Surya Namaskar yagnam (108) 2019 and some related thoughts/pointers
The below posts & comments were published in our office’s intranet blog in the last 2 weeks (Sep last & Oct first week of 2019). Since they’re relevant for a wider audience, I am posting it here too:
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All,
We have been practising 108 Surya Namaskars during Navarathri days since 2015. Navaratri is one of the best times to rejuvenate our health and prepare for the oncoming North Eastern monsoon.
This year, we begin the Surya Namaskar practices on Sept 24th (Tuesday) and finish it on 3rd October (Thursday)
This video shows the warm-up exercises to be done before Surya Namaskar.
The blog has proper steps to do each posture in the cycle and a video on Surya Namaskar.
Detailed Schedule:
Day 1 | Sep 24, Tuesday | 36 (No.of suryanamaskar cycles)
Day 2 | Sep 25 Wednesday | 48
Day 3 | Sep 26 Thursday | 60
Day 4 | Sep 27, Friday | 72
Day 5 | Sep 30, Monday | 84
Day 6 | Oct 1, Tuesday | 96
Day 7 | Oct 3 Thursday | 108
FAQ:
1) I have never done Surya Namaskar. Can I learn it now & participate?
A resounding yes. Please come on 23rd, Monday at 5.30 pm and you can learn it.
2) Should I bring a yoga mat or would it be provided in office at the venue?
We will not be providing yoga mats. It is recommended to bring your own yoga mat.
3) Is it mandatory to attend all days?
That’s what a yagnam is about, right? So it’ll be great if you can attend on all the 7 days but it is not mandatory. Well ‘something is better than nothing’ ;-)
4) I started doing yoga very recently or I’m not well trained. Would I be able to keep up?
Yes! You can very well cope with it. On each day, for every 12 cycles, we take a 3-minute breath and break.
So this break will definitely help you take a breathe (literally) ;). If you feel tired in between, you can skip that cycle / half-cycle and continue once you’re comfortable
5. What type of dress will be suitable?
Preferably loose ones which will enable free movement while doing Surya Namaskar
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One of our colleagues got the following question in one-one chat:
//I would love to join but I have a problem with the timings..I may be able to join for the entire session till 6.30…is it ok if I attend a part of the session?//
Thanks to him that he asked but many would have got that question in mind and would have decided not to go.
I will mention just only one snippet about this:
In a conversation with Jeyamohan about philosophy classes for the common men, he said the first question from many of us will be “Sir, Can I take it on weekends?”, Then it will go on and the further questions will be, ‘Can I take it in after office hours?’, ‘Can I take it on weekends’… and end with ‘Sir, Will there be a tuition centre near my home to teach philosophy in evenings during weekends so that it will be easier for me to attend’ (I am writing this in English. His answer in Tamil was even more sarcastic).
Those who had that timing question and skipped this, I am happy that atleast you took time to read this and decide not to go because of time clash.
But think for a moment, atleast 30 of us will be doing this (even if not for all 7 days. In 2018, it was 26+ on the first & last day) and we’ll not even think of anything other than this for those 45 mins.
It’s definitely a life-changing experience and will propel us to greater heights (in long term). So can’t us be convinced that atleast for 7 days, I will extend my work hours by an hour?
(I bet (y)our teammates/manager/family will not object this once we say that we are re-scheduling work because of this).
So let’s not skip the session just because we think (it’s only your weaker thought, it’s not a strong truth!) that it clashes with your work schedule.
As one who had been doing yoga/Surya Namaskar for 8+ years (ok. not daily, on & off, the breaks were even months at some instance), I can vouch that it will be a life-changing experience and the best way to start is when you start this as a group activity with focussed enthusiasts.
So please come at 5.30 tomorrow
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Team,
We could successfully complete 84 cycles in today’s Surya Namaskar with the blessings of the Almighty.
Since October 2nd marks the beginning of a long weekend, some of the participants were looking to take off on Thursday. Since we want them too to complete this exercise, we are skipping one day in the original schedule and are completing the 108 Surya Namaskar yagnam by tomorrow, Oct. 1st, Tuesday.
The session begins at 5.15 pm on the open terrace tomorrow.
Welcome you all to be a part of the noble & memorable occasion.
Thanks,
All Participants.
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Another chat. Another colleague. Another question.
//Have gone through the post Suyathon.. I fourtnately I couldn’t attend previous sessions and I never been into yoga before.. Is it advisable to attend the program today? Else is there any possibilities for the upcoming sessions to take part? Are you conducting any other sessions out of office as a leisure time activity?//
Will answer the questions one-by-one.
//Is it advisable to attend the program today//
I will strongly suggest you attend today’s practice not as a participant but as a part of the audience.
If you feel ‘what is the point in just seeing the practice’, well, I do not have a direct answer. Seeing many people in synergy, doing something synchronized, all propelling themselves out of their inhibitions, stretching their limits is something worth watching. And I vouch it will tell you an inspiring story!
//Else is there any possibilities for the upcoming sessions to take part? Are you conducting any other sessions out of office as a leisure time activity?//
As of now, we had not planned anything outside this session in the office. May be based on the response, we may sort out a plan for a weekly practice/session/class/ whatever…
(For instance, I learnt that all the team members of a particular team, including their manager, gather on the open terrace daily at 5.30 pm to practise Surya Namaskar which I feel is fantastic. When they DO something physically (outside their *work*), the team’s members get to know a lot about their teammates. So it’s up to us to take on a weekly practice after this yagnam)!
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Team,
We could complete the 108-Surya Namaskar yagnam on Tuesday (1st Oct). I believe this would have changed most of the participants’ views about themselves — how they had underestimated their physique, how they had overestimated their flexibility, how easy/tough is to start/consistently practise yoga as a habit (of for that matter any habit!), the power of pursuing a habit consistently at the same time on all the days, etc.
In between each cycle, Chandrasekhar mentions about some concepts/personalities related to yoga.
I had listed below some of the things I remember (which were mentioned by him on that day). Participants can add the ones which I missed.
Samarth Ramadas, Sivaji’s guru use to do 108 Surya Namaskar at a stretch (A related thread — Not sure of the authenticity of some of the things mentioned in that thread — say ‘he used to do 1200 Surya Namaskar everyday’)
BKS Iyengar & his continuous practice of yoga even for 8 hours and his books & his guru Thirumalai Krishnamacharioften referred to as “the father of modern yoga, and one of the most influential yoga teachers of the 20th century
4 streams of yoga — Karma, Gnana, Bakthi & Raja
The 8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga (Yama Nyama Asanas Pranayama Pratyahara DhAranam Dhyanam samadhi)
How Patanjali yoga is suitable for a ‘Grahasthan’ as it has no negative side effects (compared to the Ashtanga yoga, which when done improperly might backfire)
QRT — Quick Relaxation technique
Asanas to reduce pain — Pavanamukthasana, Bujangasana, Makarasana, Shalabasana (with some variations), Twisting arms & legs in opposite directions while inhaling & exhaling.
How in 2015, the UN swiftly accepted Indian govt’s proposal to declare & popularise the Yoga day, June 21st of every year
Few things mentioned at the end (although cliched, but still valid) are things to ponder:
1. In earlier days, daily life itself was a yogam — our day-day chores need to be done by us physically without much of modern-day tools (even washing, cooking, cleaning homes which when done properly in the posture of asanas).
2. Walking perfectly balances our idakalai & pingalai which is why it’s considered a great exercise.
Participants are welcome to share their experiences in the Yoga @ Estancia connect group.
Thanks a lot for all your support! As he concluded, the 48-day practice of the Surya Namaskar will definitely change ourselves, let’s strive to achieve that (atleast that!) for now!
Happy Navarathri! Happy Weekend!
