sun salutation

Back before we bought the country house, before we moved out here 4 years later, I belonged to a gym and went and worked out and did cardio for two hours mostly three times a week plus an hour and a half of yoga once a week. I loved the way I felt, the way I looked, no jiggly bits and the strength but it was a big time commitment out of my week. Moving out here I only had one gym available and it was attached to the Junior College with restricted hours of use. Plus having to travel back and forth to work even after another gym opened just made it too hard to establish a routine.

Fast forward, four years later, to now. I miss my firm strong body but I'm not likely to start going to the gym again. I guess I'm over that whole body building culture. I do have a pair of 10 pound weights that sit on the shelf totally ignored. Same problem, developing a routine. I'm really bad about developing a routine at home. Same with yoga.

But. I read something on FB towards the end of January about New Year's resolutions which I don't really make. I did make them for a few years running and my most successful one was to spend my change, especially my pennies. I still do that even if it does take maybe a whole extra minute for me to pay, much to the impatience of the people waiting in line behind me. Actually, I don't really do that much anymore since I started emptying my pockets every night and putting my change in a jar for the grandkids to divvy up. But, I digress.

What I read was about resolutions and difficulties keeping them because they are usually just too ambitious (with regard to exercising) and the article suggested doing just 5 sun salutations (surya namaskar) a day. Sun Salutation A is a series of 12 yoga postures done in a single graceful flow, and it warms you up, stretches just about every part of your body and builds strength and flexibility. Sun Salutation B is a little different, a little more strenuous.

So, I'm thinking...5 sun salutations a day? I can do that. Pffff. I can do it. It's the will do it part I have trouble with. But come February, I decided to try and do it, every morning after I get up and before coffee. I do 2 rounds of A, one round of B, and 2 rounds of A. Well, I haven't been quite successful, I'm kinda hit and miss, have probably done it less than half the days but I'm getting more frequent. Sometimes I even add in some other poses before I head for the coffee pot.

You can see Sun Salutation A here (though the one I do is slightly different, like the image above, but I couldn't find a video of it that didn't have a long lead-in).

You can see Sun Salutation B here. 

I'll be happy when I have some sun to salute.