Sun Salutations: What the Sequence Involves and Energy Cost

What the sequence is

Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, is a flowing sequence of 12 postures, with 24 steps in one round. A review describes it as a salutation to the Sun, accompanied by chanting the twelve names of the sun god.[1] For the wider context see What Is Yoga? and Cultural Respect in Yoga.

Where it comes from

A review in an Indian journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine says Suryanamaskar is considered part of modern-day yogic practice, though it was neither considered an asana nor part of traditional yoga. It credits the Raja of Aundh with first introducing it and names T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga among those who popularized it.[1] Versions differ between schools (see below). The review's abstract gives only a brief history; see History of Yoga for more.

The sequence as one study lists it

A motion-capture study of 10 certified practitioners lists the 12 poses by their Sanskrit and English names. The names are given here to describe the sequence, not to teach it: salutation pose (Pranamasana), raised arm pose (Hasta Uttanasana), hand-to-foot pose (Hastapaadasana), equestrian pose (Ashwa Sanchalanasana), mountain pose (Parvatasana), eight limb pose (Ashtanganamaskara) and cobra pose (Bhujangasana), then the same poses in reverse order, ending at the salutation pose.[2] Another team describes the sequence as alternating backward and forward bending.[3] In the motion-capture study, 3 of 10 participants usually practiced a school in which the fifth pose is a plank instead of the inverted-V mountain pose.[2]

What it asks of the body

In that study, the spine moved from about 58 degrees of flexion to 44 degrees of extension, the knee flexed up to 140 degrees, and the wrist extended up to about 85 degrees, with the highest wrist extension in the eight-limb pose.[2] The authors speculate that the joint loading is lower than in high-impact activity such as running.[2] That is their speculation, not a tested safety finding. Wrist loading in arm-supported poses is covered in Downward-Facing Dog, Plank and Chaturanga.

Energy cost: what trials measured

• A systematic review of 17 studies found yoga is typically light-intensity activity, with an average of 3.3 METs, a standard measure of exercise intensity (the review rates under 3 METs as light and 3 to 6 as moderate). The highest value, 7.4 METs, was for Surya Namaskar. The review concluded that a few sequences, including Surya Namaskar, reach moderate to vigorous intensity.[4]
• In a laboratory study of 20 intermediate-to-advanced practitioners, a 56-minute beginner-level hatha class averaged 2.5 METs and 3.2 kcal per minute, similar to treadmill walking at 3.2 kph. The authors said sun salutation segments over 10 minutes might contribute to fitness in unfit or sedentary people.[5]
• In 40 healthy adults doing a 60-minute vinyasa class, heart rate during the sun-salutation sequence was higher than during the opening integration and the final restorative sequences.[6]
• In 20 healthy men, a slow-paced round produced a lower heart rate and oxygen use in most postures than a fast-paced round.[7]
• In 20 experienced yoga instructors, cardiorespiratory strain at the same percentage of maximal effort was lower in Surya Namaskar than in cycling.[3]

These are small studies of mostly trained, healthy people. They describe short-term energy use, not health outcomes. One small randomized trial in 44 overweight and obese female university students compared 8 weeks of Surya Namaskar with no exercise. It reported better flexibility and lower perceived stress scores after training.[8] The control group was not allowed any exercise, and exercise trials like this cannot blind participants, so expectation may play a role. Evidence label: energy cost, promising but limited; weight, fitness and stress outcomes, insufficient evidence.