SURYA NAMASKAR (PRANAMASANA-1)

SURYA NAMASKARA  1. Pranamasana (Prayer pose)

Stand at the edge of your mat, keep your feet together and balance your weight equally on both the feet. Expand your chest and relax your shoulders. As you breathe in, lift both arms up from the sides, and as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of the chest in prayer position.

    It is the first position of surya namaskara. Physically its awareness will be on the chest area and spiritually on anahata chakra. It is the centre of anahata nada. Its associated element is air and twelve petals of green or pink lotus are visualized on this chakra on a spiritual level. It's mantra is "om mitraya namah" and the bija mantra is  y-a-m.    

Benefits: It stimulates Thymus gland works  as a godmother for a child against any disease. Once the body is fully developed the gland  shrinks and stops its activities. The pressure should be given on the palm and sole below one centimetre of  ring and middle finger twice a day for two minutes in a pumping way. Heart chest, lungs related problems and loneliness, depression, insecurity; all these problems are controlled by this chakra. All the respiratory and circulatory systems are controlled by it. For meditation on anahata chakra a tiny bright flame is visualized and an unconditional love flows within a person.  

Mudra of Anahat Chakra:                      It is apana vayu mudra also called mrit sanjeevani mudra in which the index finger touches the base of thumb and tip of the ring and middle finger touches the tip of thumb and little finger is extended. It gives strength to the heart  and regulates palpitation. It also normalizes blood pressure, gastric trouble, excretory system and increases confidence in a person. It also works during emergencies or chest pain. This mudra is performed to sit in any meditational asana with head and spine straight for 15 to 30 minutes concentrating on anahata chakra.