12 Yoga Poses

Sun Salutations, or Surya Namaskar, is a series of 12 yoga poses that take 5 minutes. Not only is it short, but it is also one of the most comprehensive stretches and boasts numerous health benefits, including increased blood circulation, heart health, nerve function, lower cholesterol levels, and also activates your chakras.

If you can take the time to learn these 12 poses from memory, which you can find in the resources section of this site, you have a lasting healthy habit, available at your whim, that will slowly seep into your days. It’s an easy way to begin and keep a practice for people who otherwise have a resistance to consistency. Learning this simple routine, yoga will always be with you, no matter if you fall off for a while, it will always be available to you as an easy avenue of access back onto a path of wellness. Proper breathing during the routine, inhaling on the expansions and exhaling on the release, is also a training in meditation. You get it all in one Sun Salutation.

For some it is all they need, practicing only with Surya Namaskar, not only to greet the day or wind the day down, but 108 times a day as a full workout adding a whole new level of health benefit. People who do this usually build up to it with smaller increments but the great thing about this ancient practice, dating back to over 2500 years, is that it is a whole practice in itself doing one a day or 108. You can come it at any level, you can stop at any time, and the practice is complete.

All you need is 5 minutes and you can say, ‘I did yoga today!’

Happy Sun Sals!