Surya Namaskara is an ancient way to begin the day with the worship of the sunrise. This page is dedicated to ancient prayer flows to and deep appreciation for each day.
Splintered Twists Sun Salute (No 42)
Splinters rise from a grain of wood. They seem to peel away from the order of the flow in which all the other grains flow. This Sun Salutation has
many spinal twists breaking or splintering from it.
Reverse Triangle Poseis neatly worked into the sequence on the step back. Its a hard pose that requires flexible hamstrings. For this
reason you should be warmed up before performing this sequence or choose to bend the leading leg. It's not cheating it's flowing with what you have. It's important to enjoy your practice and choose not to suffer. Force damages muscles while grace and care nurtures them.
Standing spinal twists are uncomfortable when performed too early in a sequence.
If your hamstrings are not flexible the pose will be uncomfortable for you
anyway. If this is the case try bending your leg while performing the pose until you reach a state in your
practice where the hamstrings are flexible.
It is nice to combine many spinal twists togther. The bending of the knee makes the transitions and the breathing much easier.
Straighen the legs and push the heels down while raising the tailbone up.
Lengthen from the hands up through the tailbone. This will lift the strain from the hands.
Inhale as you move forward to push up position. If you want to reduce the strain on the wrists take the knees down. Comfort in practice is not cheating and if you want to feel sacred when performing your yoga you may want a more passive approach.
Exhale and place the chin and chest down along with the knees.
Try to place everything down slowly and be careful that the muscles around the shoulders are used evenly. Quite often the anterior (front) shoulder ligamets are pulled too much in this movement.
Inhale into Cobra pose.
A small Cobra if you have a stiff or injured spine. This is always healthier. Often my back hurts because I have aggravated the ligaments from too much Cobra or I have inflamed the discs from old injuries caused y being too forceful in Yoga.
When this happens I raise just a little. I actualy prefer to do this and am 100% certain that this is healthier for your spine. It gets stronger without wear and tear.
Allow the hips or tailbone to lead the way and tuck the navel (belly button) in slightly so that the discs in the lower back are not crushed during his next transition.
Stretch energy through the toes or ball points of the toes. It is easier to lift this way rather than stretching through the heel.
Inhale step the left leg forward between the arms.
It's a hard inhalation for beginners. Delay your inhalation until the knee passes or is below the belly. This is a great tip but if it still does not feel right and you can't get a good breath in try moving on the exhalation instead.
Exhale and twist stretching the left arm up and diagonally out. Quite often teacher will ask you to tuck yourself in but I like to leave some space around my Belly Chakra when I twist.
Inhale and place the left arm down into a lunge again.
Drop the back knee slightly to create some momentum for entering the spinal twist.
Place the right heel down when you externally rotate the leg during this next transition.
Keep the left knee slightly bent if your leg flexibility is not good.
Inhale and place the left arm down into a lunge again. The inhalations are done on the lunges but it may be preferable to inhale and exhale in the spinal twists rather than enter them for a short period of time.
Hop forward and place the left arm forward a lttle on the mat for security as you raise the right leg. Raise the left arm up also and look up.
Once again you may want to inhale and exhale in the spinal twist rather than enter them for a short period of time.
Bend the knee on the transition into Chair Pose. Inhale on his transition.
Exhale into Tadasana with the hands in prayer position.
