108 Sun Salutations

Image via Nuria Val @frecklesnur

Life is made up of the widest range of small practices, habits and rituals.

Everyone has their own, keeping them active, inspired through everyday stages and challenges. For those of us who practice yoga daily, sun salutation is often the best way to prepare our body and our mind for the day that is about to begin.

In CIAOMONDO, the community dedicated to all aspects of wellbeing, we decided to welcome the arrival of Spring in the only way we know: together, enjoying the feeling of moving and discovering our inner selves, guided by all of our yoga teachers for a series of 108 sun salutations.

So, if you want to celebrate the Spring equinox with us, the appointment is on March 20 for the most regenerating of practices, free for everyone.

Do you want to discover more about the tradition of the 108 sun salutations?

On the arrival of Spring, the world of yoga joins a common and shared custom. The sun salutation (Surya Namaskara, in Sanskrit) is a dynamic sequence of asanas beneficial for both body and mind. It was originally a morning ritual, but it can be practiced at any time of the day and, being a complete sequence, its effects are comparable to those of an entire yoga session. Practicing ten sun salutations every morning allows the body to let go of the tensions, to tone muscles and organs, to improve posture, flexibility and balance, to stimulate the cardiovascular system and oxygenate the blood. It consists in a profound experience of body purification and energetic opening. To welcome the lengthening of the hours of light compared to those of darkness, Indian masters suggest to embrace this transformative practice, which should accompany all periods of change and passage. In fact, according to the yogic tradition, the practice of 108 sun salutations opens the heart to new possibilities and prepares for the transformations typically marked by the equinoxes.

In the Hindu tradition, it is the celebration of light, which with the new season wins over darkness, and therefore of life itself in its cyclical and perfect harmony, because without light there would be no life. But why 108? From religion to astrology, from linguistics to mathematics, the recurrence of this number in the yogic culture has something incredible. In mathematics, each number has a meaning: 1 is God, 0 is emptiness, 8 is infinity. In Sanskrit there are 54 male letters and 54 female letters, for a total of 108 letters. And more, in Indian culture 108 are the names of Shiva (one of the most important Hindu deities), the number of beads of the Mala, the Indian rosary (used to recite mantras and to guide the 108 greetings to the sun), and the number of reincarnations to go through before arriving at the ultimate reality. If you want to join this unique rite, stay tuned on our channels and discover how to take part in a practice that will change the way you approach sun salutations forever.

Ti aspettiamo sul tappetino con CIAOMONDO.

Mieko Shiomi, Wind Music, 1963