Urdhva hastasana: a greating to the sun and to your inner energy

Imagine this scenario: you wake up in the morning open to everything that is to come. You begin by saluting the sun as you salute your own source of energy and the vessel (body) that keeps this sacred energy flowing. Urdhva Hastasana or Upward Salute it’s a yoga pose that helps you to engage with your own vitality – that inner power we all have to face all kind of challenges.

What would your life be like if you recognized this inner energy and treat it as an ally? Have you thought about it?

Urdhva Hastasana: all about generosity

The sun inspires by its generosity because it shines for everyone. In us it has the power to awakens the heart and to enlivens health. You can choose to wake up like the sun, preparing to shine and offer your light to others. By enjoying a deep connection with your inner light, generosity does not feel like a sacrifice.

With this we want to say that, in this process, there is no sense of loss because this inner energy, being a mirror of the external energy, becomes inexhaustible.

How to do Urdhva Hastasana?

1. From standing, bring the balls of the feet to touch, leaving a narrow space between your heels. Ground down through the four corners of each foot. Lift and spread your toes—this will help you lift your arches and inner ankles and get a sense of where your midline is. Then engage your quadriceps. Maintain the lift in your arches and legs as you release your toes down.

2. Neutralize your pelvis by anchoring the tailbone toward your heels and moving the tops of the buttocks down. This helps prevent an exaggerated curve in the lumbar spine and keeps the lower front ribs from splaying out, which can interfere with maintaining a strong line of extension in both Upward Salute and Handstand.

3. Inhale your arms out to the sides, parallel to the floor. Exhale to externally rotate from the top of the humerus bones, where the arms insert into your shoulders. Draw the bottom tips of your shoulder blades toward your spine, widen your collarbones, and broaden your chest.

4. On an inhalation, raise your arms alongside your ears. On an exhalation, root down through your feet.

5. Inhale to lengthen the sides of your waist even more and reach up through the crown of the head. Exhale to firm your arms closer to your ears and midline. Make sure your lower ribs are not splaying out. Keep your gaze at the horizon, your chin level, and your throat soft and open. Hold here for 8 breaths before exhaling the arms down.

6. Do this preferably in the morning while looking at the sun and feeling its warmth into your skin.

Benefits of Urdhva Hastasana

Besides all the mental and spiritual benefits, this particular pose teaches extension from the ground up, lengthens the side waist, strengthens arms and shoulders and helps to relieve tensions and stress. However, one of the main purposes of Urdhva Hastasana is to properly align the spinal column. This helps to protect the spinal muscles and nerves during other movements.

By creating space between the vertebrae, the pose improves posture and helps to prepare the spine for deeper stretches and twists.

In this sense, standing up and reaching the arms overhead awakens the body from toes to fingertips, providing a boost of energy. It also improves digestion and helps to create space in the chest and lungs, which is therapeutic for asthma and congestion.

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