Salute the Sun

Surya Namaskar, or the Sun Salutation, is one of yoga’s most recognisable sequences. In Sanskrit, ‘Surya’ means sun and ‘Namaskar’ means to bow or offer reverence. Practiced for centuries as a way to greet the new day, the sequence functions as a moving meditation that honours the vital energy the sun represents.

The roots of Sun Salutation reach back to ancient India, where the sun was revered as a source of light, warmth and spiritual clarity. Early references appear in the Vedic texts, particularly the Rig Veda, containing hymns praising the sun as a symbol of illumination and cosmic order.

While the modern posture-based form developed more recently, shaped by Hatha yoga it retains its devotional essence. Many lineages, from Mysore to Sivananda, maintain their own variations, yet all share the intention of awakening the body and focusing the mind.

In Hindu tradition, the sun is personified as Surya, the radiant deity who rides a chariot across the sky and dispels darkness. The classical practice of Surya Namaskar pairs each movement with a mantra, each praising a different quality of the sun; such as brilliance, nourishment, strength, and inner radiance.