Everyone seems to have jumped on the yoga train lately... and for good reason.  This often mis-understood form of mind/body exercise is a wonderful way to increase energy, great for managing arthritis and joint pain and reducing the stresses and strains in your body... and life.  The art of Yoga dates back centuries, originating in India as part of a ritual discipline to control, purify and enlighten the mind/body through a variety of forms or schools of practice related to Hindu philosophy.

Hatha Yoga is the style that many people associate with the word "Yoga" today. It has steadily increased in popularity in our western society due to the emphasis on physical health and vitality of the body through the practice of asana (body poses) and pranayama (breath control).
 
The sun salutation is a foundational movement series in Hatha Yoga.  For those with limited time, the Sun Salutation is excellent because it stretches and strengthens all the major muscle groups in the body while also exercising the respiratory system. It consists of a sequence of twelve positions linked by continuous flowing motion. Each position counteracts the one before, stretching, expanding and contracting the body in a different way as you coordinate the movements with a series of five deep breaths.

I have found that this simple series of 12 poses can be performed at various paces to take you from tired to revitalize or from tense and tight to limber and released in about 5 minutes.  Add in some Yoga breathing techniques and you may also experience a great endorphin high.  Endorphins are naturally released chemicals that make you feel wonderful at the end of an invigorating workout. They are believed to enhance the immune system, relieve pain, reduce stress, and postpone the aging process. 

Performance Technique:
This series can be used as a warm up to a more vigorous activity, as a mid day break from a stagnant position or as a great relaxation after a hard workout.  Making it the ideal anytime movement series.  The faster you progress from one move to the next the more heat and energy you build up.  The slower you go through each posture, enjoying the feel of each position, the more relaxing it can be.

Breathing Technique:
Each position alternates between an extended and flexed or folded position of the spine. You will inhale during the extensions and exhale as you flex or bend.  Try to use a full Yoga breathing technique.  This involves slowly filling up your abdomen then chest as you inhale followed by exhaling emptying the chest followed by the abdomen.  Be sure to breath smoothly in and out through your nose.  

Sun Salutation 12 Step Series:

Step 1: Stand tall with feet together and hands palm to palm, at heart level.
Step 2: Inhale, keeping the palms together and stretch the arms up towards the sky as you extend your spine, bending slightly backward. Keep your abdominals held in.
Step 3: Exhale and slowly flex or bend forward with your spine, until your hands touch your shins or feet.  Keep your head tucked towards your knees.
Step 4: Inhale and step back with the right leg into a deep lung position while extending your spine and lifting your head towards the sky.  Keep your hands on the ground with one on each side of the front foot.
Step 5:  Exhale and bring the left foot back next to the right while lifting the hips towards the sky.  Keep the arms straight along side of your ears, forming an A frame with the body. You may want to stay in this inverted position (known as the downward dog position) for several deep breaths.
Step 6:  Slowly lower the body towards the floor, touching the knees, chest and forehead to the ground.
Step 7: Inhale as you straighten the arms, lift the chest and extend the spine towards the sky, arching your back as much as you comfortably can.  You pelvis and thighs stay on the ground.
Step 8:  Exhale as step up with your left leg and get back into the downward dog position performed in step 5.
Step 9:  Inhale and step back with the right leg into the deep lung position used in step 4.  Hands on the ground, head and spine lifted towards the sky.
Step 10: Exhale and slowly bend forward as in step 3; Hands on shins or feet and head tucked towards your knees. 
Step 11: Inhale and raise the arms upward as you extend the spine back repeating the position in step 2.
Step 12: Exhale as you finish he series by returning to the first position, stand with both feet touching and hands together, palm-to-palm, at the heart.

To see illustrations of these visit http://santosha.com/asanas/suryanamaskar.html 

One round of Sun Salutation consists of two reps through the series of 12 poses, the first leading with the right foot in steps 4 and 10, the second leading with the left. Start by doing 2 to 4 four rounds and gradually build up to 8 to 12 rounds.

Modification Technique: 
For beginners or those with limited back mobility and or leg flexibility, the best way to modify the series is to bend the knees slightly during all of the flexed or folded postures (#’s 3, 5, 8,&10) and to reduce the arch in the back during the extended postures (#’s 2, 4, 7, 9&11).