We chanted the traditional Sun Salutation mantras last Thursday night at One Center Yoga. Wow, what a practice. The mantras just keep the whole thing moving in this amazing way.

I never was that into Sun Salutations, but when I started chanting the mantras with it, it really changed the way I feel about the practice. It’s totally solar (oh, that sounds like, very LA). I mean it’s a firey, third chakra practice. It heats you up like sun salutations always do, but in an ethereal, almost trance-like way. With so much less effort. I will record the mantras and get them up here so you can hear them. The trickiest one is cobra: Om Hiranyagarbhaya Namah. Just split it into four parts – hiran-ya-garbai-ya – it’s not so bad after doing it a few times. Here are the mantras:

1.    Mountain pose with hands at heart   Aum mitr?ya namah
salutations to the friend of all

2.    Stretch the arms up and back      Aum ravay namah
salutations to the shining one
3.    Fold Forward              Aum s?ry?ya namah

salutations to the supreme light
4.    Right leg back to lunge          Aum bh?nav namah
salutations to the illuminator

5.    Down Dog                 Aum khag?ya namah
salutations to the one who moves through the sky
6.    Knees/chest/chin to the floor      Aum pushnav namah

salutations to the giver of strength
7.    Cobra              Aum hiranyagarbh?ya namah
salutations to the golden, cosmic Self

8.    Down Dog                 Aum m?rich?ya namah
salutations to the lord of the dawn

9.    Right leg forward to lunge          Aum ?dity?ya namah
salutations to the son of the cosmic mother
10.    Left leg forward to fold          Aum s?vitra namah

salutations to the lord of creation
11.    Arms up over head              Aum ?rk?ya namah
salutations to the one who is fit to be praised

12.    Hands at Heart             Aum bh?skar?ya namah
salutations to the one who leads to enlightenment

We’ll practice again next this Thursday – feel free to drop in – 6-7:30 pm at One Center, 120 Coxe Ave. in Asheville. The space resonnates with the sound in an amazing way. The more the merrier when it comes to chanting.

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