Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B

Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B is the most beautiful and best part of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice. Ashtanga yoga refers to the eight limbs of yoga laid out by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Ashtanga Yoga is a combination of light meditation with intense and fast moving poses. This form of yoga was interpreted and developed by Pattabhi Jois along with his guru Krishnamacharya in Mysore, India. 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 Salutations - Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A and Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B, and then, moving to various standing and seated postures, inversion sequences, and backbends.

Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B is a variation to the postures which were established in Ashtanga Surya Namaskara A. Both these ashtanga yoga practices are repeated 5 times. The steps in Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B are as follows:

  1. Samasthiti (Tadasana) - The first step is the Mountain Pose where you stand straight with the toes touching each other.
  2. Awkward Chair Pose (Utkatasana) - In this step, you inhale and bend your knees with your arms up and palms closed together. The butt should be kept low as if you are sitting on a low chair.
  3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana A) - In this step, you slowly exhale and bend forward and press your palms flat on the ground in line with the toes.
  4. Flat Back (Uttanasana B) - In this step, you inhale and come up to support on your fingers with your back flat.
  5. Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) - This step is a part of Surya Namaskara. It is similar to a push-up pose where you balance your body on your palms by exhaling.
  6. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) - This is also a part of Sun Salutation. It is a backbend pose and you roll forward with full support on your toes and palms and with head tilted backward. This step is done by inhaling the air.
  7. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) - In this step, you exhale and with your heels on the floor, you drop down toward the front with your palms touching the floor and your hip arched to form a triangle shape.
  8. Warrior (Virabhadrasana) - In this step, you inhale and bring your right foot forward next to your right hand and bend it, while the left foot is stretched backward. The hands are stretched upward with the palms touching.
  9. Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) - From the warrior position, you exhale and come back to the four-limbed staff pose.
  10. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) - From the Chaturanga Dandasana, you inhale and roll over the toes to the upward facing dog position.
  11. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) - From the Upward Facing Dog position, you exhale and roll over the toes to the downward facing dog posture.
  12. Warrior (Virabhadrasana) - From the Downward Facing Dog, you inhale and come back to the warrior position as explained in step 8.
  13. Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana) - From the warrior position, you exhale and come back to the four-limbed staff pose.
  14. Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) - From the Chaturanga Dandasana, you inhale and roll over the toes to the upward facing dog position.
  15. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) - From the Upward Facing Dog position, you exhale and roll over the toes to the downward facing dog posture.
  16. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) - From the downward facing dog pose, you exhale slowly and come back to the standing forward bend pose.
  17. Awkward Chair Pose (Utkatasana) - From the above step, you inhale and back to the awkward chair position of step 2.
  18. Samasthiti (Tadasana) - The final step is back to the original position from where it started, i.e. back to Samasthiti with the hands on your side and exhaling.

Thus Ashtanga Surya Namaskara B is an intermediate workout like the Ashatanga Surya Namaskara A and Moon Salutation. These yoga poses and workouts can bring changes to your life, provided you are able to survive them both physically and mentally. It is advisable to learn these yoga poses under a trained yoga guru or else chances of getting injured are high.