Sun Salutes are a cycle of three to seven postures paired with the breath, that’s performed repeatedly to generate heat in the body to help prepare the body for a full range yoga postures. If you’ve participated yoga before, there is a good chance you’ve already experienced sun salutes.

The great news is that Sun Salutes can also be beneficial to the beginning of a seated yoga practice. It’s a great place to work on connecting the breathe to each movement, creating a sensation of flow. Which happens to be one of my favorite things about a yoga practice! To help create this sensation, think of an inhale as an expansive movement, like raising the arms above the head. While an exhale, is thought of as deepening movement, like a forward fold.

I also like to utilize sun salutes as an opportunity to clear the clutter of distracting thoughts, while setting clear intentions for the day’s practice. It’s valuable to remember that no practice is ever the same. We must hold space to meet our bodies where they’re at on any given day. In doing this we create the practice of having supportive thoughts for self that are useful to our personal growth on and off the chair. When we learn to listen to self we can better understand the times we need to soften, versus the times we need to push during a posture, or even a life circumstance in order to obtain the needed outcomes.

Another great thing about sun salutes on a chair is there will be no pressure on the joints of the wrist, knees, hips, or toes as we flow from one posture to the next. Which is a welcoming thing when the body just isn’t feeling like moving up and down from the floor due to an injury, illness, or in my case arthritis in my big toe joints. There are days when my toes just don’t want to bend, and that’s more than alright. With the support of my chair, my practice doesn’t have to halted.

Now, are you ready to experience these movements for yourself? Pull up a stable chair without arms and lets get started! After we warm up, we’ll explore hip and leg movements to help bring awareness to our personal mobility and flexibility. Remember, all you need is a chair and curiosity of mind. Come join me and do something good for yourself today! I’m glad you’re here!!