Good Morning Sun Salutation Sequence
This basic Sun Salutation sequence is the perfect way to start your day.
With all the hustle and bustle and stresses in life today, it’s so important to start each day off with good vibes. Doing Sun Salutations is one of the best ways to energize your body and clear your mind for the day ahead so you can be the best representation of yourself! Repeating a Sun Salutation sequence a few times can serve as an invigorating warm-up before starting your regular yoga routine, however, if you only have a few minutes to spare in the morning, the below Sun Salutation sequence can also be practiced on its own. As the name suggests, sunrise is the ideal time to do this yoga routine.
Try the yoga poses below and see just how energized you feel for the rest of your day!
Utkatasana
Begin in Tadasana (Mountain pose) at the front of your mat. Close your eyes and take a few breaths to center yourself. Inhale, bend your knees deeply and sweep the hands up so the upper arms skim your ears. Try to keep the knees from ‘overshooting’ your toes, shoulders soft and spine long. If your shoulders are tight, bend your elbows and bring your forearms in front of you.
Uttanasana
Exhale, push through the feet to straighten the legs and sweep the torso forward and down, hinging from the hips. Bring the fingertips in line with the toes and keep the spine long, shoulders moving away from your ears. If this is too strong for your hamstrings, bend your knees and place your fingertips on the floor or your hands on blocks.
Ardha Uttanasana
Inhale and extend the sternum forward, coming onto your fingertips. Look forward but try to keep the sides and back of the neck long to prevent compression. Imagine energy radiating out in opposite directions from the crown of your head and your sit bones. To modify, you could place your hands on the tops of your shins or your thighs.
Chaturanga
Bend your knees deeply so that the palms can press firmly into the floor. Choose a point just in front of your toes to gaze at and as you exhale, engage your abdominal muscles to support the spine and send your energy and the base of your sternum towards this focal point as you jump back to Chaturanga Dandasana. Land with your elbows bent, shoulders in line with your elbows.
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Inhale, roll over your toes and press your sternum forward and upwards so that your chest moves through the gateway of your upper arms. Press the tops of the feet (especially the big toes) firmly into the floor and the draw the thighs away from the floor. Keep the abdomen slightly engaged to protect the lower belly and lift the sternum and the gaze towards the sky.
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Exhale, press firmly into the palms and draw the belly in and up. Begin to take the hips up and back, rolling or stepping over the toes so you come to stand on the balls of your feet, feet hip distance apart. Extend through the crown of the head and the sit bones and press the tops of the thighs back. Aim to create length in your spine rather than forcing the heels to the floor.
Virabhadrasana 1
Inhale, raise your right leg and step the foot up to the right thumb with your knee bent. Turn your left toes slightly out, making sure your feet are hip-width distance apart, rather than in line with one another. Raise your arms up to the sky and press into the outer edge of the left foot so your weight is spread evenly. Bring your palms together or keep them shoulder-width apart.
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All images courtesy of EkhartYoga.com.
