How To Do Sun God
The magic of this pose comes from something we call “isometric” training. When you do a traditional squat with its down and up movement, you are performing active training. Isometric exercises work when you hold poses like Sun God and force the muscles in your legs to fight against gravity. The constant tension in the muscle builds strength and provides a safe way to build leg muscles. Some people experience knee pain during squats or lunges. A great alternative is to practice a Sun God pose and build strength that way instead.
Besides all the strength you will develop, the Sun God pose is also a hip opener. By laterally rotating your legs –or turning your feet and knees outward – you open up the hip joint. You determine how deeply you want to stretch by how low you sit into the pose. The lower you go, the deeper you feel the stretch.
Sun God pose also opens the chest and helps you work on stability and good posture. You want to feel like your back is against a wall during the practice of this pose. Make sure to keep the crown of your head directly over your tailbone, and keep your torso over the center of your hips. Through this tall, straight line in your spine you teach your muscles to memorize good posture. This is an excellent pose.
1) Begin in a standing position with feet shoulder width apart , toes turned out and arms reaching straight up overhead.
2) Bend your knees to a 90 degree angle and pull your elbows slightly inward to shoulder height. Keep hands open.
3) Make sure your posture is tall and straight, as if you slid your back down along a wall. Keep abs tight.
4) Hold and breathe for 30 seconds as you continue to open knees outward and lower your shoulder blades down.