Start in Balasana (Child’s Pose) for several breaths, followed by Marjaryasana and Bitilasana (Cat and Cow), and then Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose).

If you struggle with any sort of tension, you’ll benefit from stretching before beginning the sequence-especially if you’re taking yourself through it in the morning. Most vinyasa teachers still introduce Sun Salutations as a precursor to more challenging sequences, but only after cueing students through several stretches beforehand. Surya Namaskar was once considered the warm-up for the practice of yoga. See also: How to Hack Your Sun Salutations Do you need to warm up before Surya Namaskar A? That’s OK! We lay it all out for you here. You may already be vaguely or intimately familiar with Surya Namaskar A but haven’t committed the poses and their order to memory. The trajectory of the sequence, like that of its namesake star, has a predictable arc and is cyclical, making it easy to become quietly absorbed in the looping repeated motions. Breath, movement, and stillness fall into a rhythm. The start of an inhale initiates your transition from one pose to the next, followed by a lull in both the breath and body as you come into the pose, with the beginning of an exhale acting as a cue for your next transition. The poses take you through all manner of stretches, forward folds, and backbends that build heat and happen in a rhythmic cadence that’s aligned with your breath. This sequence of postures is essentially a series of prescribed motions that begins and ends with Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Salutations are believed to have been regarded as a literal salute to sunrise and were perceived to ready the body for all that would happen during daylight. This set sequence of postures dates back more than 2,500 years to a time when ancient cultures revered the sun. It’s a series of yoga postures known as Surya Namaskar A, more commonly known as Sun Salutations. There’s actually an ancient yogic antidote specifically designed for those mornings. Or when you’re desperately trying to cram 10 minutes of your practice in as your weekday meeting marathon looms. Especially when you’re taking yourself through your practice without a teacher cueing a sequence. (Don’t we all?) It’s not always easy to achieve it, though. It’s been said-and memed-that “Movement without awareness is exercise. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!

Printable yoga sun salutation sequence