History of Sun Salutations
Surya Namaskar, also known as Sun Salutation, is a group of poses that form the foundation of many modern yoga practices. While the Sanskrit name lends a plausible connection to the long and illustrious history of these asanas, it may come as a surprise that this group of poses is relatively new.
For millennia, the Sun has been venerated and worshipped by various cultures as a supreme force or deity because of its ability to sustain life. From the Taino, to the Mayans, to ancient Hindu people, this powerful star has been the subject of countless rituals, arts, and celebrations since time immemorial. The Surya Namaskara extends from a small continuation of this reverence; Sūrya is the Hindu god of the sun, and Namaskara generally translates to “greeting” or “salute.”
In keeping with the religious and philosophic roots of yoga, the Rajah of Aundh began to synthesize these ancient influences with the burgeoning modern asana practices that were coming into being at the time. In the 1930’s, Raja Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao began to take particular interest in public health and physical fitness. As a ruler in Maharashtra, he had both the economic and educational resources to develop and promote this sequence of 12 poses that later became known as the Sun Salutation.
At the time, yoga was primarily viewed as a spiritual practice, with little emphasis on asana progression, much less from a standing position. The 5000 years following its Vedic inception had left yogis with next to nothing of a paper trail regarding any daily exercise formula. This is where akhadas and vyayamshalas enter the scene. These traditional Indian gymnasiums offered different types of training, from martial arts to indigenous forms of calisthenics, under the instruction of a guru or ustad. These centers were also hubs for practitioners of Kushti, or Pehlwani wrestling, a physical combat art that dates all the way back to the Mughal Empire. In order to warm-up, students often perform sequences of flowing bodyweight movements– a majority of which permanently found their way into the Surya Namaskar.
Dand push ups, which you may know as Chaturanga Dandasana, or bethaks, a type of deep squat similar to Utkatasana (chair pose), are just two examples of such integral precursors. The Rajah of Aundh then borrowed and reformatted these exercises to be done at sunrise or sunset, in part a devotion to the Sun and as a daily training ritual. The fact that the Sun Salutation was not originally a part of classical yoga texts illustrates the dynamic evolution of such a practice. This spiritual-physical routine was then promoted through publication in small booklets, tailored specifically towards the youth, eventually catching the attention of Krishnamacharya.
During the time he taught young princes, Krishnamacharya even further adapted the formalized asana sequence to suit the growing appetite for ritualized fitness at Mysore Palace. “The Father of Modern Yoga” as he is also referred to, was able to transform the routine because of his ability to harmonize a variety of distinct philosophical lineages and conditioning tools. Integrating the Rajah’s Surya Namaskar, a hint of Western gymnastics, and an emphasis on breath-aligned movement, he helped lay the foundation for what we now know as modern asana. Passing this instruction on to his students, which in their own right became renowned gurus, Surya Namaskar became an indispensable part of contemporary yoga all around the world.
I filmed a little Instagram video sharing some Yoga history that might surprise you.
