Surya Namaskara, or the "Sun salutation"
A well-known Hindu mode of worship of the devotional movements of Surya is done at the rising of the Sun, known as Surya namaskara (Sun Salutation). Ten yogic postures are assumed in successive flowing movements to complete one namaskar. Twelve sacred Hindu mantras uttered and for each mantra one complete namaskar is done. Ancient practice is to do 108 namaskaras a day. It is considered most auspicious by Hindus to do this.
The 12 mantras for surya namaskara:
1. om mitraya namah
2. om ravayé namah
3. om suryaya namah
4. om bhanavé namah
5. om khagaya namah
6. om pushné namah
7. om hiranyagarbhaya namah
8. om marichayé namah
9. om adityaya namah
10. om savitré namah
11. om arkaya namah
12. om bhaskaraya namah
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois:
There is no Ashtanga Yoga without Surya Namaskara, which is the ultimate salutation to the sun god. In Hindu philosophy, the sun is accepted as the giver of life, the protector of all life forms on this earth — the health minister, you might say — and the illuminator of the intellect.
This is why Surya Namaskara should be performed once in the morning and once in the evening. If it is done properly, then a state of mind will be reached in which whatever you think will occur. This exalted state, in which concentration has, to the utmost, been achieved, will also lead to mental and physical strength, as well as go a long way toward helping you achieve whatever it is you have set out to do in life.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois taught Ashtanga yoga for more than 65 years before passing on May 18, 2009. Each day of his life marked a relentless devotion to the lineage he carried. A humble man born before both world wars, Guruji’s lifelong dedication to yoga transformed the lives of countless people around the world. Coming from a small village called Kowshika in Southern India, Guruji discovered yoga at the age of 12 when he saw the man who would become his teacher, Krishnamacharya, give a yoga demonstration at his school. After devoting himself to his studies and earning the title of Vidwan (professor emeritus of Sanskrit Studies) Guruji taught yoga for nearly 30 years in a small room on the first floor of his modest house in Mysore until the first Westerner came to study with him in 1964. Yet it was not until Jois made his first trip to California in 1975 that the worldwide legacy of Ashtanga yoga began to spread. He lived to see Ashtanga reach more than 30 different countries, transform thousands (if not millions) of yoga practitioners and sprout centers all around the world.