| The
Surya Namaskara are of ancient origin and serve as the
foundation stone upon which the science of yoga rests. The
Surya Namaskara, or sun salutations, are necessary to the
practice of yoga, as they help gather the strength of the
mind in one direction and aid in the attainment of mental
focus. Without bringing the mind to a state in which it
can push the body through the various stages of yoga
practice, say texts of old, students cannot be certain to
avoid injury.
Ancient texts of Hinduism
teach that salutations are dear to the sun god Surya - namaskara
priya Surya - as dear to him as cerimonial bathing is
to Siva - abhiseka priyah Sivah - and adornment is
to Visnu - alankara priyo' Visnuh. Surya is widely
held to be the central figure in the world of health, both
mental and physical, and according to the Puranas, the
veneration of his stature is best achieved through the
Surya Namaskara, which are believed to bestow lasting
health and peace of mind upon the doer.
The postures of yoga have
each a presiding deity, and there are 72,000 such deities
in total. Before paying homage to the deities
individually, a student of yoga must first begin with
salutations to Surya who, according to belief, contains
the rest of the pantheon within himself...
The Surya Namaskara
should never be mistaken for mere physical exercise - for
something incidental, that is, that simply precedes the
asanas of yoga. Therefore, it is necessary, before
beginning the sun salutations, to pray to Surya to bestow
upon us the good fortune of having only good thoughts, of
hearing and speaking only good words, and of attaining a
sound and strong body, so that we may live a long life
and, one day, achieve oneness with God... |
