Why so many? Jem asked grimacing in fake pain.
Why not? I countered, challenging my Ashtanguy who has very recently been hooked on Ashtanga. Making me promise that we’ll do Suryas A & B every evening when he comes home from work.
108 is a sacred number in yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India. And there are also 108 Upanishads and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body. Mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence which also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth because the average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters.
Surya Namaskar contains the whole practice within it. Break down the sun salutation postures, and you get a complete range of movements such as the forward bend, back bend, being still, lengthening the spine, grounding the feet, strengthening the upper body, stretching the hamstrings, opening the heart and more. Surya Namaskar generates the heat for the body at the beginning of the practice. It also works on the mind by tuning us into the breath, holding the gaze point, these movements allow us to center ourselves and to tame our wandering mind. "The notion of a salutation to the sun is to pay your respects and surrender to the universe. This can be taken as a metaphor to let go physically - the mind follows as you move 'inside' the practice."
And remember, on that day we pay tribute to Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois--Guruji--who dedicated his life to sharing the beautiful practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
Image from the film Guru by Robert Wilkins
Om.
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