Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A is the first step in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice. Ashtanga yoga refers to the eight limbs of yoga laid out by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Ashtanga Yoga or Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga or Dynamic Yoga or Power Yoga is a type of aerobic yoga which is physically more demanding. This form of yoga was interpreted and developed by Pattabhi Jois along with Krishnamacharya in Mysore, India. His version adopts a dynamic and vigorous approach to the Yoga Asana (poses) and Pranayama (breath exercise and control). In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, every poses or asana is linked with a specific breathing pattern (Ujjayi Pranayama) and movement (Vinyasa).
The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga requires 90 minutes to two or three hours to complete one full cycle. The series has 75 different poses varying from very simple one to very difficult postures. The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga begins with the Sun Salutation - Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A and Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B, and then, moving to various standing and seated postures, inversion sequences and backbends.
In Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A, the first four steps are repeated twice to complete one full cycle. The steps in Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A are as follows:
Thus Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A is an intermediate workout that can bring changes to your life, provided you survive the demanding ashtanga yoga poses and workouts both physically and mentally. It is advisable to learn these yoga poses under a trained yoga teacher or else chances of getting injured are high. It takes time for the body to be flexible and powerful. If correct moves are done in the correct order, then both the body and mind will be automatically ready for any changes.