The Sun, our brilliant star, the life-giver at the heart of our solar system, has long captivated me. It’s the largest, brightest, and most powerful presence in our sky, a constant reminder of the delicate balance that sustains life on Earth. Its light touches everything, awakening the natural world each morning and gently guiding us back into stillness at night. For me, it’s also a symbol of our own inner radiance, the divine spark that lives within each of us.
In yoga, there is a sacred sequence called Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutation. This moving prayer of gratitude honors the sun’s warmth, energy, and illumination, both outside of us and within. Traditionally practiced at the start of a yoga session or day, it’s a ritual that awakens body and mind, preparing us not only for movement, but for presence.
Each pose in the Sun Salutation flows seamlessly into the next, synchronized with the rhythm of the breath. This union of movement and breath invites a meditative quality into the practice. It’s not just physical, it’s energetic. As I move through the sequence, I feel my muscles lengthening, my joints loosening, and my blood flowing more freely. But something deeper happens too: my mind clears, my spirit lifts, and a quiet clarity returns.
Over time, I’ve noticed that Surya Namaskar opens specific energetic centers in my body. The heart chakra (Anahata), our center of love and compassion, begins to soften and expand. The solar plexus (Manipura), where our sense of purpose and personal power reside, comes alive with warmth and strength. As these chakras awaken, I often feel emotional release and a sense of inner empowerment. It's as though the sun’s light is it's coming right from within me melting away stuck energy, illuminating what’s ready to heal.
There’s a well-loved quote by Leonard Cohen that says, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” But sometimes, I like to think of it in reverse, Sun Salutation doesn’t just let the light in through our cracks, it fills those cracks with light that was already inside us, waiting to rise.
Each movement, each breath in the Sun Salutation feels like golden light pouring into the spaces where we feel broken, tired, or dimmed. It's as if this ritual gently reminds the soul that healing doesn’t always come from outside, it radiates from within. The more we show up, even with our imperfections, the more we remember: we are not here to chase the light. We are here to uncover it. To let it pour through the fractures of our being and remind us that even our brokenness is sacred.
There’s also something beautiful about the cyclical nature of this practice. It begins and ends in Tadasana, or Mountain Pose, symbolizing a journey from stillness into motion and then returning again . This mirrors life itself, how we rise, move through change, and eventually return to ourselves with greater awareness. Each time I complete a round of Sun Salutation, I feel a little more aligned with the natural rhythms of the Earth and my own being.
For me, the Sun Salutation is more than a series of movements, it's a ritual of remembrance. When I reach my arms toward the sky, I imagine touching the sun, drawing its warmth and clarity into my heart. When I fold down to the earth, I feel held and grounded, connected to something ancient and nurturing. Every inhale, every exhale, becomes a quiet devotion to life itself.
This practice continues to teach me about the dance between effort and surrender, between light and shadow. It reminds me that even on cloudy days, the sun is still there, both in the sky and within me.
Surya Namaskar is, at its core, a celebration, a sacred dance of breath, movement, and life itself. It honors the boundless energy that connects all living beings and reminds us of the light that animates the universe. Each time I step onto my mat and move through its familiar rhythm, I’m reminded that I belong to something much greater, something vast, sacred.
And perhaps most profoundly, I remember this: the light I so often search for outside of me, the clarity, the warmth, the love, is already here, glowing quietly within. Sun Salutation helps me return to that inner sun, to trust its radiance, and to carry it with me long after I’ve stepped off the mat.
