Sun Salutation is also known as "Surya Namaskar" in the Sanskrit language. It is a flowing sequence of eternal yoga practice. There is a variety of sun salutations depending on the speed of sequences performed. You should begin your day with practicing sun salutation postures early in the morning with empty stomach. You should start every yoga warm up with several rounds of sun salutations. It will help you to gain focus on further yoga practices. Each set of sun salutation is composed of 2 rounds, and each set combines 12 yoga poses. It keeps your body in shape and minds healthy & calm, and it offers an excellent cardiovascular workout.

Benefits of sun salutation

• Sun salutation keeps your body, mind & soul relax, calm & energized. The set of postures stretch your entire body and strengthen your arms, legs and shoulders and other joints.

• It helps you lose weight and gives you glowing skin.

• It ensures a better functioning digestive system.

• Relieves insomnia and provide regular menstrual cycle.

• Helps detoxify the body and keeps anxiety at bay.

• Daily practice may aid healthy digestion and relieve back pain.

• If you have any muscular or bone related injury or other health issues, then you should talk to your doctor before practicing it.

Here are 12 basic steps of Surya Namaskar:

• Stand in tadasana pose and begin it by standing at the front of a yoga mat with your feet hip and width apart and arms at your side. Gaze forward and spread your toes and make sure your weight is evenly distributed on both feet.

• Start inhaling and exhaling through your nose with deep sound. Place your hands in prayer position and set an intention because yoga practice is incomplete without it.

• Raise your prayer hand into an upward salute with lightly joining the palms. Inhale and raise your hand to the ceiling and gently arch your back. Exhale and hinge into standing forward bend. After it, inhale and extend your spine into holding half forward bend.

• Exhale and step back to four-limbed pose i.e. known as chaturanga and asana then inhale and roll over your toes to upward facing dog. After it reverses the step, exhale and go over your toes into downward facing dog.

• Exhale and move back to ardha uttasana, then inhale and extend your spine into standing half forward bend.

• Exhale and fold forward into uttanasana.

• Inhale and rise into an upward salute and then breathe out, return to Tadasana.

This way one set is complete, in the beginning, you should practice the poses and maintain the flow. After practicing & learning it enough, increase the number of rounds of sun salutation for the results.