Surya Namaskar
Also known as: Sun Salutation
Sanskrit: सूर्य नमस्कार, from surya ('sun') and namaskar ('salutation' or 'bow').
Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation, is a flowing sequence of 12 linked yoga postures, traditionally practiced facing the rising sun as a devotional and physical warm-up. It coordinates breath and movement and is one of the most widely taught sequences in modern yoga practice.
Each of the 12 positions in the sequence is paired with either an inhale or an exhale, making Surya Namaskar as much a breathing practice as a physical one. Traditionally performed at dawn as a greeting to the sun, it is now used across styles of yoga as a general warm-up and cardiovascular sequence.
The most common modern sequence uses twelve positions performed in two mirrored rounds, left and right leg leading, traditionally practiced facing the rising sun and often paired with a mantra or the sun's twelve names, one recited per position. Its exact form varies more than most yoga sequences by lineage and teacher, some traditions include a full Ashtanga Vinyasa-style jump-through, others a gentler, joint-friendly version, which is worth knowing since the sun salutation is really a family of related sequences rather than one fixed routine.
Go Deeper
Related Terms
Asana
Asana refers to the physical postures of yoga, the third of Patanjali's eight limbs. Originally describing a stable, comfortable seated position for meditation, the term has expanded in modern practice to cover the wide range of standing, seated, balancing, and inverted poses taught in yoga classes today.
Pranayama
Pranayama is the yogic practice of consciously regulating the breath, using specific ratios of inhalation, retention, and exhalation to influence the nervous system, mind, and vital energy (prana). It is the fourth limb of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga and a foundation of most yoga and meditation traditions.