Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar is Often Underestimated
At first glance, the flowing sequence of yoga asanas looks graceful, and maybe even gentle, but after a few rounds of continuous practice, one can feel the impact on the muscles maybe they start to quiver, maybe they begin to feel stronger, or maybe more lithe, the heart rate climbs all of these sensations are very similar to what we experience after strength training.
The Sun Salutation Benefits include muscle strengthening and muscle sculpting the question arises. Can the Surya Namaskar drill actually replace a full-on strength workout? Read on to get some insights.
What are Sun Salutations
At their very core, Sun Salutations are a series of yoga poses performed in a sequence, and every move is synchronized with the breath. Each round moves through dynamic stretches, planks, lunges, backbends, and forward folds. It’s as though the entire body moves like flowing water and regains strength, flexibility, balance, and momentum in the process.
This Set of Surya Namaskar Poses Impacts Every Muscle Group
All the various yoga lineages have their own versions of the Sun Salutation. Essentially, everyone has added additional postures to the basic Surya Namaskar, making it a more dynamic workout.
Shoulders and arms build tremendous strength as they stabilize the body during Planks, Downward Dog, Upward Dog, Salute with eight limbs, and Chaturanga Dandasana.
Legs engage deeply during Lunges and Forward folds.
Core muscles fire up to maintain balance and control through transitions.
In a nutshell, when someone is doing Surya Namaskar, they aren’t just stretching they are moving from one dynamic posture to the next, which requires real physical endurance.
Can Sun Salutations Replace Strength Training?
Sun Salutation and strength training each have their own place in a fitness regimen, and if someone wants to build strength, then yes, Surya Namaskar can be a great way to start. Moving through 10-20 rounds at a steady, mindful pace can lead to noticeable improvements in endurance, joint stability, and muscle tone.
So, Sun Salutations are amazing for building functional strength and muscular endurance but strength training goes much further in bulking muscles, shaping muscles and building strength. However, one has to gauge ones requirements – as we get older, the strength training we will get through doing Sun Salutations is ample. Gymming and lifting heavy weights will over bulk up muscles, which will go limp and turn into fat, the moment we stop working with these heavy weights. The risk of injury with ‘strength-training-with-heavy-weights’ is a scary reality. A large number of people are always nursing injuries that they have incurred while working with heavy weights and often these become life long ailments.
Several poses within the Sun Salutation directly contribute to building strength. Plank Pose strengthens the core, shoulders, arms, and legs by requiring the body to hold steady against gravity. Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank) intensely works the triceps, chest and core, similar to a slow push-up. Upward-Facing Dog strengthens the spine, arms and wrists while opening the chest. Chair Pose (Utkatasana), often added in variations, builds endurance in the thighs, glutes and calves.
Having said all of this, I would like the reader to note that yoga postures and vinyasas can be modified and intensified to ever increasing levels of strength and endurance and thereby can be a one-stop-strength-training-shop. However, generally speaking and for the bulk of humanity, these very advanced postures and routines are not used, so we will not bring them into our discussion, in this article.
Why Not Combine the Two
Instead of opting for just one, practitioners can blend both practices and create a powerful routine. For example, one can start with a few energizing rounds of Sun Salutation to warm up the muscles, boost circulation and activate the core. Then, for serious muscle engagement, move into focused strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups and lunges using free weights like dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells include exercises using resistance bands and then, weight machines for targeted muscle groups.
On recovery days, flowing through Sun Salutations can keep the body supple, promote active recuperation, and help maintain a strong mind-body connection.
To get started with Surya Namaskar and do it right, start your journey at Yoga with Sapna today.
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