Is Sun salutation (Surya namaskar) communal ?

 Introduction;

Sun Salutation is popularly known as Surya Namaskar. Namaskar  is a kind of praise of oneself by another. Surya Namaskar is praise of Sun in the form of Bheeja Mantras/Slokas with certain poses facing towards Sun. 
We carry this tradition from the ancient period. It is belief the Sun God would do something good for us.

Now it has been transferred to practice in the form of Aasanas / poses in the YOGA to make our health  good. It is not belief. It is proved   practice of Surya Namaskar as yoga. The belief has been turning towards truth…

Communal / Universal;

In modern theory of physics and astronomy,  Sun is planet. Most of the planets in the Universe revolves and rotate round the Sun planet like a family head and family members. So Sun is not a God.

Sun gives us light. Sun gives us energy. Sun gives us food and everything. 
No human being to be expected on the Earth planet with no idea of Sun. So Sun is God.

Who is God....? Who will be God...? There is no common clear cut definition. It is belief that will be vary from person to person. But light, energy, food which comes from the Planet Sun directly or indirectly  to everybody in common to live on the Earth irrespective of Religion, Race, Caste and Sect Etc.

So sun is not communal. Sun is universal

Origin of Surya namaskar;

Surya Namaskar has been practiced in India for many centuries as a ritual in the form of worship to the Sun God. When and how did it originate? Well, here is one story that relates to Hanuman, the monkey warrior of the epic, Ramayana, that I’m sure you will find fascinating.

In the meantime, Hanuman, as a growing child, needed an education. His mother, Anjana, instructed him to approach sun, the perennial teacher, to teach him about all sacred scriptures. Initially, the sun refused Hanuman’s request stating that it is not possible to learn from him as he is constantly on the move. Hanuman insisted and assured the sun that he would keep pace with the sun while getting his education. The sun agreed and imparted all the knowledge of the vedas and other shastras to Hanuman. In gratitude, Hanuman offered to pay his "guru dakshina" (traditional fee for the teacher) but the sun refused. Hanuman then decided to propitiate his teacher through the practice of Surya Namaskar which he dedicated to the sun and began practicing it regularly. That is how the practice of Surya Namaskar was born.

The only God the Sun  for all;

 5,000 years ago, people “worshipped’ the sun- “Ra”, the sun-god, who was considered the first king of Egypt. In Mesopotamia, the sun-god Shamash was a major deity and was equated with justice. In Greece there were two sun deities,  Apollo and Helios. The influence of the sun also appears in other religions -Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Roman religion, Buddism, the Druids of England, and  Aztecs of Mexico, the in case of Peru, and many Native  American tribes. So Sun is not considered as a god only by Hindus.

 Beyond Surya Namaskar;

If it is done in the early morning facing the sun, one gets vitamin D. Only to that extent Surya Namaskara is related to the sun. Surya Namaskara has nothing to do with sun. One can do it in the night also. It is the best part of YOGA.

SURYA NAMASKARA ONLY for NAME SAKE

There is something called CHANDRA NAMASKARA also in YOGA. That doesn’t mean that we will wait for the moon to be seen, practice chandra namaskara in the presence of moon and then sleep. Most of the Yogasanas are named after the things in nature. Many are named after animals. These were named  so because people can remember and recall them easily. Mind you that these names came up even before the birth of Islam,Christianity and Hinduism. Surya Namaskara is named so because it starts with pranama mudra. Since it involves  12 multiple  Aasanas, These 12 multiple Asanas transformed in to 12 steps in the present YOGA Saastra. it could be named after any natural object. And if done in the early morning facing the sun, there are many benefits to the skin and body

Facing your Face East;
Facing your Face towards East in Sun salutation is not compulsory. If you don’t want to salute the sun- you can simply skip that step or  needn’t pray the sun or you can pray the god you wish. Most of those who practice surya namaskara don’t even face the east during the practice. Many others don’t even remember the SUN while doing that. Many do it indoors. So there is no point of saluting the sun.  All they care is about their health. So, when the whole world is practicing SURYA NAMASKARA in the name of SUN SALUTATION, lets not make it a matter of controversy in its birth place. Yoga is a science and let people benefit from science.

Surya Namaskara is the best part of YOGA. It can be done in very less time and gives the greatest benefit.”Surya Namaskar stretches the muscles, makes the joints limber and strong, bones stronger and ligaments more flexible, and improves balance and posture”

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