Honor the Light Within

I know I'm a day late but yesterday we celebrated the summer solstice. Prior to the beginning of my yoga practice, I had never 'celebrated' the summer solstice other than, I guess, taking advantage of the longest day of the year by staying at the pool all day (I was a fish when I was younger). Yesterday evening and this morning I decided to learn a little bit more about the summer solstice and how we, as yogis and yoginis, can celebrate it.

One of the most obvious ways to celebrate and honor the sun is to do several rounds of Surya Namaskar (any variation). The ideal number is 108 but any amount will do. For thousands of years, the Hindus have revered the sun, which they call Surya as both the spiritual and physical heart of our world and the creator of all life itself. Namaskar stems from namas which means "to bow to" or "to adore". Sounds a lot like Namaste which actually comes from this same root word.

Physically when we practice Surya Namaskar we are warming the body, getting it ready for the practice to come, however it has a much deeper spiritual meaning. In essence, when we practice Surya Namaskar, we are not only honoring the physical sun, but also honoring our innate widsom which lies within our heart center. According to Richard Rosen, "the ancient yogis taught that each of us replicates the world at large, embodying 'rivers, seas, mountains, fields...stars and planets...the sun and moon. The outer sun, they asserted, is in reality a token of our own 'inner sun,' which corresponds to our subtle, or spiritual, heart."

Traditionally each round of Surya Namaskar ends with the hands together at the heart center in Anjali Mudra, the mudra of compassion. Several things take place in this moment, you honor the light within you, you recall your intention for your practice, and it acts as subtle reminder to practice both yoga and life with compassion.

When you practice Surya Namaskar this week and going forward, take the time to revel in the spiritual meaning behind the sequence and honor both the physical sun and the light that is constantly shining within you.

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
- Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta