International Yoga Day: The Whys of Surya Namaskar & Other Ways You Can Revere the Sun

The practice of Surya Namaskar or sun salutation vitalises the body with solar energy. Done usually at sunrise or sunset, it combines asanas and pranayama and yields flexibility, weight-reduction, and vitality.

But there’s more to it. According to Vedacharya and leading Yoga-Ayurveda guru David Frawley, sun salutation “covers the largest range of body movements, energises all organs and spreads solar light through all limbs”. He explains that it helps increase Apana Vayu – one of the five energy subdivisions – that controls elimination, digestion and reproduction; and also dispel doshas from the spine. What about people who cannot perform Surya Namaskar? Here are some other methods to revere the sun:

MENTAL SURYA NAMASKAR

Sit or lie down comfortably and visualise yourself facing the rising sun on a beach – in standing or sitting position with hands folded in a namaste pose (or visualise yourself performing the 12 steps of sun salutation, if you can). Chant Om, followed by a Bija mantra (mantras hraam, hreem, hroom hraim, hraum and hruh are ‘seed syllables’ – evocative sounds that set up powerful vibrations of energy within the mind and body), and a name for the sun as mentioned below.

Chanted this way – with concentration and understanding the name-meaning – the inherent energy within these mantras manifests in the mind.

YOU CAN ALSO…

• Chant the Gayatri Mantra
• Visualise the crimson-coloured sun in your heart. A time period of one ghadi – 24 minutes – would be ideal.
• Frawley suggests dwelling on your guru or any other person you are devoted to, 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, emphasises that we “cultivate the external sun not only as an energy source, but the inner sun as a source of inspiration and meditation”. He gives several references to the sun in Indian scriptures, which reveal the sun as the source of life-energy i.e. prana.

• The Vedas laud the sun as the source of life, intelligence and consciousness within us, with each soul being a spiritual sun of its own.
• The sun is the supreme deity of the Vedas, the divine power in heaven 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’ as it moves in the sky. Thus, the sun is not only the source of light, but of sound and mantra as well.
• The Maitri Upanishad says: “The Self bears himself in two ways: as prana and as 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 yoga system of philosophy.
• In the Mahabharata, Hiranyagarbha gives his teachings on yoga to Sage Vashishta.
• In the Mahabharata (Shanti Parva), it is mentioned that Hiranyagarbha is 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 text on yoga after Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 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 mantra to Savitri, 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 like a solar panel for the inner worlds. “We meditate upon the supreme light of the divine transforming sun (Savitri) that he may stimulate our intelligence. (RigVeda III)
• Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, says in the Bhagavad Gita that he taught yoga first to Vivasvan, the sun god.
• Ayurveda considers the sun as the outer power of prana and suggests energising drinking water and herbal drinks with sunrays for additional healing energy.

To sum up, in Frawley’s words: “As we begin to better appreciate native traditions, it is becoming clear that there is something deeply mystical behind the ancient worship of light, and that it is not simply a primitive nature worship.

“Without honoring the inner sun, our inner world is likely to be tainted with darkness, regardless of the condition of the outer world. The solar aspect of our being must be regained through the process of Yoga Sadhana, which is a return to the sun. Awaken to your inner light!”

The author is a journalist, cancer survivor, and certified yoga teacher. She can be reached at [email protected]. The article has largely been curated from the writings of Dr David Frawley. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.