I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! 

In my last post I mentioned the practice of Sun Salutation.  However, I realized that I haven’t elaborated on this flow.  The start of this series was introduced last week with Downward Facing Dog (See: Get Down Dog!!). This week I will post each posture that is included in the basic Sun Salutation. Of course, if you already have a regular Yoga practice, feel free to add any personal ‘flavor’ to your Salutation.   

Starting in Down Dog, as we inhale moving into Plank.   You’ve probably visited this pose before if you’ve done a push-up.   Remember, we want to really engage the abdominal muscle and keep the hips strong.  We don’t want the butt to be lifted or to sink too low, so act like a 2×4… straight as a board.  If we have wrist, shoulder, or back issues lower the knees to floor to take any pressure off of these areas.  But keep the core strong.  Now comes the fun part… 

Notice her Shoulders

Imagine we are a Crocodilesinking into a muddy swamp. If you have ever witnessed this, they move in a powerful, slow, and majestic way into the murky water. That is how we want our bodies to descend towards the mat. Remember to keep the shoulders away from the ears, and the shoulder blades flat on the back.   If we have shoulder injuries or are new to this pose, remember to bring the the knees to the mat first then lower the upper body, only if we are comfortable.  Keep the elbows tucked close to the body.  We should feel the elbows brush the rib cage as we lower half way down, bending the elbows to a 90* angle.   Hallelujah!! Feeling those triceps muscles yet??? 

Now returning to Plank by pressing the hands firmly into the mat and straightening the arms.  Next, lift the hips to the ceiling and return to our Down Dog.  Remember, we want to really engage the abdominal muscle when we are doing this, almost like a reverse ‘crunch’.  

 As always, listen to the body!!  Do only what feels comfortable!   And remember to breathe!!  One Breath~One Movement.  To sum it up: Down Dog, (inhale) to Plank, (exhale) Crocodile, (inhale) Plank, and (exhale) back to our Down Dog.  Practice this flow a couple of times and notice how warm the body starts to feel.  Next time we will add another pose or two to our Sun Salutation.  One is a great back strengthener, and you KNOW how much I luv those!!  ;)  

Namaste’   

Carrisa   

Sun Salutation = Surya-Namaskara & Crocodile = Caturanga-Dandasana