Sun Salutation A

Also known as Surya Namaskara A, this sequence of poses, repeated 5 times and taking approximately 5 minutes, is the base and foundation of the entire Ashtanga practice. Any day that starts with these poses feels inherently better than one without. In the pages listed below is a picture of each pose. They are done in succession, with an inhale through the nose when moving upward, and an exhale when moving downward, each half-breath moving you to the next pose. The exception is downward dog, which is held for 5 full breaths.