Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) Step by step

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) means a salute to the sun. It is a continuous series of 8 related Yoga postures, some done twice, in what totals 13 poses. It is designed to warm up your whole body and integrate the body, mind and breath. The Sun Salutation is a warm up or toning exercise and is considered the best of all Yoga exercises as it stretches, compresses, arches and reinforces all the major muscles of the body, as well as the digestive and respiratory organs. It also helps develop flexibility, strength, balance, concentration and focus. Sun Salutation is a great way to synchronize your breath and can be practised twice a day. Surya namaskar should be done minimum 12 times per day. Given below are the step by step instructions.

Instructions for Sun Salutation

Namaskar (Salute)

Start in a standing position, facing the sun. Both your feet should touch each other, palms joined together, in prayer pose.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)
With a deep inhalation, raise both arms above your head and tilt slightly backward arching your back.

Padangusthasana (Hand to Foot Pose)
With a deep exhalation, bend forward and touch the mat, both palms in line with your feet, forehead touching your knees.

Surya Darshan (Sun Sight Pose)
With a deep inhalation, take your right leg away from your body, in a big backward step. Both your hands should be firmly planted on your mat, your left foot between your hands, head tilted towards the ceiling.

Purvottanasana (Inclined Plane)

Hold your breath and take your right leg back to join your left leg. Now straighten both your hands, legs and back. Your neck spine, thighs and feet should be in a straight line.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)

With a deep exhalation, shove your hips and butt up towards the ceiling, forming an upward arch. Your arms should be straight and aligned with your head.

Sashtang Dandawat (Forehead, Chest, Knee to Floor Pose)

With a deep exhalation, lower your body down till your, forehead, chest, knees, hands and feet are touching the mat, your butt tilted up. Take a normal breath in this pose.

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
With a deep inhalation, slowly snake forward till your head is up, your back arched concave, as much as possible.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
Exhaling deeply, again push your butt and hips up towards the ceiling as in position 6, arms aligned straight with your head.

Surya Darshan (Sun Sight Pose)
Inhaling deeply, bring your right foot in towards your body, in a big forward step. Both your hands should planted firmly on your mat, right foot between your hands, head tilted towards the ceiling.

Padangusthasana (Hand to Foot Pose)
Exhaling deeply, rise up and touch the mat, keeping both your palms in line with your feet, forehead touching your knees.

Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose)
Inhaling deeply, raise both your arms above your head and tilt slightly backward.

Namaskar (Salute)

Return to stand facing the sun, both feet touching, palms joined together, in prayer pose.

Benefits of Sun Salutation

- You don't need to be doing yoga regularly in order to practice the Surya Namaskar. If performed correctly, this exercise does not strain or cause injury. If performed in the morning, it relieves stiffness, revitalises your body and refreshes the mind. Do it during the day and it will instantly boost you up, practice it after sundown and it helps you unwind.

- Not only does the Surya Namaskar give you a great stretch and keep you fit physically (it is extremely beneficial for your joints, ligaments and improves flexibility and posture), but is also does wonders for your mental and emotional health.

- Surya Namaskar stimulates almost every system in your body - the cardiovascular system because it keeps the heart strong and, the digestive system as well as the nervous system.

- It also makes endocrinal glands like the thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary glands, function normally.

- Practising the Surya Namaskar regularly is also known to ease stress and give you peace of mind besides increasing your levels of concentration.

- If you have trouble sleeping at night, the Surya Namaskar will help you fall asleep without using any external stimulants.

- It is said that twenty-four Surya Namaskars, if done properly, are equal to five hundred sit-ups / pull-ups. It may be a statement of exaggeration, but it is worth to experience the physical fitness that you attain after you start practicing the Surya Namaskar. At the beginning of the practice, one Surya Namaskar consumes 02.30 KCL. This exercise burns out a lot of calories and reduces body mass and body weight.

Contraindications

Sun Salutation is best avoided by pregnant women, people suffering from high blood pressure, or those nursing back aches or injuries, chronic glaucoma, heart problems.

Common injuries to shoulder

• Acromio-clavicular joint sprain or dislocation (AC joint)

• Fracture of the humerus

• Frozen shoulder

INFORMATION:

Frozen shoulder also known as adhesive capsulitis is a condition in which the shoulder becomes inflamed and stiff due to abnormal adhesions and shrinking of the joint capsule .

The cause of this condition is unknown but it sometimes follows shoulder trauma or most commonly just random onset.

The AC joint sits slightly above the shoulder joint and joins the collar bone to the shoulder blade. This joint is normally injured from a direct blow or fall onto the shoulder and results in localized pain to the top of the shoulder. Pain is worsened when the arm is pulled across the body towards the other shoulder.

This joint is stabilized by ligaments and when injured can result in a sprain or a complete rupture of these ligaments. Fractures can occur to the proximal humerus (ball of the arm bone in the shoulder) as a result of a fall onto an outstretched arm (common in elderly) or a direct blow to the shoulder (common mechanism in the younger generation).

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:

• Inability to move or lift the arm

• Pain when lying on the shoulder

• Swelling and pain over the shoulder

HOW CAN PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSIST YOU?

• A thorough assessment of the shoulder and its biomechanics

• Education on the condition and self management (Home exercise programs)

• Gentle massage, stretches and mobilization of the shoulder joint to help regain full pain free range of movement

• A progressive strengthening program to re-strengthen weakened muscles and restore normal biomechanic.

What is a calf strain?

A calf strain often occurs following rapid acceleration from a stand still or overstretching the muscle (such as having your heel drop unexpectedly off a step or kerb while running). You will often feel a tearing sensation and sudden pain alerting you to the muscle tear. Typically the injury will occur where the muscle meets the tendon or in the inside muscle belly of your calf.

What symptoms may you experience?

• Pain: usually quite localized to the area of the muscle tear

• Pain and/or difficulty rising up onto your toes

• Swelling or bruising to the calf muscle

• Pain when palpating the site of the muscle tear

How can Physical therapist assist you?

• Ice and/or electrotherapy modalities, such as TENS, to assist with the reduction of pain and swelling

• Soft tissue work and gentle stretches to help release any tightness

• Strengthening exercises involving progressions and sport-specific exercises

• Extra support such as heel raises to take the strain off the injured muscle

Common causes of elbow pain

• Lateral epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)

• Medial epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow)

Tennis elbow originates from the outside or top of the elbow while golfers elbow originates from the inside or bottom of the elbow (less common). Even though these conditions are in different locations they have similar symptoms and are caused by a similar mechanism. The primary cause of these two conditions are by overuse or repetitive movement; e.g. hammering a nail or typing on the computer. The hand grip also plays a role in elbow pain. A poor hand grip while playing tennis (repetitive movement) may lead to tennis elbow as this places extra load on the tendons in the forearm. Similarly in golfer’s poor wrist control when hitting the ball may increase the stress through the tendons on the inside of the elbow resulting in medial pain (golfer’s elbow).

Signs & Symptoms

• Pain on the outer part (tennis elbow) or inner part of the elbow (golfer’s elbow)

• Gripping may be painful e.g. opening doors, jars

• May find pouring action (e.g. pouring milk) and/or lifting painful

• Morning stiffness

How can Physical therapist assist you?

• A thorough assessment of the joint and its surrounding structures.

• Ultrasound applied over the tender area is commonly recommended. The theory is that this deep heat increases blood flow and tissue flexibility, and may decrease pain and muscle spasms.

•Electrical stimulation, or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which involves a mild electrical current that travels through electrodes placed at nerve trigger points. The objective is to mask pain signals sent by the brain to the body.

• Massage over an inflamed area, which may reduce the formation of scar tissue and help new blood vessels grow in the damaged tissue. Massage is done by making small, firm circles over the injured area.

• Manual therapy uses just the hands to cause relaxation, lessen pain, and increase flexibility. Besides massage, manual therapy includes manipulation to position joints and bones.

• Forearm braces which help take the load off the tendons which are getting overused.

• Strengthening programs which improve grip strength and aid the healing of the injured tendons.

• Education on correct techniques and ways to prevent re-occurrence of the injury.

Recovery

Tennis elbow recovery time varies with each person and may take several weeks to several months. Recovery may be faster and more successful when you follow a rehabilitation program that includes exercise and physical therapy.

Exercise and physical therapy are helpful for treating elbow pain and soreness.

Exercise and physical therapy after elbow surgery are an important part of your recovery and may promote healing and restore strength and flexibility.

Most people can improve their elbow flexibility and strength with exercise and physical therapy. Without a good rehabilitative exercise program, it is likely that tennis elbow injuries will not get better.

If exercises or physical therapy are not done correctly, there is a chance of further injury to the elbow.

Exercises To Grow Taller

Height increasing stretching exercises are mainly categorized into three groups, the ones you do laying down, the ones you do standing up and the ones you have to twist sideways. There’s a total of 28 exercises I will show you now, you should pick between 10-14 to do only a daily routine 6 days a week (7 is even better), remember to pick a few from each different category as you want to stretch all parts of your body.

A mistake many beginners make is to start these exercises hardcore, I will give you an amount of time you should hold the stretching positing before you relax, eg: 4-10 seconds, don’t do the 10 seconds from the beginning, start of with just holding for 4 and then gradually build the time up. TONS of newbies make that mistake and then start to get sore muscles and joints, after that they get discouraged by the pain and give it up completely.

One of the most important things to remember while doing these exercises is the breathing, learn how to control your breathing as it will oxygenate the pituitary gland which will release more human growth hormone. A trick that works while doing the exercise is to inhale for five seconds (count in your head 1 – 10) hold breath for 5 seconds and then exhale for 5 seconds. After you have done 2 repeats of an exercise you should lay belly down and do a couple of rounds of controlled breathing before moving on to the next exercise, this will help your body relax. Alright, lets get to it:

LAYING DOWN STRETCHES

Cobra

Lie on the floor face down with palms on the floor under your shoulders. Begin to arch your spine up leading with your chin. Arch as far back as possible.

Each repetition should last between 5-30 seconds.

Super Cobra

Start with your arms perpendicular to the floor, and the spine arched (the end position of the cobra).

Now bend your hips

and bring your body up into an inverted ‘V’ position. While you are doing that, tuck your chin against your chest. Return to the original position.

Each repetition should last between 10-20 seconds.

Cat Stretch

Get on your hands and knees with your arms locked out.

Inhale as you flex your spine down and bring your head up. Exhale as you bring your spine up into an arched position while bringing your head down.

Each repetition should last between 3-8 seconds.

Basic Leg Stretch

Sitting down, spread your legs far apart. Reach for your toes. Try to keep your knees as straight as possible. Now move into reaching for the toes on the other leg. Be sure to keep your spine straight and move from your hips. Do not arch the upper spine. This stretch works both your spine and legs.

Each repetition should last between 6-15 seconds.

Bridge

Lying down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor as close to your butt as possible, grab your ankles and hold onto them while you raise your hips up and arch your spine, lifting your abs towards the ceiling.

Lift your abs as high as possible. Go back down. If you can’t hold onto your ankles, keep your arms to the side and use them to help push yourself up.

Each repetition should last between 3-10 seconds. This stretch may be hard to do at first, but be persistent even if you can’t do it completely right at first.

Table

Sit down on the floor with your legs straight. With your torso straight, place the palms of your hands on the floor next to your butt. Then tuck your chin against your chest. Now bring your head back as far as it will go.

While doing that, raise your body so that your knees bend while the arms stay straight. The torso and upper legs will be straight and horizontal to the floor. Your arms and lower legs will be perpendicular to the floor. You will be the shape of a table.

This is another hard stretch for some. If you can’t do it right away, just do the best you can, eventually you will be able to do it with ease.

Each repetition should last between 8-20 seconds.

LAYING DOWN STRETCHES

One Straight Leg Up

Lying on your stomach with your hands behind your neck, raise one of your legs as high and as far up as possible. Now repeat with the other leg. Keep your legs straight.

Each repetition should last between 3-5 seconds.

Two Straight Leg Up

Lying face down with your palms down and on the sides, raise both your legs up together as high as possible. Keep your feet together.

Each repetition should last 3 seconds.

Bowl

Lying face down, raise both your arms and legs up at the same time.

Each repetition should last 3 seconds.

Upper Body Slant

Sitting on the edge of a slant board with your legs straight, lean back as far as possible so that your upper body is completely off of the slant board. If you don’t have a slant board, you can easily create one with a board and a bucket.

Each repetition should last 4-5 seconds.

Lower Body Slant

With your upper body lying on a straight bench and your butt on it while your legs are completely straight, lean your upper body forward and bring your nose to your knees.

Each repetition should last between 4-5 seconds.

Bench Stretch

Sitting on a straight bench with your arms raised above you, slowly lean back so that your upper body is off the bench and horizontal to it.

Each repetition should last about 6 seconds

Incline Upper Body Slant Stretch

Sitting on the upper part of an incline bench with your legs straight and hand together behind your neck, lean back over the edge as far as possible.

Each repetition should last 4-7 seconds.

Acrobat

Lying on your back with your knees bent and hands next to your head with the palms flat against the floor, push off your feet and hands to raise yourself up as high as possible.

Each repetition should last about 8-15 seconds.

STANDING UP STRETCHES

Bow down

Standing up with hands held together behind your neck, bend your head upwards and back as far as possible. Remember don’t push down to hard just as far as your spine lets you without feeling pain, your aim is to feel the stretch so like many other things, overdoing it can be harmful.

Each repetition should last 5-15 seconds.

Yawn

Standing up with hands held together behind your neck, bend your head upwards and back as far as possible.A little thing that really comes in handy in most of these exercises is finding a spot on the wall you can concentrate on while doing the exercise.

Each repetition should last 5-15 seconds.

Super Stretch

Standing up, reach your hands up as high as you can as you lean slightly back. Feel the stretch in your lower spine. The Super Stretch can be done standing up or lying down.

Because this stretch is easy and comfortable, we encourage you to do this not only as part of a program but also at odd times like when you are watching TV or lying in bed.

Each repetition should last between 4-7 seconds.

Hands on the Head Bow Down

Standing with your hands together behind your neck, bend forward as far as possible. Lead with your head. Bring your chin into your chest. Don’t bend your knees.

Each repetition should last between 4-8 seconds.

Wall Stretch

Standing up against a wall, reach your hands up as high as possible while getting on you tip toes. Keep your spine flat against the wall as much as possible.

Each repetition should last between 4-6 seconds. This stretch is harder than it tooks because you are keeping your spine straight against the wall.

Super Stretch #2

Standing up, face 4 inches (10 cm) from a wall, reach as far up onto the wall as possible getting on your tip toes.Some complain that the ceiling in their rooms is not high enough, if this is the case you can spread your arms a bit (forming a Y with your body) instead of stretching straight up.

Each repetition should last about 3-5 seconds.

Touch Toes

Standing with your hands high above your head, bend over and touch your toes. Keep your legs as straight as possible. You can bend your knees a little if need be.After a few weeks of performing this exercise you will start to notice you can touch reach further down than you could when you started, if at first you cant reach your toes you can eather bend you knees or reach as further down as you can.

Each repetition should last between 2-3 seconds.

The Skier

Standing with your legs 3 feet (1 m) apart and your arms raised over your head as high as possible, bend forward at your waist and push your arms through your legs. This is the same exercise used in some gyms with an exercise ball but for now just stick to doing it with your own strength, you should feel a stretch in your spine.

Each repetition should last about 5 seconds.

Sky Stretch

Kneel on the floor with your body straight and your hands against your thighs. Bring your neck and head forward and tuck your chin to your chest. Then bring your neck and head as far back as possible while you arch your spine.

Each repetition should last between 6-8 seconds.

Super Sky Stretch

On your knees with your arms stretched upwards and hands together, lean your head and arms back as far as possible.Try and form the letter C with your body without putting too much strain on your back, also try and push your arms out as far as possible to stretch them as well.

Each repetition should last about 5 seconds.

Downhill

Standing with your hands together and arms behind you, bend down at the waist as far as possible as you slowly swing your arms as high as possible behind you.

Each repetition should last between 4-6 seconds.

Standing Table Hold

Standing with your hands holding a table and your upper body horizontal to the table, have someone push against your upper back as you stretch.

Each repetition should last 10-15 seconds.

TWISTING STRETCHES

Basic Twist

Standing with your arms straight out at shoulder level, twist your upper body to the left and right while your legs and hips remain still.

The twist to each side should last between 2-4 seconds.

Bar Twist

Standing with a broom or bar way over your head, twist to your left and right. Twist to one side stretch and hold, then twist to the other side and stretch and hold.For this one you can do a few more repetitions than usual, four should be fine as this exercise is a great way to make the spine more flexible together with the Cobra exercise.

You should hold each repetition on each side for 3-4 seconds.

Hanging

Hanging relies on gravity to decompresses the spine lengthen and straighten to obtain height increase. Nothing complicated, just find a bar and hang on it for at least 10 seconds repetitions or as long as you can for 5 minutes a day, you must hang a total of 30 minutes a week at least (the more you do the better).