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Sequence
A standing salutation sequence that warms the whole body and is commonly used to open a practice.
This is the common twelve-position pattern. It is not the only version, and it is not the oldest. Read the note on traditions before using the count as a reference for anything.
Sūrya Namaskāra
A standing salutation sequence that warms the whole body and is commonly used to open a practice.
Surya Namaskar is a sequence of standing positions performed as a continuous flow, with the breath as its rhythm. It is widely used at the beginning of a practice to warm the body, and on its own as a short daily movement sequence.
This page sets out one commonly taught twelve-position version. It is offered as a reference for the shape of the sequence, not as a complete substitute for instruction from a teacher who can observe your alignment.
Before the steps
12 positions · recorded step by step
There is no single universally fixed Surya Namaskar. Teachers differ on whether the sequence contains twelve, twelve plus a closing pose, or seventeen positions, and on the names used for each. What is consistent is the arc: a standing series, a floor transition, a backbend, and a return to standing.
The sequence below is the common twelve-position version. If your teacher teaches a different count, follow their version — the principles of warming up, linking breath to movement, and adjusting to your own capacity are the same in all of them.
The sequence
Each position is listed with the part it plays in the sequence, and with the breath and movement recorded for that position.
Prayer pose
Opens the sequence, and closes it in the same standing position.
Raised arms pose
Lifts the arms overhead and opens the front of the body.
Hand to foot pose
Folds the torso forward from the hips.
Equestrian pose
Steps the right leg back and sets the gaze forward along the long stance.
Stick / plank pose
Steps the left leg back so the body is held in one line on hands and feet.
Eight-limbed salute
Lowers the body to the floor in stages — knees, chest, then chin.
Cobra pose
Slides forward along the floor and lifts the chest into a backbend.
Downward-facing dog pose
Lifts the hips up and back, reversing the line of the spine.
Equestrian pose
Returns to the long stance, with the right foot forward between the hands.
Hand to foot pose
Brings the left foot forward and folds over the legs.
Raised arms pose
Rises back to standing with the arms reaching up and back.
Prayer pose
Closes the sequence in the same standing position where it began.
Guidance
Safety
The statement, in full
These practices support relaxation, mobility and general wellbeing. They are not a replacement for medical treatment.
Keep reading
Chandra Namaskar is taught in several forms as well. The version held here is one symmetrical lateral fourteen-position sequence, which is not the accepted one.