Why Surya Namaskar is not a complete workout?

‘And now we will learn Surya Namaskar - the complete body workout.’ Sounds familiar? I've heard this in many yoga classes. Most classes today start with a Surya Namaskar flow, with instructors often saying, "Surya Namaskar is a full body workout; if you practice this, your whole body will be mobile and ready for practice."

Yoga classes are often influenced by trends, making many of them similar and subject to change over time. One current trend is practicing up to 108 Surya Namaskars or even holding competitions for the most Surya Namaskars completed.

Surya Namaskar is an energising sequence, no doubt about that but is it a complete workout? A resounding NO.When we say ‘a complete workout’ the underlying assumption is that it works on every muscle and joint, which it does not. In layman terms, it doesn't work our every joint or work on every muscle. Let's take our shoulders, for example. When you practice Surya Namaskar, your shoulders primarily perform flexion and extension movements. However, the shoulder is capable of other movements such as abduction, adduction, internal/external rotation, and circumduction.

If you want to learn the anatomy of the shoulder, follow the link below:

Learn Anatomy of Shoulder Joint

All the movements in Surya Namskar are happening in the sagittal plane. Sagittal is one of the anatomical planes. Anatomical plane is a hypothetical plane used to transect the body, in order to describe the location of structures/organs or the direction of the body movements. This might sound overwhelming, but what I am saying is that there are only few movements happening while doing Surya Namaskar. In contrast, there are close to 21 different movements that occur in the joints of the human body.

1. Flexion

2. Lateral Flexion

3. Dorsiflexion

4. Plantarflexion

5. Extension

6. Abduction

7. Adduction

8. Transverse Abduction

9. Transverse Adduction

10. Rotation

11. Lateral Rotation

12. Medial Rotation

13. Supination

14. Pronation

15. Protraction

16. Retraction

17. Elevation

18. Depression

19. Reversion

20. Eversion

21. Opposition
    

While doing Surya Namaskar, only a few movements like flexion, extension,pronation, supination, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion are happening. Clearly, this flow does not include all body movements.If you are a Yoga practitioner or a trainer, you must ensure to include movement in all the anatomical planes to create a comprehensive and holistic Yoga practice session.

Another important aspect of Surya Namaskar is that it involves 6 Yogasana repeated twice in a single round.The dynamic movement from one asana to another requires certain stability, agility and strength to reap the best out of this practice. These asanas must be learnt and taught intensively for at least 2 to 3 months before practising them in a flow in Surya Namaskar.

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