Surya means “sun” and namaskara “to bow.” Humans have seemingly been saluting the sun since the beginning of time, and the Vedas, the original texts of yoga, which date to around 1500 B.C.E., contain the first written evidence of yogis physically bowing to this powerful source of life and growth. There is a lot of disagreement over the exact origin of the surya namaskar series. Vinyasa flow and its subsidiary styles, such as power yoga, Ashtanga vinyasa, and the style I teach, the YogaWorks method, all have roots in Ashtanga, and as such those types of classes often include at least a few rounds of surya B.Ī traditional surya namaskar B comprises 17 breaths that are each linked to a specific movement: I practiced Ashtanga yoga for over a decade, and Ashtanga practitioners traditionally begin their practice with five rounds of surya namaskar A and five of surya namaskar B. ![]() Then, as my personal practice began to change with age and injury, suddenly this sequence that I once felt was so critical to my daily practice became less so, which got me interested in the history, power, and potential risks of this movement practice. However, as I traveled more and tasted different styles of yoga, I realized that many yogis do not do this fiery sun salute variation. Afterward I would sometimes go home and do a few rounds just to get my fill! Do we need to do surya namaskar (sun salutation) B to have a complete practice? Many of you reading this will say, “Of course not,” but when I was an avid ashtangi who relied on the prescribed five rounds of it in every practice, I used to feel unsatisfied when a teacher did not include any or “enough” surya namaskar B’s in class.
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