Do you find yourself avoiding eye contact with your Astanga teacher at all costs for fear that he or she will call on you to count a sun salutation? Breathe. Then print yourself a copy of our cheat sheet! It provides English and Sanskrit translations for the numbers and poses of Surya Namaskar (that's sun salutation in English) and even reminds you what breath, inhale or exhale accompanies each movement. Practice a bit, and you'll be volunteering to count before you know it
Sanskrit Counting/Poses for Surya Namaskar A
| 1 | ekam | ūrdhva hastāsana | upward salute | inhale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | dve | uttānāsānā | forward fold | exhale |
| 3 | trīṇi | ardha uttānāsānā | spine extension | inhale |
| 4 | catvāri | chaturaṅga daṅḍāsana | plank to low plank | exhale |
| 5 | pañca | ūrdhva mukha śvānāsana | upward facing dog | inhale |
| 6 | ṣaṭ | adho mukha śvānāsana | downward facing dog | exhale |
| 7 | sapta | ardha uttānāsānā | spine extension | inhale |
| 8 | aṣṭau | uttānāsānā | forward fold | exhale |
| 9 | nava | ūrdhva hastāsana | upward salute | inhale |
| 10 | daśa | samasthitiḥ | standing upright | exhale |
Sanskrit Counting/Poses for Surya Namaskar B
| 1 | ekam | utkaṭāsana | fierce pose | inhale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | dve | uttānāsānā | forward fold | exhale |
| 3 | trīṇi | ardha uttānāsānā | spine extension | inhale |
| 4 | catvāri | chaturaṅga daṅḍāsana | plank to low plank | exhale |
| 5 | pañca | ūrdhva mukha śvānāsana | upward facing dog | inhale |
| 6 | ṣaṭ | adho mukha śvānāsana | downward facing dog | exhale |
| 7 | sapta | vīrabhadrāsana | warrior A | inhale |
| 8 | aṣṭau | chaturaṅga daṅḍāsana |
plank to low plank | exhale |
| 9 | nava | ūrdhva mukha śvānāsana |
upward facing dog |
inhale |
| 10 | daśa | adho mukha śvānāsana | downward facing dog | exhale |
| 11 | ekādaśa |
vīrabhadrāsana | warrior A | inhale |
| 12 | dvādaśa | chaturaṅga daṅḍāsana | plank to low plank | exhale |
| 13 | trayodaśa | ūrdhva mukha śvānāsana | upward facing dog | inhale |
| 14 | caturdaśa | adho mukha śvānāsana | downward facing dog | exhale |
| 15 | pañcadaśa | ardha uttānāsānā | spine extension | inhale |
| 16 | ṣoḍaśa | uttānāsānā | forward fold | exhale |
| 17 | saptadaśa | utkaṭāsana | fierce pose | inhale |
| 18 | aṣṭādaśa | samasthitiḥ | standing upright | exhale |
Created with love by Astanga Vinyasa student and teacher, Amanda Manfredi. Namaste!
Update! The lovely and brilliant Cheryl Oliver was kind enough to provide me with the diacriticals (those funky markings around the letters that help us figure out how to pronounce this stuff!) and reminds us: "Remember -- all "e"s sound like "ay" & get 2 beats, and all "o"s also get 2 beats (even though they don't have aline over them! :)" Cheryl is a phenomenal teacher of Sanskrit, chanting, and yoga. To catch up with her, visit www.authenticyogascottsdale.com