Surya Namaskar (known in English as Sun Salutations) is a sequence of asanas that salute to the sun, traditionally practiced facing the rising sun, and draw the sun’s energy into the body.
Light, in the mind, body and spirit, has the attached symbolism of awareness – so with the sun’s energy and light comes an awareness of self. Ideally, Surya Namaskar is practiced in the morning as the sun rises, and creates heat to invigorate the body at the beginning of the day. Surya Namaskar is a balanced practice, with an equal amount of forward and back bends, upward and downward motions, making it a complete and whole practice in its own right.