Secrets of Sun Salutation - Part 5

Increase the range of movement: As mentioned in the earlier, the primary focus must be on the range of movement rather than the speed of the movement.  The practice in itself and how we move from one posture to another are preconceived. In general, a fixed practice may lead to boredom. To enjoy the practice, one needs to experience varieties. One way of experiencing the varieties is by the way how we experience the sensations. The sensations are not fixed. Sensations change as per the person’s body, state of mind and his emotional state. As we increase the range of movement of the body, we tend to open up joints and trigger tissues (that were dormant earlier). This process heightens person’s sensations and changes the way how he feels the body.

Let me summarise certain pointers corresponding to the postures. With consistent practice, you will see the improvement in the range of movement.

Postures	Pointers
Resting Posture	Feel the movement of diaphragm muscle by deep breathing.
Posture 1	Push front the lower part of the spine gently with the support of the palms. Do not bend the elbow.
Posture 2	Take the forehead close to the knees ( without bending the knees)
Posture 3	Rest the knee to the ground and push the hip down towards the floor
Posture 4	Stand on the toes and take the weight of your body on the arms
Posture 5	Keep the butt close to the heel ( to extend the spine)
Posture 6	Keep the Palms & Chest to the floor
Posture 7	Look at the sky and push the Lower spine to the front
Posture 8	Put the heels to the floor & head close to the floor
Posture 9	Keep the butt close to the heel ( to extend the spine)
Posture 10	Rest the knee to the ground and push the hip down towards the floor
Posture 11	Take the forehead close to the knees ( without bending the knees)
Posture 12	Push front the lower part of the spine gently with the support of the palms. Do not bend the elbow.

This is a renewed way of experiencing the body by simply increasing the range of movement. Over period of time, the body moves seamlessly from one posture to another and breathing guides in establishing a free movement of the body.

Power of concentration: The renewed way of experiencing the body is a good start point to increase the power of focus. In yoga, the eye gazing is called Dhristi . A fixed gazing without random movement of eyeballs help in improving the power of concentration. In my study of neuroscience, I was taught by the brain scientist that the eye is just not a sensing organ but an extension of the brain. The blood capillary pressure in the brain can be tapped by observing the pressure of the blood vessels in the eyes. This is the reason why the doctors check the eyes with the torch light to see the characteristic of the brain through the eyes.

During the practice of sun salutation, it is good to keep the eyes closed or the least gaze at certain point to increase the concentration level. Random eye ball movement leads to the distraction. Below table summarises the gaze points for the corresponding postures.

Postures	Gaze Points
Resting Posture	Towards the Knees
Posture 1	Look Back ( fix a marker behind you)
Posture 2	Towards the Knees
Posture 3	Towards the Sky/Roof
Posture 4	Straight ahead
Posture 5	Towards the floor
Posture 6	Straight ahead
Posture 7	Towards the Sky/Roof
Posture 8	Towards the Navel region
Posture 9	Towards the floor
Posture 10	Towards the Sky/Roof
Posture 11	Towards the Knees
Posture 12	Towards the Knees

Practice precautions: Some of us do not get the right benefits of the sun salutation practice and we tend to give up the practice. How we apply ourselves to the practice is the key to get the full benefits. There are important key points to be observed during the practice of sun salutation. Here is the table that describes those.

Postures	Precaution/key points
Resting Posture	Concentration of breathing & body movement (chest & abdomen) with respect to breathing. The seamless flow of breathing with increased rounds of sun salutation.
Posture 1	Keep the parts of the body below the hip stable. Do not bend elbows and the knees.
Posture 2	Push the buttock to the back & extend the spine while bending forward. Do not bend the knees.
Posture 3	Keep the upper part of the body vertical to ground. Push the hip down bringing the quadriceps inclined towards the floor.
Posture 4	Body in one straight line from toes to the shoulder joints.
Posture 5	Extend the spine. Keep the butt to the heels. Hands away from the body. Do not bend elbows.
Posture 6	Keep elbow close to the floor. Butt above the floor.
Posture 7	Thighs above the floor. Upper part of the body vertical to ground.
Posture 8	Put the heels down. Head closer to the floor.
Posture 9	Extend the spine. Keep the butt to the heels. Hands away from the body. Do not bend elbows.
Posture 10	Keep the upper part of the body vertical to ground. Push the hip down bringing the quadriceps inclined towards the floor.
Posture 11	Push the buttock to the back & extend the spine while bending forward. Do not bend the knees.
Posture 12	Keep the parts of the body below the hip stable. Do not bend elbows and the knees.