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Breaking down the sun salutations: sun salutation B

Sun salutation B is very similar to sun salutation A, but with a few additions. 

Stand at the top of your mat with your palms together at your heart center in samastithi (equal standing). Take a couple breaths to focus your mind. The movement will correspond to the breath. Try to breathe in and out through your nose.

Inhale: utkatasana (awkward, fierce or most commonly known as chair pose). Bring the feet together, bend the knees, lift the chest and lift the arms overhead. Bring the hands together or palms just to face each other. Lean head back slightly. Gaze to the fingertips.

Exhale: uttanasana (forward fold). Fold all the way forward with a straight spine until your hands touch either the floor or blocks. If you have the flexibility, you may bring your hands to the outsides of the feet with your fingertips in line with the toes. Let your head hang heavy. Gaze is to the tip of the nose.

Inhale: ardha uttanasana (half forward fold). Pressing your hands into your thighs or shins if you need to help your spine lengthen, lift up halfway. The shoulders come onto the back. Gaze is between the eyebrows. 

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Exhale: chatturanga dandasana (4-limbed staff pose). Press your hands into the floor next to the chest, step your feet back so that the legs are extended, but lifted and engaged. Toes are tucked under with your heels pressing back. Bend your elbows in at your sides and lower down halfway, keeping your shoulders, hips and legs in one line. You may lower your knees until you build strength in the arms. Gaze is to the tip of the nose.

Inhale: urdhva mukha svanasana (upward facing dog). Leaving your hands next to your chest with your elbows still hugging in, roll your shoulders back. Straighten the arms, leaving a slight bend in the elbows. Allow the chest to open. The tops of your feet will be pressing into the ground so much so that your thighs may lift up off the mat. Gaze will be between the eyebrows.

Exhale: adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog). Roll over your toes, press into your hands and lift your tailbone up towards the sky. Fingers will be spread wide, arms straighten. Try to press your chest and heart back towards your thighs. Press your thighs back. You will look like an upside down "V". Gaze is towards your navel. Take 5 breaths in this position.

Inhale: virabhadrasana 1 (warrior 1 pose). Step your right foot between your hands. Bend your right knee so that the knee and the ankle are stacked. Turn your left heel down, with the toes pointing slightly forward or up to about 45 degrees. Traditionally, the foot would be almost parallel to the back of the mat. Back leg is straight. Reach your arms up and bring the hands together. Lift the chest and gaze to the tips of the fingers.

Exhale your hands down and step back through chatturanga dandasana, inhale to urdhva mukha svanasana (upward facing dog) and then exhale to adho mukha svanasana (downward facing dog). Switch sides. On an inhale, step your left foot between your hands for virabhadrasana 1 (warrior 1) on the left side. Exhale and go through the poses again, until you reach downward facing dog. Take 5 breaths here in and out through the nose.

On an inhale, lift your heels. Exhale, bend your knees slightly and look to your hands. Inhale, step your feet to your hands and come back to ardha uttanasana. On your next exhale, fold all the way forward letting your head drop for uttanasana again. Inhale and sweep your arms all the way up, lifting up and back to urdhva hastasana again. On an exhale, draw your palms together at your heart, coming back to samastithi. 

You can repeat these as many times as you would like. If you are warming up for a full vinyasa flow yoga class, try to do sun salutation b five times. 

By

Cleveland Yoga Examiner

Marcia Hudgel,Cleveland Area Yoga Examiner, is a certified yoga teacher in the Cleveland Area who truly believes that there is a yoga practice out...

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