Karuna Yoga Vidya Peetham Bangalore

Sun (surya) salutations (Namaskara): Contraindication/Precaution/Limitation

All styles of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) including Ashtanga A & B and Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutation) is a sequence of poses done with the flow of energy, proper breathing, and this requires a certain physical strength especially for beginners. Hence, these sequences do have their limitations and should not be performed if one is suffering from certain ailments. In these yoga poses, the muscles are put into work continuously, so it is better to do with good guidance. Below are some of the contraindications of these sequences.

  • Bodily Weakness: Care should be taken if one has general body or muscle and bone weakness. Or continuous practice flow can cause damage to the feeble body parts.
  • Back pain: The spine expands and contracts to put pressure on the lower back and hip. Hence someone with a back issue or injured back should certainly avoid this even if one has practiced this for It is essential to take a yoga teacher’s guidance or start again slowly. Once the yoga practitioner has recovered from the back ailment or injury he/she can continue their practice.
  • Pregnant Women: Not advisable to be done by pregnant women as this puts pressure on the back and the abdominal area.
  • High Blood Pressure: People suffering from high blood pressure should avoid this sequence. But with proper guidance from a yoga teacher and for someone not elderly can begin this yoga pose slowly and carefully.
  • Heart Problem: Someone with a heart issue is advised to consult a physician before practicing these asanas sequences. Remember that the age factor does play a big role for someone with heart Old people must completely avoid the practice.
  • Arthritis: Knee strength plays an important role in the various postures in Surya Namaskar. So someone who has severe arthritis leading to knee stiffness, should take it slow or avoid this sequence.
  • Wrist Injury: Injury at the wrist will make the sequence difficult as pressure on the wrists in poses like Cobra Pose, Adho Mukha Svanasana, and going down to Eight Limb Pose would cause more stress and injury to the wrists.

Thus to conclude, someone who is new to yoga and has one or more of the above ailments needs proper guidance from a yoga teacher or someone who is experienced in yoga after consultation from a physician. One needs to work on the Sun Salutation sequence intelligently while keeping the impact on the muscles in mind at each pose.

Courtesy To: Ananya Kasiraj, RYT – 200 Hrs (student assignment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

×