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Where Did the Sun Salutation Come From? A Short History of Surya Namaskar

Where Did the Sun Salutation Come From? A Short History of Surya Namaskar

Sahil Thakur
2 hours ago
5 min read

The sun salutation (Surya Namaskar) joins very old Indian traditions of honouring the sun with a flowing sequence of movements that took its modern shape in the early 20th century. The first systematic book on it was written by the Raja of Aundh, in western India, who presented it as physical exercise rather than as yoga. Here's how a morning prayer and a wrestler's workout became the warm-up in almost every yoga class.

Key takeaways

  • Honouring the sun with prayers and bows is an old practice in India; the Gayatri Mantra, from the Rigveda, is addressed to a solar deity.

  • The sequence most of us know was first set out systematically by Bhavanrao Pant Pratinidhi, Raja of Aundh, in a book published in the late 1920s; a London edition, The Ten-Point Way to Health, appeared in 1938 (Smithsonian exhibition essay, PDF; Wellcome Collection).

  • He didn't claim to invent it. He described it as an age-old method practised by his father.

  • Its movements resemble dands, traditional Indian wrestlers' exercises.

  • Yoga teachers in the 20th century then adapted it, and many versions exist today.

A morning poem

Twelve Bows (an original poem)

I didn't know, the first time, that I was greeting anything at all. Arms up, fold, step back, lower, a small wave rolling through the floor. Now I know the sun was here before the names, before the kings and books and mats. I lift my arms. I bow. I rise. The oldest hello in the world.

What we do in class today

In most classes, a round of sun salutation links about a dozen positions: standing with palms together, reaching up, folding forward, stepping back into a lunge or plank, lowering, a gentle backbend such as Cobra, Downward-Facing Dog, and back to standing. It's done with the breath, one movement per inhale or exhale. Styles differ: Hatha classes often move slowly and may hold each shape, while Vinyasa and Ashtanga classes use faster, set variations.

Sun worship in Indian tradition

Honouring the sun is far older than any sequence. The famous Gayatri Mantra, verse 3.62.10 of the Rigveda, is addressed to Savitr, a Vedic deity of the sun's impelling light (see our post on the Gayatri Mantra). Bowing and prostrating (namaskar) as an act of worship has a long history too. A scholarly study by Stuart Sarbacker traces how namaskar moved between two worlds: religious ritual, and physical training for strength (Journal of Yoga Studies).

In Maharashtra, Sarbacker notes, later writers linked repeated namaskars to the 17th-century saint Samarth Ramdas, said to have practised them in great numbers. These accounts come from much later physical-culture books, so they tell us how people remembered the practice as much as what actually happened.

What sources say about when the sequence appeared

Here is the part that surprises many students. There is no clear description of today's sun salutation sequence in the classical yoga texts. The first systematic presentation we know of comes from Bhavanrao Pant Pratinidhi, the Raja of Aundh (a small princely state, now in Maharashtra). He promoted it as physical education in Aundh's schools and published an illustrated book, Surya Namaskars, in the late 1920s. A London edition, The Ten-Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars, edited by Louise Morgan, followed in 1938 (Smithsonian exhibition essay, PDF; Wellcome Collection).

The Raja was clear that he hadn't invented it. In the words of his 1938 book, as quoted by the Wellcome Collection, it was "in fundamentals the age-old method of performing surya namaskars, and the one followed by our revered father the late Rajah of Aundh." His version had ten positions, repeated in cycles with rhythmic breathing and the chanting of names of the sun. Interestingly, his 1938 book never calls it yoga (Wellcome Collection).

The movements also look a lot like dands, the push-up-like exercises of traditional Indian wrestlers. A review of research on Surya Namaskar notes this resemblance and describes the sun salutation as a blend of physical culture and yoga (PMC review).

From there, 20th-century yoga teachers took it up. That review mentions T. Krishnamacharya and others, and simplified versions spread through schools such as the Sivananda centres and the Bihar School of Yoga. Today it's so familiar that many people assume it is thousands of years old. The truthful answer is more interesting: an old devotion, a modern sequence.

The twelve names of the sun

Many teachers pair each round with twelve short mantras, each a name of the sun, such as Om Mitraya Namah ("salutations to the friend of all") and Om Suryaya Namah ("salutations to the sun"). Lists and translations vary a little between schools. You can chant one name per round, silently or aloud, or simply move with the breath. Both are fine.

How to practise it carefully

  1. Start slowly. Do two or three rounds at an easy pace before adding more.

  2. Bend your knees in forward folds if your hamstrings or lower back feel tight.

  3. Lower to your knees instead of a full plank if your wrists or shoulders tire.

  4. Use a small Cobra rather than a deep backbend. Keep the elbows soft.

  5. Match breath to movement. If you run out of breath, pause in Child's pose.

  6. Rest at the end for a minute, standing or lying down.

A gentle note: who should be careful

Sun salutations involve folding, lunging and bearing weight on the hands. Go gently or ask a teacher for a modified version if you have wrist, shoulder, lower back or knee issues, high or low blood pressure, or dizziness when you stand up quickly, and if you're pregnant. Stop if you feel sharp pain or light-headedness. Yoga isn't a substitute for medical care; if in doubt, ask your doctor first.

FAQ

Is the sun salutation an ancient yoga practice?

Honouring the sun is ancient. The flowing sequence we use today was systematised in the early 20th century and adopted by yoga teachers afterwards.

Who created Surya Namaskar?

No single person. The Raja of Aundh wrote the first systematic book on it, but he said he was passing on an older family practice.

How many rounds should I do?

Start with two to four slow rounds. Some traditions practise 12 or 108 on special days, but more isn't better if your form suffers.

Do I have to chant?

No. The mantras are a beautiful option, not a requirement.

Practise with us

If you'd like to learn a slow, careful sun salutation, message us at breathe@theyogshala.org or call 514-575-0009. And if you love the history behind the poses, it's part of our Yogshala 200-hour Hatha Teacher Training, January 5 to April 18, 2027, in person in Montréal-Ouest and online, ending with a Yogshala certificate. Certification is issued by Yogshala. Details here.

Message us about the January training: the Yogshala 200-hour Hatha Teacher Training starts January 5, 2027.

With warmth,

Sahil

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