Alaya F who often posts glimpses of her yoga practice recently took to Instagram to share a glimpse of attempting 108 surya namaskars, something that she has never done before. "Had a fun morning with @pujiwoo attempting 108 surya namaskars (for the first time ever!) with no fan, no AC and lots of hopping and sweating," she expressed in the caption. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ALAYA F (@alayaf) She continued, "I was so overconfident at the start, but it was actually so hard. Ashtanga Surya Namaskar A, 108 in 50 minutes." While many critiqued her attempt of surya namaskars or sun salutations terming it as "incorrect", her yoga educator Puja Thea Amin came to her rescue to say in the comments section that there are different styles of doing surya namaskars. "To everyone commenting that this surya namaskar is incorrect - there are MANY forms of Surya Namaskar depending on which tradition and style one follows. One can argue that we can even go outside, pray to the sun and that is also considered to be surya namaskar! What @alayaf is doing here is a faster version of the Ashtanga Surya Namaskar A because we wanted to finish within the hour we set aside for practice. The important part of this is that she completed it with focus and grace!" Notably, practicing the yogic sequence of 12 asanas, also called 'The Ultimate Asana', strengthens the back as well as the muscles. As the metabolism is high, blood circulation improves in the body which lends a glow on the face. Noting that it is the correct way of doing surya namaskar as there are multiple variations of surya namaskars, yoga practitioner Ekta Pathak, ekrangyoga_life said, "This one is Ashtanga Surya Namaskar A variation. This sequence can be used in preparation for other postures by warming up and stretching the body, bringing the connection between movement and breath. It can also be used as a complete body workout in itself." Doing 108 surya namaskars or 54 sets of sun salutations may look like a daunting task for a beginner, but it can be achieved by preparing well in advance. Experts suggest that the focus should be on building one’s stamina, and their physical condition. Is it necessary to do 108? No, it is not necessary to do 108, said Pathak. "108 is a spiritual number. 1 represents unity or the divine, 0 symbolises emptiness or completeness, and 8 signifies infinity or eternity. The total of 108 is 9 and that’s the number which again has a high significance in Bhakti Yoga (Navavidha Bhakti)," she added. According to Pathak, ultimately, the number of surya namaskars one chooses to do is a personal decision. "It's important to listen to your body, start with a number that feels comfortable, and gradually increase the intensity or repetitions as your practice progress." Is one hour enough to practice 108 surya namaskars? Engaging in a time-restricted practice of completing 108 surya namaskars in less than an hour is not recommended, Pathak said. "The reason behind this is that each posture within surya namaskar should ideally be synchronised with the breath, whether it's inhalation, exhalation, or holding the breath. If the postures are performed without mindfulness of the breath, it becomes merely an exercise rather than a mindful yoga asana practice. Moreover, it is even more beneficial to enhance the benefits of this soulful practice by incorporating powerful mantras during surya namaskar, as they invoke our innate divinity." According to Himalayan Siddha Akshar, founder, Akshar Yoga Institutions, when you perform the surya namaskar or the sun salutation very slowly, it helps you to burn roughly around 20 to 30 calories in 5-10 minutes. "Additionally, when you have understood the correct breathing pattern and the alignment of the different poses to be followed while practicing the surya namaskar, this greatly increases calorie burn," said Akshar. 📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don't miss out on the latest updates!
