Sun Salutations ~ Move That Body!

Move That Body!

You probably already know how important physical fitness is, and not only for building muscles but also for mental health and emotional well-being. I've been physically active for most of my life and I feel like I'm just now beginning to truly grasp the value of maintaining athletic wellness for mind, body, and spirit. After having sports injuries, a major surgery, and a few times being sick enough to have necessary bed rest I see physical fitness with a new light.

Today, my physical fitness involves a mixture of weight lifting, calisthenics, and alignment exercises. In addition, the variety of yoga series I received through teacher training sessions and self study are usually reserved for my morning routine. Some of the yoga series including the Sun Salutation sequence, Surya Namaskar, serve as my cool down after a workout and have been a huge help to my recovery and healing process.

When I'm in recovery mode, I revisit and hone in to yoga postures and techniques with a beginner's mindset. For instance, before or after practicing the Sun Salutation sequence I make a point to review my physical alignment lessons as well as delve back into specific yoga books and videos.

I'm highlighting the Sun Salutation sequence because it's well-known and documented as a series that conditions and tones the entire body including the internal organs. From this level of transformation, we can experience more subtle levels of whole body wellness including mindset shifts and emotional balancing. There's a video below if you'd like to explore the Sun Salutation sequence in more detail.

Let' keep in mind that any kind of physical conditioning exercises can extend its benefits beyond the body and supplement subtle levels of awareness including our thoughts and feelings. For instance, when you workout regularly you may notice that your mindset shifts naturally to healthier choices. To support your health journey you may swap out heavily processed and fast foods for whole foods with little to no artificial ingredients.

Furthermore, you may even hang with more of your friends and family that support your health journey by trying new things with you. Your loved ones may even introduce you to people, places, and things that you haven't considered yet.

And because of this support you may notice that you're self talk and conversations with others are more positive, showing that you're in a good mood more often than not. These benefits can refer to your physical well-being, expanding your experience and expression of whole body fitness.

When we put in the work to maintain a fit body, mental-emotional wellness becomes an essential byproduct due to the intimate connection between the mind and the body.

Benefits: Sun Salutation Sequence

Warm up the body.

Sun Salutations can serve as a physical warm up for the entire body.

This sequence can be practiced alone or before a yoga series like Ashtanga Yoga. It can also come in handy before or after a workout session. Because the sun salutation sequence tones the entire body it can help to prevent or lessen the effects of stiff joints, aching muscles, and limited range of motion.

Cultivate mind-body connection.

Taking five to ten minutes to practice Sun Salutations can create and support awareness between the mind and the body awareness.

Sometimes I tease and say that I practice yoga postures because it minimizes my clumsiness. In a sense, this is true because physical fitness practiced with proper alignment can help to decrease injury by improving body awareness.

In other words, when you become intimately familiar with your body you naturally adjust to your body's needs to withstand the wear and tear of movements over time. This is notably helpful if you are on your feet for long periods of time as well as if you lift at least half your body weight multiple times throughout the day.

Improve flexibility, mobility, and strength in the body.

Sun salutations can help to protect as well as condition the joints, tendons, and muscles.

This in turn can be helpful for flexibility, mobility, and strength. This yoga sequence also naturally regulates blood circulation and oxygen flow. As a result, you may experience an improvement in mental clarity, emotional stability, and physical endurance.

Practice: Sun Salutation A

Shoutout to Arianna Elizabeth and her YouTube channel, Bright & Salted Yoga!

I love this video because it has a slow and steady pace. Also, Arianna provides Sanskrit with English translation for those of you who are interested to learn and review.

Remember, when we attend to our physical fitness we can simultaneously attend to our mental fortitude and emotional stability.

Personally, I am noticing how physical fitness helped me to build strength and confidence in multiple areas of my life, especially after being sick and in recovery.

Working out can be viewed as simple as a means to producing a pleasant physique, but through experience and research we can also enjoy the benefits of cultivating our mind-body connection through physical fitness.

So please, continue to do your research, practice with mindfulness, and enjoy your journey!