Sunday, 21 April 2013

Sunday Sun Salutes

Yesterday, something which Carla wrote on her Rowan Tarot blog really chimed with me.  She talked about returning to her spiritual practices, and chanting.  While I chant fairly regularly, one thing I have been slack about lately is my yoga practice.  I think that's because I know I have some weight to lose, and so I've been focusing more on hardcore cardio workouts to try to burn that fat off.  However, as Chloe pointed out over at Inner Whispers today, often added weight is more about stress and unhappiness than about exercise.

So, I got my yoga mat out first thing this morning, and was also inspired to add silent chanting to my sun salutations.  That was also sparked by Carla, who wrote about the sanskrit chants that go with the poses of the sun salute.  I couldn't find that post, and I've never managed to memorise those chants, so I just went with my own thing:

Tadasana - Mountain pose - Om
Raising arms to the sky - O Sun, I salute you
Diving down to the floor - I bow down before you
Raising onto fingertips - I lift my face to you
Chaturanga - Low plank - I prostrate myself before you
Bhujangasana - Cobra - I open my heart to you
Adho Mukha Svanasana - Down Dog - three breaths - I feel your light pour over me, I am energised by your strength, I am warmed inside and out
Jumping forward, raising head - I lift my face to you
Bending forward - I bow down before you
Standing and raising arms - O Sun, I salute you
Hands down in namaste - Namaste

Might not be the most elegant chant in the world, but it felt really good, and my practice felt energising and deeply spiritual :)

Mystical Lenormand ©Fiechter & Trösch on my yoga mat ;)
These cards are ones I chose consciously, rather than at random, to represent the practice of chanting and practicing sun salutations.  I read them as: harmonious (Lily) repetition (Whips) of chant (Birds) and movement (Rider) focused around the sun (Sun)  I also liked that the mirroring links Whips and Rider, encouraging the interpretation of Whips as repetition rather than arguments, and highlighting repeated movements.  And Lily with Birds suggests the harmony of chanting :D
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6 comments:

  1. That's a lovely chant you made up for your sun salutations. (I posted them on my 'other' blog, that's why you can't find it I bet).

    Hard core cardio, gosh it's been so long since I did any cardio. Just going and selecting a DVD from the shelf would be a pretty hard core workout at the point. Maybe I'll do something this afternoon. (Dread)

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    1. Ah, that makes sense. I guess I really ought to learn the "proper" sanskrit chant, but then again, whatever works, right? I felt really connected and energised - longest yoga practice I've done in months :)

      As for the cardio, I've been loving some new Cathe DVD's I got - low impact but high intensity, so good for my knees and my heart ;) Mostly, I find her stuff really fun, so the time flies by! Hope you do something for the joy of it, rather than filled with dread :D

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    2. So far I've done something for the joy of it -- watched a movie and ate a vegetarian hot dog with chips and ketchup. :)

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    3. Hey, whatever nourishes your soul, right? ;D

      I did a Cathe step routine yesterday, and it was such a blast. Also ate a few too many chocolate biscuits, though - snakes and ladders...

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    4. I worked out yesterday and the bloke from downstairs came up to complain. Crap! He's the first neighbour ever to complain. I am going to have figure out something with practically zero impact. Or move.

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    5. What a bummer! Still, as I say, Cathe has some really kickbutt low impact workouts... ;) Plus yoga and weights are both fairly quiet - well, other than the swearing on your part :D

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