One of the best ways to warm up the body before a practice is with Sun Salutations. Sūrya Namaskar translates as "sun greeting". Not only is it a great warm up, if it's the only thing you do, you are doing fabulous work for your whole body. Below is a step-by-step sequence for the Sun Salutations A series. While beneficial, it can be strenuous and not suitable for everyone.
1. Come to a standing position near the top of your mat. Feel your feet connected to the floor, rooting downward and your spine rising tall. You can put a slight bend in your knees, activate and engage your leg muscles. Face your palms toward the wall in front of you and activate and engage your arm muscles. Feel your heart opening and lifting with your chin parallel to the floor. Feel the energy from the rays of the sun beaming down on you even if you are inside.
2. On an inhale, slowly lift the arms upward, allowing your whole body to fill with your breath. Feel the extension of your spine and the expansion of your body while your feet remain planted and rooting downward. The whole body is engaged.
3. On an exhale, fold at your hips and lead with your heart, drawing your chest toward your thighs and your head toward your knees. Allow your head to hang so that your neck is more neutral--an extension of your spine. You can bend your knees as much as you'd like. If you are touching your toes, you can wrap your first two fingers around your toes and bring your thumbs to the tops of your big toes. Feel the spaciousness the breath creates in your body.
4. On an inhale, come up half way. Feel your spine long and flat with your sitting bones reaching toward the wall behind you and the top of your head reaching toward the wall in front of you.
5. On an exhale, release and fold forward, plant your hands on the floor next to the feet. On another exhale, walk or jump your feet back coming into a high push up position. Your hands are below the shoulders, shoulder-width apart, and the arm muscles are active and engaged. Feel your heels reaching toward the wall behind you. Leg muscles are active and engaged. The core is active and engaged. Feel the top of your head reaching toward the wall in front of you and the whole body lengthening, active and engaged.
6. From the high push up position, slowly lower leading with your heart toward the floor. Keep your elbows close to your rib cage. The whole body is still active and engaged. You are in control. If your core is not yet strong enough, you can drop your knees to the floor, then slowly lower with the elbow close to the ribs, leading with your heart.
7. Keeping everything engaged press through the balls of the feet, then flip your toes so the tops of your toes are pressing into the mat. Press through the hands as you lift your chest and your thighs away from the floor. Notice your alignment, wrists below the shoulders, heart opening and lifting. Your head only lifting as it is comfortable for your neck.
8. Curl your toes under, press through the hands and toes as you inhale and lift your hips upward toward the ceiling. This is a resting pose. With your upper arms parallel to your ears, feel the shoulders draw down your back away from your ears. Notice the lengthening of your spine as your sitting bones reach upward. The heels are drawing downward and the hands are really pressing downward into the floor. The whole body is still active and engaged. Take several breaths here, allowing the whole body to fill with your breath on the inhale, completely emptying on the exhale.
9. Whenever you're ready, gently lift your gaze between the fingertips. Inhale and hop or step your feet back between your hands. Exhale to release, standing in a forward fold. Take a few breaths here.
10. On an inhale, press through your feet and slowly unfold, coming all the way back up. Allow the hands and head to lift last. Feel the full extension and expansion of the body again, the feet still firmly rooted.
11. On an exhale, release the arms back down along your sides or bring the palms together in front of your heart. Take a moment to notice how you feel in both your physical body and emotional body.
Repeat this sequence at least two times, maybe moving a little faster (still with coordinated breath). Your body will be warm and ready to add more poses to your practice or move on with your day!
