Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence Yoga (Egyptian Surya Namaskar Vinyasa) | Yoga Sequences, Benefits, Variations, and Sanskrit Pronunciation | Tummee.com (2024)

The Egyptian Sun Salutation Namaskar Vinyasa (Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence) practice comes with many benefits, the details are as follows:

1. The benefits derived from the practice of Egyptian Sun Salutation Variation can be referred to since some of the body movements and energy derived are almost similar to the practice of Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence.
2. The movements of the upper body with the extending of the arms in Egyptian Surya Namaskar Vinyasa is very gentle and hence beginner’s to yoga can be introduced to this practice, as part of daily yoga, that even senior citizens can benefit from.
3. It can be practiced as a gentle flow and included in prenatal classes, to help mother warm-up the upper body with focus on breath-body movements.
4. Since most of the poses in this sequence are engaging the upper body, it can also be done seated on a chair for students who are recovering from a shoulder or neck injury. Included in therapy yoga, students recovering from abdominal surgery, heart surgery, etc., can gain from this gentle flow while seated on a chair.
5. This grounding practice is also a gentle Heart Opener and can be a humbling experience when done with soft music and instructions.
6. The lifting, stretching, and lengthening of the arms and shoulders can help in strengthening the upper back, chest, upper abdomen, neck, and the triceps and biceps for absolute beginner’s.
7. It is believed that the lengthening of the arms helps in digestion as the abdominal area are stretched and stimulated.
8. The well coordinated breathing with the movement of the body as it moves between inhalation and exhalation helps to calm the breathing, the nerves involved - sending right signals to the brain to calm down. The nervous system is calmed, bringing the body-mind in a state of balance. Although it is an energizing practice, this gentle heart opener also helps to feel grounded and calm.
9. With the lower body not moving in any of the 20 poses in Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence, it teaches students to be strong, stable, and firm with their lower body, especially the feet, knees and hips. Thus this flow strengthen the muscles of the legs, marking it as a foundational practice for other standing yoga poses.
10. To gain the best from this sequence, yoga teachers can encourage the concept of Sama Vritti Pranayama, that can be practiced between the poses. The entire process of breathing will be so different that the impact on the chakras will be felt. By practicing this with Four Square Breathing (Sama Vritti), the energy level in the body will also increase.

In the Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence, there are 20 postures in a flow, including forward bends, twists, and side bends which requires the right flow of energy, with proper breathing. This also in addition requires to keep the arms and shoulders active with certain physical strength, hence comes with certain precautions to keep in mind. These are explained below:

1. Injury and Surgery: Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence should be avoided by people who have undergone any abdominal or spinal surgeries or having injuries at the arms, shoulders, hips-knees-ankles joint, neck, wrists, chest, rib cage, or legs and feet.
2. Physical Strength and Weak Body: Moving the body in this beginners-level sequence requires active arms and shoulders with physical strength in the legs and core and flexibility in the upper back, neck, arms, and shoulders. Hence, yoga teachers should take care if students have a weak body balance or general body weakness or muscles and bone weakness, especially the seniors. Students experiencing from high blood pressure, heart problems, stiff knees or arthritis, severe low back pain or stiff back, ailments related to stomach, headaches, nausea, migraine, vertigo, or have fibromyalgia, or any other condition that brings discomfort in twisting, forward and lateral bending while standing, then yoga teachers should keep these conditions in mind. Hence, best to avoid this practice. However some easy sitting yoga poses or flow yoga poses on an individual basis can be practiced.
3. Lack of Body-Breath Connections: This flow is a combination of forward bends, twists, and side bends that requires coordination and correlation between body movements and breathing to balance the body. Moreover, proper synchronization of inhalation and exhalation ensures lengthening of spine and mindful rooting of feet. This further helps in the even distribution of the body's weight, making the balance steady and comfortable. Hence losing body-breath awareness can disturb the balance, creating disturbed energy in the body.
4. Others: Since the forward bending, twisting, and side bending in the flow brings pressure on the abdomen, hence pregnant women should avoid practicing the sequence. However some easy sitting twists-side bends-forward bends with the help of a chair can be considered.

The Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence is a yoga flows of 20 poses, and given below are the step-by-step instructions with breath awareness, that you can give your students:

• Inhale and Exhale - connect to your breathing for about 4-6 breaths, as you stand grounding your feet in Pranamasana (Mountain Pose Namaste).
• Inhale - lengthen your arms above your head, coming to Urdhva Hastasana (Volcano Pose). While here, keep the shoulders away from ears.
• Exhale - bending from the hips, gently go in a forward bend. Keep the knees soft and drop the arms down, and come to Standing Forward Fold Pose Knees Bent Arms Dangling (Uttanasana Variation Knees Bent Arms Dangling). However, you can choose to keep the feet together or have them apart. Keep the head in line with the arms, and gently push the hip out and up.
• Inhale - come up with your soft knees, back to Urdhva Hastasana (Volcano Pose).
• Exhale - lengthen the arms and spine and do a side bend towards your right side (lateral bend of the spine). While in Parsva Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute Side Bend Pose), keep the palms together, but the upper arms away from ears. Engage the core muscles, and ground the feet to get better balance.
• Inhale - come back to the center as you continue to engage the arms and core in Upward Mountain Pose Namaste Hands (Urdhva Namaskarasana).
• Exhale - repeat the side bend, but now on your left side. Engage your core and arms and go into Parsva Urdhva Hastasana.
• Inhale - come back slowly to the center, in Urdhva Hastasana (Volcano Pose). Stay looking up in a soft gaze.
• Exhale - bend forward from the hips to come in Uttanasana Variation Knees Bent Arms Dangling (Standing Forward Fold Pose Knees Bent Arms Dangling).
• Inhale - come up and stand with the arms stretched out in front of you at shoulder level, coming in almost Standing Wrist and Forearm Stretch , but without interlocking the fingers.
• Exhale - turn to your right side as you bring your arms at shoulder level coming in Tadasana Twist Arms Shoulder Level (Mountain Pose Twist Arms Shoulder Level).
• Inhale - come back to the center.
• Exhale - turn to your left side as you bring your arms at shoulder level coming in Tadasana Twist Arms Shoulder Level.
• Inhale and Exhale - come back to the center.
• Inhale - open your arms out to the shoulder level (side) and a soft gaze up, coming to Mountain Pose Stretched Out Hands Head Back (Tadasana Stretched Out Hands Head Back). Feeling relaxed and calm here.
• Exhale - release and come back with the arms in front, and gaze ahead.
• Inhale - raise the arms above the head, to come to Volcano Pose.
• Exhale - bend from the hips to go in the gentle soft knee, forward bend in Uttanasana Variation Knees Bent Arms Dangling.
• Inhale - rising up to come back to Volcano Pose, as you lengthen the arms.
• Exhale - release and come to stand back in Pranamasana.
• Repeat the entire sequence to take it to the second round, following the instructions shared above.

Note: To make it more intense, each pose in this flow can be held for one breath (inhale/exhale).

Learn more: Egyptian Sun Salutation Sequence Steps

Play Sanskrit audio pronunciation for Egyptian Surya Namaskar Vinyasa