Sūrya Namaskāra A: the first sun salutation of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga

Vinyāsa 1 - Inhale
From Samasthitiḥ, lift your arms out to the sides and up. Bring the palms together and let your gaze follow your thumbs. Lengthen through the sides of the body while staying grounded through both feet.

Vinyāsa 2 - Exhale
Fold forward from the pelvis into Uttānāsana. Place your hands beside your feet and let your head move toward your shins. Give your neck and back length without losing the connection of the legs to the floor.

Vinyāsa 3 - Inhale
Lift your gaze and lengthen your spine forward. The fingertips or palms stay on the floor. Draw the chest forward while keeping the abdomen gently active.

Vinyāsa 4 - Exhale
Jump or step back and land with bent arms in Caturaṅga Daṇḍāsana. Keep the shoulders broad, the body in one clear line, and the elbows close to the torso.

Vinyāsa 5 - Inhale
Roll over the toes into Ūrdhva Mukha Śvānāsana. Straighten your arms, open the chest, and let the shoulder blades glide powerfully back and down. Keep the legs active.

Vinyāsa 6 - Exhale, 5 breaths
Push back into Adho Mukha Śvānāsana. Stay here for five calm breaths. Root through the hands, let the sitting bones reach back and up, and allow the breath to gather the movement into a steady rhythm.

Note: The sun salutation is not a warm-up in the sense of quick calisthenics. It is already practice. From the first round onward, look for an even, quiet quality in the breath.

Vinyāsa 7 - Inhale
Jump or step forward between your hands and lift your gaze. Lengthen the spine forward as in Vinyāsa 3.

Vinyāsa 8 - Exhale
Fold again into Uttānāsana. Let the breath flow out completely and allow the torso to release over the legs.

Vinyāsa 9 - Inhale
Rise with a long spine and lift the arms overhead. The palms touch above the head and the gaze follows the thumbs.

Samasthitiḥ - Exhale
Lower your arms and return to neutral standing. Sense the vertical gathering for a moment before beginning the next round.

Effect: Sūrya Namaskāra A links breath, movement, and gaze into a simple yet powerful rhythm. The practice mobilizes the back body, activates arms and trunk, and gathers attention for the sequence that follows.