Asana: Surya Namaskar B

Surya Namaskar B (“Sun Salute”)

by LILA TAFF

Photo Cred: @AlinaJack

Surya Namaskar B (also called Surya B, Sun Salutation B, or Sun B) is a Vinyasa sequence that builds on Surya Namaskar A (aka Sun A, featured on our February blog). In the Ashtanga Primary Series, this sequence is repeated five times, right after opening with five cycles of Surya A. The Surya (sun) Namaskar (greeting someone with deep respect) B continues to warm up the body and soften the mind by keeping the movements in sync with the breath. Each asana (pose) is half a breath (an inhale or an exhale). While it can be practiced in a structured, disciplined way, neither the body, breath, mind, heart, nor any part of you, the practitioner, needs to become rigid.

Obviously, no one is saying you must practice this sequence in this order, at this time—but moving through it, learning it, not having to think about it, can be a solid tool to have on you, especially if you’ve ever thought about starting a home yoga practice.  

Practicing this Vinyasa sequence has layered benefits, from increasing physical strength and flexibility, to paving the way for longevity in the spine, to clearing clutter in the mind, to increasing focus—just to start. 

Getting to know Surya B is a gift. When you are moving your body, not thinking about what comes next, and your movements are in time with your breath, you have created the conditions to slip easily into the present moment. Here, you are at the gateway of a meditative state of mind. Meditation comes later in the eight limbs of yoga (which, according to Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras, are most beneficial when practiced in this order: 1) Yamas, 2) Niyamas, 3) Asana (postures/poses), 4) Prāṇāyāma (intentional breathing practices), 5) Pratyāhāra (withdrawal of senses), 6) Dhāraṇā (concentration), 7) Dhyāna (meditation), and 8) Samādhi (state of pure bliss or alignment with source)). 

So, let’s dig into it.

Let the mind settle.

The Poses of Surya Namaskar B

Stand at the top of your mat with the big toes touching, heels apart (or separate feet to modify with heels under your hips), arms at your sides, palms forward (Tadasana or Mountain pose).

On an inhale, soften the knees, squeeze inner thighs together (or isometrically engage if separated), and reach the sit bones back. Lower the hips and reach the arms straight, alongside your ears, pressing the palms together (or separate the arms, palms facing). Fine tune by drawing the navel and ribs in toward the spine, lengthening the tailbone toward the heels, lift the back of the heart up, and isometrically engage the inner upper arms (Utkatasana) (1).

On an exhale, fold forward over the legs, touching the hands to the earth (or you can keep the knees soft and bring your hands to blocks to modify, especially if you experience tightness in the low back or backs of legs). Lengthen the back of the neck (Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold) (2).

On an inhale, come to fingertips (on floor or shins), lift top of pelvis, and lengthen spine forward, keeping neck long (Ardha Uttanasana) (3). 

On an exhale, plant your palms under your shoulders. With core engaged, lightly jump back to the balls of your feet with the elbows bent 90 degrees and hugging into side ribs (Chaturanga Dandasana) (4). Shoulders stay at or above elbow height. To modify this, there are options, below. If you were modifying the Primary Series, you would get all the way from Ardha Uttanasana to Chaturanga Dandasana (or the floor) in one exhale. Even if you are modifying the transition and/or the asana, you can do it in one exhale! Then again, obviously, you can breathe however many times you want, because you are modifying. 

Aligning movement with breath and breath with cadence paves the way for a meditative state. 

Chaturanga Dandasana, in more detail (transitioning into it and modifications). 

First and foremost, it is a good idea to practice this whole sequence with a teacher, even if that teacher is a mirror, for clear understanding and body awareness. 

To modify, from Ardha Uttanasana, on an exhale, flatten the palms to the ground and step one foot at a time back into a plank pose rather than jumping back. Land your feet back far enough so that your body is in one plane, more or less, your spine is long, and your arms are vertical. On an inhale, option one: shift onto the tippy toes. Option two: set knees straight down, untuck toes, and shift forward onto thighs. Either way, shoulders move forward, shoulder blades draw back in opposition. On an exhale, bend elbows to 90 degrees (keep shoulders at least elbow height), squeeze them in and triceps (back of arms) up into rib cage. 

For the next step, there are options, primarily these two:

On an inhale, if your knees are on the ground, keep the triceps engaged and the shoulders above the elbows as you carefully lower your thighs, then hips, then belly, ribs, and heart to the ground, isometrically drag the heels of the hands back, scapula (shoulder blades) together, and the collarbones wide and forward, lengthening the tailbone toward the heels (Bhujangasana or Cobra pose). 

Or, if you are in in high plank, lower half way into full Chaturanga Dandasana. On an inhale, start to straighten the arms while peeling the heart forward enough to flip to the tops of your feet. Draw the shoulder blades together and lift the back of the heart up. Press into the heels of the hands, lengthen the neck and reach the tailbone towards heels. Legs are fully engaged, and nothing but tops of feet and palms of hands are touching the ground (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or Upward Facing Dog) (5).

On an exhale, tuck the toes, lift the hips and thighs up and back, while pressing the floor away with your hands (Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog) (6). 

On an inhale, step the right foot forward, spin the left heel into midline and pin down to floor, lift the torso forward and up, reach the arms up, and press the palms together (Virabhadrasana 1 or Warrior 1) (7). There are many nuances to this pose. There is nothing habitual about it unless it’s that you’re practicing it every day. Again, work with a teacher to refine your spinal alignment and find the backbend in the upper back. 

Until then, modify with a high lunge: from Adho Mukha Svanasana, step the right foot forward behind wrist, lift back heel, square the hips forward, lift torso upright, reach arms overhead, palms facing.

On an exhale, step back to Chaturanga Dandasana, and repeat the same sequence through Adho Mukha Svanasana, then Virabhadrasana I with left leg forward—and again, repeat the rinse cycle. From Adho Mukha Svanasana, jump or step your feet to your hands for Utkatasana, return to Tadasana (8-14), and repeat the entire sequence from the top.

So, can you see what we’ve introduced into this Vinyasa sequence that varies from Surya Namaskar A? Utkatasana and Virabhadrasana I, which are both technically heart openers and great foundational āsana for moving into deeper heart openers/backbends. Hold these for a few breaths every now and then and practice keeping your heart open, strong in the back, and soft in the front. With intention, you can use these types of poses to cultivate courage and all that I mentioned above—strength, flexibility, focus, and a meditative state.

Practice with Lila weekly, beginning March 16! If you can’t make it to class, you can follow Lila on instagram @eltaff and facebook @eltaffstudio

Practice with Lila on Saturdays @ 4p @ Metta Yoga San Rafael

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