Easy mornings: an exercise to help you wake up quickly

Mornings are the most productive time. Larks usually have time to eat breakfast, go for a run, and get a lot of things done for the day. After all, when you wake up early, the day immediately becomes so long. But what if you’re not a lark and have a hard time opening your eyes on your alarm clock? Alexandra Churkina and I have found the only true solution for you – a simple set of exercises, thanks to which you will definitely wake up.

Surya Namaskar complex

Surya Namaskar (from Sanskrit “Salutation to the Sun”) is one of the most famous hatha yoga complexes. It is a sequence of dynamically connected asanas. Each of them is performed on inhalation or exhalation. One cycle always ends in the position from which it started.

As the name of the complex says, performing it, we greet the Sun. And of course, it is better to do it in the morning (ideally before sunrise). That’s why Surya Namaskar is so popular – it can easily replace the usual morning exercise.

What gives us the Greetings to the Sun:

• Sympathetic activation (Surya Namaskar is a great way to cheer up and wake up)
• Quality workout, stretching the muscles of the whole body
• A burst of vigor and energy

There are many variants of performing the complex. There are both “classical” variants and author’s variants.

Let’s dwell on the two most famous ones.

Surya Namaskar in the tradition of Shivananda Yoga

Starting position: Tadasana – stand up, feet together, weight distributed evenly between them. The kneecaps are tightened. The lower ribs are drawn inwards, the abdomen is tightened. The palms of the hands gather in namaste in front of the chest, shoulders down. Pull the top of the head upwards.

Inhale – raise two hands up (if there are no problems with the lower back, you can perform a soft bend).
Exhale – lower two hands to the floor (be careful, if you have a rounded back and your belly does not lie on your hips, then bend your legs at the knees).
Inhale – step back with the right foot, looking forward.
Exhale – go into a plank. Make sure that the back does not sag in the lower back, the abdomen is tightened. Push the area between the shoulder blades upwards.
Inhale – stay in the plank.
Exhale – lower knees, chest and chin to the floor. The palms of the hands remain near the shoulder joints. This is Ashtanganamaskarasana.
Inhale – transition into a dog with the face up (perform a flexion). Roll over the toes and emphasize on the elevation of the feet.
Exhale – downward facing dog. In this position, try to keep your back straight. If your back is rounded, bend your legs at the knees and/or lift your heels off the floor.
Inhale – step your right foot toward your hands.
Exhale – perform a bend (Uttanasana), don’t forget to tuck your legs if your belly is not touching your hips and your back is rounded – this will help to avoid problems with the lumbar spine.
Inhale – raise two arms up (perform a soft pleasant flexion, if there are no problems with the lumbar spine).
Exhale – starting position – Tadasana.

Then the same sequence is performed with the left leg. Having performed the cycle on both sides, you complete one “circle” of Surya Namaskar. There can be from three to 12 such circles depending on your training. There is also a practice of 108 circles of Surya Namaskar, but it is performed on special days and with good preparation.

Surya Namaskar in the tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga

In the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga tradition there are two types of Sun Salutation: variant A and variant B.

We will consider variant A as more accessible to beginners.

Starting position is Samasthiti (“standing straight” from Sanskrit). Kneecaps tightened, arms at an angle of about 20 degrees to the body, the top of the head stretches upwards, feet together.
Inhale – lift two hands up.
Exhale – perform a bend. Again remember that it is worth tucking the legs, if the belly does not touch the hips and the back is strongly rounded.
Inhale – flex and look forward.
Exhale – step back or bounce back and move into Chaturanga Dandasana – bottom rest, elbows facing backwards (not to the sides).
Inhale – dog face up – flexion, feet on the upswing.
Exhale – downward facing dog. Back straight, feet on the width of the pelvis, palms tightly pressed to the floor. And in this position we are in five cycles of breathing. Try to breathe evenly, calmly. If you know the techniques of Full Yogic Breathing or Ujjayi – keep them throughout the complex.
Inhale – step or jump up to the hands, look forward.
Exhale – bend, neck relaxed, shoulders not clasping the neck.
Inhale – two hands lift up, move to an upright position.
Exhale – Samasthiti – starting position.

The cycle of Surya Namaskar in the tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is finished.

In the morning you can perform several circles of one variant of the complex and several circles of the other.

It is acceptable to use Surya Namaskar as an independent morning practice, and as a warm-up before other physical exercises or hatha yoga practice.

Regular performance of Surya Namaskar has a positive effect on the whole body: it strengthens the body, improves the work of respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, digestive and nervous systems.