitates the development of stamina by providing cardio which enhances endurance. Practising at a fast pace has been proven to improve aerobic capacity in certain studies, making it an excellent substitution for other methods of strength training.
- Cardiovascular Exercise: Combining cardiovascular exercise with Surya Namaskar creates a powerful full-body workout that enhances endurance, strength, and flexibility. Performing Surya Namaskar at a fast pace elevates heart rate, making it an effective cardio exercise. It boosts circulation, improves lung capacity, and aids weight loss. Regular practice enhances cardiovascular health while also promoting muscle tone and mindfulness, making it a holistic fitness routine suitable for all fitness levels.
Also read: Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss & Belly Fat Reduction
Final Thoughts
Surya Namaskar is an effective yoga asana that combines exercise, mental health and spirituality while providing individual value to each category. It increases muscle, flexibility, and heart health while relieving stress and promoting mindfulness. Surya Namaskar is beneficial whether it is practised alone, integrated into strength training, or incorporated into a high-intensity cardio program.
Regular practice has equipped many to lose weight, increase their metabolism, and correct their posture. Because this routine is performed on demand and without tools, it is available to all skill levels. Effectively incorporating Surya Namaskar in your daily life promotes both physical and mental well-being, making it a remarkable routine for holistic well-being.
