Twisting Sun Salutations

Twisting Sun Salutations

Importance of Sun Salutations

Sun salutations are an important part of any Vinyasa class.  Sun salutations serve many purposes.  Some of the most celebrated are:

Sun salutations warm the body

They give us the opportunity to warm the body and build an internal heat.  Sun salutations cause us to tap into our stamina as we unite movement with breath and begin to flow.  Side bending, spinal flexion, spinal extension and spinal rotation all serve to generate heat that will help the muscles to become supple and improve flexibility as the yoga practice moves on.

Sun salutations help us prepare for the rest of our yoga class

Sun salutations help us to prepare for all that is to come as the rest of the sequence unfolds.  No matter what the rest of the sequence looks like, you will get the principle of movement in your sun salutations.  The spine is moving in all directions and the body is ready for whatever is on deck in the yoga sequence. 

Sun salutations open our energy channels

Sun salutations move the body in every direction possible which helps to open the body's energy channels.  The spine is able to stretch in six directions - spinal extension (backbends), spinal flexion (forward folds), lateral flexion to the left (side bending), lateral flexion to the right, rotation to the left and rotation to the right.  In sun salutations, as we move the spine in all 6 directions, we are touching our chakras and clearing our energy pathways.  This is great for removing blockages of energy.

Accessibility and Variations in Sun Salutations

Accessible Sun Salutations

We like to keep our sun salutations fun at Online Yoga School.  We believe in accessible yoga and encourage our community to adapt the yoga postures to their individual bodies, not vice versa.  There are many ways to practice sun salutations, including kneeling sun salutations, sun salutations against a wall or sun salutations using a chair.  Often times, chaturanga can create an unsafe space for sun salutations.  There are many ways to practice chaturanga dandasana to make the posture accessible for your individual body.

Variations in Sun Salutations

When sequencing a yoga class, you may be preparing the body for a peak posture or you may be working with a general principle of movement.  In our 200 hour yoga teacher training, we teach that some of these include backbending, forward bending, side bending and twisting.  To support the overall intention of the class, we can create variations in our sun salutations.  Sometimes it just makes sense to incorporate additional movements in our sun salutations.  Such is the case whenever I teach a twisting yoga practice.  I love to create twisting sun salutation variations and I'll share one of those with you.  Please feel free to save it, practice it and teach it if you enjoy it.

Twisting Sun Salutations

These twisting sun salutations are a variation of Sun Salutation A.  Traditionally, Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A) includes the following postures:

• Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
• Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)
• Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
• Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend sometimes known as "Half Lift" or "Halfway Lift")
• Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff Pose)
• Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose) or Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
• Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Posture)
• Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend sometimes known as "Half Lift" or "Halfway Lift")
• Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Pose)
• Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)
• Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

As mentioned above, there are hundreds of accessibility variations for Sun Salutations.  The postures listed here are the traditional postures in Sun Salutations A (Surya Namaskar A).

Steph's Twisting Sun Salutations

Tadasana (Mountain)

We begin the twisting sun salutations in Tadasana, mountain pose.  Ground down through your feet and lengthen through the crown of your head.  Begin to let the breath flow in, flow out.  Prepare to move.

Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)

On an inhale, stretch your arms up as you lengthen through the front body.  Open the chest and turn the gaze upwards towards the hands.  Feel free to take a slight arch of the back if that feels good.

Tadasana With a Twist Over the Right Shoulder

On an exhale, turn to look over the right shoulder as you extend the right arm behind you and the left arm in front of you.  Keep hip points facing forward as you twist.

Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)

As you inhale, turn to face forward and extend the arms up overhead, maybe taking a mini backbend.  

Tadasana With a Twist Over the Left Shoulder

On an exhale, turn to look over the left shoulder as you extend the left arm behind you and the right arm in front of you.  Keep hip points facing forward as you twist.

Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)

As you inhale, turn to face forward and extend the arms up overhead, maybe taking a mini backbend.  

Uttanasana (Forward fold)

On an exhale, fold forward.  Feel free to keep a micro bend in the knees if that feels good.  You can also bring the hands on blocks for support.  Keep drawing the belly up and let the head hang heavy, extending long through the crown of the head.

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Fold sometimes known as "Half Lift" or "Halfway Lift")

On an inhale, lift halfway.  Bring the hands on the shins or on blocks as you lengthen the spine long.  Imagine that you could pull the vertebrae apart from one another as you extend through the crown of the head.

Phalakasana (Plank Pose)

On an exhale, lower the hands to the ground and step the feet back for plank pose.  Take an inhale to set as you engage the front body and lengthen the back body.

Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)

As you exhale, lower all the way down onto the belly.

Bhujangasana Variation (Twisting Cobra Pose to the Right)

On an inhale, take a twisting cobra to the right, gazing out over the right shoulder.

Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)

As you exhale, lower all the way down onto the belly.

Bhujangasana Variation (Twisting Cobra Pose to the Left)

On an inhale, take a twisting cobra to the left, gazing out over the left shoulder.

Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)

As you exhale, lower all the way down onto the belly.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

On an inhale, lift the chest into traditional cobra pose.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Posture) - Variation w/Twisting Heels

As you exhale, press the hips back into downward facing dog posture.  On an inhale, press the hips back.  As you exhale, drop the heels over to the left.  Inhale, bring the heels back through center.  On an exhale, drop the heels over to the right.  Inhale, come back through center and press the hips back.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

On an exhale, step the feet to the top of the mat, landing in a forward fold.

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Standing Forward Bend or Half Lift)

Inhale, lift halfway

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Exhale, forward fold

Urdhva Tadasana (Extended Mountain Pose, aka Upward Salute)

As you inhale, rise to standing and extend the arms up over the head, possibly taking a little backbend.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

On an exhale, bring the arms to the sides as you land in Mountain Pose.

Benefits of Twisting Sun Salutations

There are many benefits of twisting sun salutations. 

Physical Benefits of Twisting Sun Salutations

In general, twists are known as a detoxifying practice in yoga.  Whenever we twist, we are gently rotating the spine and stretching the muscles along the spine. Twists help to restore the spine's organic range of motion. They increase and stimulate circulation and they clean the internal body.  In yoga, twists are like a gentle massage for the organs.  When we twist, every organ is somehow connected to the spine (either directly or indirectly) and it's like ringing out our internal organs. 

Energetic Benefits of Twisting Sun Salutations

Twists are usually associated with releasing and cleansing.  A lot of times, yoga classes that include twisting practices are themed around getting rid of what no longer serves you and twisting out all that you don't need.  I often think of twists bringing balance energetically.  This is because twists are helpful in reducing stress and anxiety and calming the nervous system although they are also energizing.  Our energy can better flow through the body when we twist because we are lengthening the spine and creating space between the bones. 

Learn to Create Your Own Twisting Yoga Sequences and Sun Salutation Variations

If you have enjoyed our twisting sun salutations, we would like to invite you to join us in our 200 hour yoga teacher training online or 300 hour yoga teacher training online.  In our online yoga teacher training programs, we have entire modules dedicated to sequencing.  You can learn how to sequence a safe and effective yoga class.  Discover the ins and outs to designing your own variations of sun salutations and get certified to teach yoga.