Surya Namaskar also known as Sun Salutations, are Yogic exercises often summoned as the heart and soul of yoga. Comprising 12 dynamic sequences, Surya Namaskars unlock a relaxed body and mind, bestows your body with strength and flexibility, and encourages positivity among others. These asanas are usually performed facing the rising sun, however, they can be performed when the sun is setting. We took the wagon to list out 10 health benefits of Surya Namaskar that you shouldn’t miss before diving into one of the asanas.
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to Surya Namaskar
What Are The Benefits of Surya Namaskar
Here are some of the benefits of Surya Namaskar that you must be aware of and this is one aasan that you must practice every day.
Warms Up Your Whole Body
Often performed during the start of yoga sessions, one of the many health benefits of Surya Namaskar is its tendency to warm up your body. It packs in a combination of stretching, motion, and breathing exercises assigned to each 12 yoga exercises (or asanas) that help channel major muscle groups. It signifies how sun salutations (or Surya Namaskars) are performed to pay gratitude to the sun for its endless source of energy, vitality, and warmth.
Sends You En-route to Physical Fitness
No doubt people are lazy and they procrastinate a lot when it comes to physical fitness. An essential for human existence, your physical fitness dictates the strength, stamina, and resistance against illnesses, and others that you’d require to live a healthy life ahead.
Surya Namaskars give you the motivation to stretch your muscles promoting your physical fitness. It makes you more flexible and can put a few musculoskeletal problems at bay such as annoying backaches. Increased flexibility is another health benefit of Surya Namaskar that you can’t deny.
Improves Your Posture
Adhering to the many asanas woven into ‘Surya Namaskar’, this practice improves your posture and alignment. As you move up the ladder with the sequence of asanas and breathing patterns, you go on training your body to reach a balanced position. It tends to prevent backaches, the most common musculoskeletal problems that we as a generation face. A good posture is integral for overall well-being and confidence and that’s what these sun salutations offer.
Also Read: The Ultimate 7 Day Gym Workout Plan
Helps You Relax and Soothe Your Mind
It’s not just the physical benefits of surya namaskar that matter. We live in a chaotic world with a lot that goes around in our minds that doesn’t let us relax. With Surya Namaskar, you enter a sanctuary of peace. As a meditative and calming practice, these asanas can reduce stress. As you focus on your breathing patterns and flowing movements, it takes away the focus from tension and stress giving you a calming sensation. Once you start doing it regularly, you should be able to manage stress properly, which often translates into a productive day in the workplace or an overall good day ahead.
Aids in Heart Problems
Yoga is essential for your health and when it comes to Surya Namaskar, poses such as cobra pose and downward dog are known to have a relaxing effect on your body. According to various Yogic norms, the mudra during prayer stance when the hands are clasped together in front of the heart stimulates heart chakra which is good for your heart health.
Moreover, these asanas act as natural treatments for people struggling with blood pressure that ultimately affects the heart. It tends to maintain blood sugar levels, repair irregular heartbeats, and prevent many heart problems among others.
Also Read:Homebound Fitness: Best Cardio Exercises To Practice At Home
Encourages Weight Loss
Surya Namaskar is linked to weight loss as it requires you to perform different exercises targeting different muscle groups. For instance, Plank and Chaturanga are known to tone your arms and abs along with the leg muscles. These exercises help burn calories and improve digestion by boosting metabolism and more. Thus, it is closely linked to an effective measure of weight loss.
Promotes Digestion
According to the Yogic norms, Surya Namaskar can ignite a digestive fire in your body. The postures are designed to aid abdominal muscles prompting better digestion which is essential for a human body to extract nutrients and take advantage of it fighting common diseases and ailments. It may also subside flatulence of gas trapped in your belly which is often a reason for embarrassment especially when you are out in public.
Enhances Blood Circulation
Surya Namaskar is all about sequences of moves associated with breathing patterns that keep the lungs ventilated and oxygenate blood. This ensures a healthy flow of fresh blood packed with oxygen required to cleanse poisonous and harmful substances in the body. It also helps exhale carbon dioxide which works like detoxification of the body. As it works around the lymphatic system detoxifying the body, this results in a healthy immune system that you need to combat any illnesses.
Also Read:The Ultimate Guide To Tricep Exercises.
Infuses Energy
One such reason why someone would do Surya Namaskar is because it infuses energy into the body. These asanas are known for their ability to improve positive energy flow, stamina, and vitality, leading to a healthier you. As it also infuses confidence, you begin to see your day as more brightening giving you enough support to combat day-to-day stresses and stressful situations, in general.
Improves Sleep Quality
We often ignore that our body can do wonders but it requires ample sleep to repair any damage done to the tissues after a strenuous day. Surya Namaskar is linked to improving sleep quality and reducing instances of insomnia or the condition where people don’t fall asleep sooner. As mentioned above, these asanas are known to relax your mind and body giving you a restful sleep ultimately enhancing the quality of the sleep.
Enhances Respiratory Health
Time and again, we mentioned that there’s a specific breathing mechanism attached to every asana in Surya Namaskar. Ultimately, it brings about a tonne of health benefits including stabilizing your body. It also affects your lungs, the critical organ that aids in breathing. With regular practice, you can work on your lungs increasing their capacity and capability. The more air you inhale, the better for your body as the oxygen mixes with blood and ultimately, the heart transports it to the extremities improving body functions as a result.
Also Read:Essential Post Running Stretches Every Runner Needs In Their Routine
Enlightens Your Skin
Next up, we have glowing skin as one of the many health benefits of Surya Namaskar. Improved blood circulation in the body revitalizes the skin bringing in more nutrients and oxygen giving a radiant look and glowing complexion. It is a great hack for glowing skin as it helps eliminate wrinkles and acne making your skin look younger and vibrant.
Good for Those With Diabetes
Yoga, in general, is believed to be good for those at risk of developing diabetes. Sun salutations or Surya Namaskar help manage stress levels, a major factor that could spike sugar levels. It stimulates the endocrine system thanks to the stretching and twisting involved that promotes insulin secretion which is perhaps what keeps the blood sugar levels in check.
Conclusion
Surya Namaskar is often summoned as asanas that bestow a range of health benefits required for stability, vitality, and flexibility before indulging in advanced Yogic movements. It re-energizes your body and relaxes your mind. There are many untapped benefits of Surya Namaskar including better heart health, skin health, better digestion health, and improved sleep quality, among others, that you should be on the lookout for.
Also Read:Yoga For Weight Gain – 13 Key Poses For Muscle Growth
Disclaimer: The content of this article is compiled information from generic and public sources. It is in no way a substitute, suggestion, or advice for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. BeatoApp does not claim responsibility for this information.
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