I’m falling in love with the pure genius of Surya Namaskar, part of my early morning practice. I love how it really awakens me, how it holds an infinite capacity for creative variations, how it opens me up for meditation, how it opens up my day.

For a long time, I did Ashtanga’s Surya Namaskar A, the same three sun salutations every day.

Then at yoga teacher training, we started improvising. I’m hooked!

I start with hands in namaskarasana, with gratitude. Here I am, standing on this mat, facing east, greeting another day. What mysteries will it hold? May I meet them well.

I’m bringing standing poses into my sun salutation. Triangle, parsvo, vir 2, triangle, ardha chandrasana, triangle. HOLD down dog and BREATHE, then glide into plank, chaturanga, salambasana HOLDING BREATHING, back into three-legged dog, OPEN…

Getting a sweet mix of vinyasa fluidity and the strength and solidity of Iyengar. It opens my koshas (sheaths) from the physical level all the way to the bliss body. Rasa!