International Yoga Day: The whys of Surya Namaskar and other ways to worship the sun

The practice of Surya Namaskar or the sun salutation vitalizes the body with solar energy. It is generally done at sunrise or sunset and combines asanas and pranayama and produces flexibility, weight reduction and vitality.

But there is more. According to Vedacharya and noted Yoga-Ayurveda guru David Frawley, the sun salutation “covers the greatest variety of body movements, energizes all organs and diffuses sunlight throughout the extremities.” He explains that it helps increase Apana Vayu – one of the five energetic subdivisions – controlling elimination, digestion and reproduction; and also dissipate doshas from the spine. What happens to people who cannot perform Surya Namaskar? Here are some other methods to worship the sun:

MENTAL SURYA NAMASKAR

Sit or lie down comfortably and visualize yourself facing the rising sun on a beach, standing or sitting with your hands crossed in a namaste pose (or visualize yourself performing the 12 steps of the sun salutation, if you can). Chant Om, followed by a bija mantra hraam, hreem, hroom hraim, hraum and hruh They are 'seed syllables' (evocative sounds that generate powerful energy vibrations within the mind and body) and a name for the sun, as mentioned below.

Chanted in this way, with concentration and understanding of the meaning of the name, the energy inherent in these mantras manifests in the mind.

YOU ALSO CAN…

• Chant the Gayatri Mantra
• Visualize the crimson sun in your heart. a period of time of one ghadi – 24 minutes – would be ideal.
• Frawley suggests thinking about your guru or anyone else to whom you are devoted, placed in the sun of your heart.

THE SUN-YOGA CONNECTION IN THE INDIAN TRADITION

Frawley, also known as Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, an authority on the Vedas, emphasizes that “we cultivate not only the external sun as a source of energy, but also the internal sun as a source of inspiration and meditation.” He gives several references to the sun in the Indian scriptures, which reveal that the sun is the source of life energy, i.e. prana.

• The Vedas praise the sun as the source of life, intelligence and consciousness within us, each soul being its own spiritual sun.
• The sun is the supreme deity of the Vedas, the divine power in the sky that functions as lightning in the atmosphere and as fire on Earth: the three visible manifestations of light.
• The Upanishads state that the sun chants 'OM' while moving in the sky. Therefore, the sun is not only a source of light, but also of sound and mantra.
• The Maitri Upanishad says: “The Self behaves in two ways: like prana and like the sun. The sun is the outer Self and prana is the inner self.
• 'Hiranyagarbha' (the golden embryo, identified with the sun) is said to be the traditional founder of Yoga Darshana, the system of yoga philosophy.
• In the Mahabharata, Hiranyagarbha gives his teachings on yoga to sage Vashishta.
• In the Mahabharata (Shanti Parva), Hiranyagarbha is mentioned as the original knower of yoga.
• Sage Yajnavalkya, an important figure in yoga, is said to have received his Vedic mantras directly from the sun god as Aditya.
• Yogi Yajnavalkya, the most important traditional yoga text after Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, states: “The Sun, the Self of the world, is the Prana placed in the heart.” (Brihad Yogi Yajnavalkya Smriti, Kaivalyadhama).
• Savitri is the deity of yoga and meditation. The Gayatri to Savitri mantra, an important form of the sun, is the most important of all Vedic mantras. It draws the spiritual energy of the sun into our minds, hearts and bodies, serving as a solar panel for the inner worlds. “We meditate on the supreme light of the divine transforming sun (Savitri) so that it can stimulate our intelligence. (RigVeda III)
• Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, says in the Bhagavad Gita that he first taught yoga to Vivasvan, the sun god.
• Ayurveda considers the sun as the external power of prana and suggests drinking energizing water and herbal drinks with sun rays for additional healing energy.

In summary, in Frawley's words: “As we begin to better appreciate native traditions, it becomes clear that there is something deeply mystical behind the ancient cult of light, and that it is not simply a primitive cult of nature.

“Without honoring the inner sun, our inner world is likely to be contaminated by darkness, regardless of the condition of the outer world. The solar aspect of our being must be recovered through the process of Yoga Sadhana, which is a return to the sun. Wake up to your inner light!

The author is a journalist, cancer survivor, and certified yoga teacher. He can contact her at [email protected]. The article is drawn largely from the writings of Dr. David Frawley. The opinions expressed in the previous article are personal and exclusive to the author. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of News18.