Poses & practice · Surya Namaskar
Surya Namaskar: The 12 Steps, the Breath Count, and How Many You Should Actually Do
Everyone in India has done Surya Namaskar in a school hall. Almost nobody was told which step is an inhale, why twelve rounds sometimes means twenty-four, or that the lunge is where most knees get hurt. Here is the sequence properly, with the counts and the cautions.
What is Surya Namaskar, really?
Surya Namaskar (सूर्य नमस्कार) is a linked sequence of twelve positions moved through on the breath, one flowing into the next, and repeated in rounds. It is not a single posture and it is not a warm-up, though it is often used as one. Done at a steady pace it is the closest thing classical yoga has to a complete workout: it takes the spine through forward and backward bending, loads the legs, uses the shoulders and arms, and asks you to keep breathing while doing all of it.
It is also the most-searched yoga term in India, and the reason is that everybody has half-learnt it. If you want it corrected properly, that is what the hatha yoga batch in Mansarovar spends the first fortnight on — Ritika walks the room while the sequence runs, which is the only way most people find out that their front knee is travelling past their toes.
One honest note before the list. There is no single official version. The Sivananda lineage, the Bihar School, the Ashtanga tradition and the version taught in most Indian schools differ in a step or two — some use Parvatasana where others use Adho Mukha Svanasana, some include Dandasana and some do not, so you will find ten-step and twelve-step sequences both described as correct. What follows is the twelve-step version taught most widely in India, and the one used in this studio. If your teacher's differs slightly, your teacher is not wrong.
What are the 12 steps of Surya Namaskar?
Twelve positions, in order, with the breath. The useful thing to notice straight away is that steps nine to twelve are steps four to one performed in reverse — so you are really learning seven shapes, not twelve. That is why the sequence sticks so quickly once somebody points it out.
| Step | Posture | Breath | What it does & what to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pranamasana प्रणामासन Prayer pose |
Normal breathing | Standing tall, palms together at the chest. Not a throwaway step — this is where you set the weight evenly through both feet before anything moves. |
| 2 | Hasta Uttanasana हस्त उत्तानासन Raised arms |
Inhale | Arms up and a gentle backward arch. Lift through the chest, not by throwing the head back — the commonest neck mistake in the whole sequence. |
| 3 | Padahastasana पादहस्तासन Hand to foot |
Exhale | Fold forward from the hips. Bend the knees as much as you need. Locked knees and a rounded lower back is how people give themselves back pain here. |
| 4 | Ashwa Sanchalanasana अश्व संचालनासन Equestrian / low lunge |
Inhale | Right foot back, left knee bent, chest lifted. The front knee stays over the ankle, never past the toes. This is the step that hurts knees. |
| 5 | Dandasana दंडासन Stick / plank |
Hold the breath in | Body in one line from heels to head. Do not let the hips sag or the shoulders creep up by the ears. Knees down is a perfectly good version. |
| 6 | Ashtanga Namaskara अष्टांग नमस्कार Eight-limbed salute |
Exhale, then hold out | Knees, chest and chin down; hips stay lifted. Chin down, not nose down. Elbows stay tucked in beside the ribs rather than flaring out sideways. |
| 7 | Bhujangasana भुजंगासन Cobra |
Inhale | Slide forward and lift the chest, elbows bent, shoulders drawing down. Stay low. The back of the neck stays long — look forward, not up at the ceiling. |
| 8 | Parvatasana or Adho Mukha Svanasana पर्वतासन / अधो मुख श्वानासन Mountain / downward dog |
Exhale | Hips up and back, heels reaching down. Bend the knees generously; long hamstrings are not the point of this step. |
| 9 | Ashwa Sanchalanasana अश्व संचालनासन Equestrian, other leg |
Inhale | Step the right foot forward this time. Whichever leg went back at step four comes forward here — get this wrong and the round is lopsided. |
| 10 | Padahastasana पादहस्तासन Hand to foot |
Exhale | Both feet together, fold forward again. Knees soft. |
| 11 | Hasta Uttanasana हस्त उत्तानासन Raised arms |
Inhale | Rise with the arms overhead. Come up with a flat back, not by hauling on the neck. |
| 12 | Pranamasana प्रणामासन Prayer pose |
Exhale | Back to standing, palms at the chest. Take one normal breath here before starting the next round rather than rushing straight on. |
Which step of Surya Namaskar is an inhale, and which is an exhale?
One rule covers almost all of it: anything that opens the front of the body is an inhale, and anything that folds it is an exhale. Arms up, lunge, cobra — inhale. Fold forward, eight-limbed salute, downward dog — exhale. If you can remember that sentence you never need to memorise the list.
The part that confuses people is that twelve steps do not mean twelve breaths. Step five is taken on the breath already held in, and step six on the breath held out, so a round works out at roughly ten breaths rather than twelve. Nobody teaches this clearly, and it is why students who count breaths lose the thread halfway through.
Do not force any of it. If you run out of breath, slow the movement down — never hold the breath longer to make the sequence fit. Breath sets the pace; the body follows. Students who arrive holding their breath through steps five and six are usually the ones who tell me Surya Namaskar makes them dizzy.
Is one round 12 steps or 24?
Both, depending on who is counting, and this single ambiguity causes more confusion than anything else about the practice. Twelve steps leading with the right leg back is a half round. Leading with the left completes the pair, so that both sides are worked evenly.
Some teachers call that pair one round — twenty-four positions. Others call each set of twelve a round. So "do twelve rounds" might mean twelve minutes of work or twenty-five. Ask your teacher which they mean. In this studio a round means the full pair, both legs.
How many Surya Namaskar should I do a day?
Start with four to six rounds and add two rounds a fortnight. Twelve rounds is a complete daily practice for most healthy adults and takes about ten to thirteen minutes at a moderate pace. There is no benefit that unlocks only at fifty rounds, and the students who injure themselves are almost always the ones chasing a number.
| Stage | Rounds | Pace | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|---|
| First two weeks | 4–6 | Slow, learning the shapes | 6–9 minutes |
| Weeks 3–6 | 6–8 | Steady, one movement per breath | 8–11 minutes |
| From month two | 10–12 | Steady to brisk | 10–15 minutes |
| Weight management | 12–16 | Brisk, heart rate up and staying up | 15–20 minutes |
| Over 60, or managing a knee or back | 4–6 | Slow, with the lunge modified or a chair used | 8–10 minutes |
| On a low-energy day | 2–3 | Very slow, then sit | 4–5 minutes |
Frequency beats volume, every time. Six rounds every morning does more for you over three months than thirty rounds on a Sunday, and it is far less likely to end in a strained shoulder. If you want the numbers behind that claim, they are on the benefits of yoga page.
What are the most common Surya Namaskar mistakes?
These six account for nearly every complaint I hear from students who learnt the sequence from a video or a school PT period. None of them is difficult to fix once somebody points it out.
- The front knee travelling past the toes in the lunge. This is the single most common cause of knee pain in Surya Namaskar. Take a longer step back so the knee stacks over the ankle.
- Throwing the head back in Hasta Uttanasana. Lift through the chest and keep the back of the neck long. If you have a stiff or painful neck, leave the arch out altogether and just reach up — see yoga for cervical and neck pain.
- Locking the knees in the forward fold. Straight legs with a rounded lower back is the classic route to a sore back. Bend the knees, keep the spine long.
- Nose down instead of chin down in Ashtanga Namaskara, with the elbows flaring out sideways. Chin, chest and knees touch; hips stay up; elbows stay in.
- Holding the breath to keep up. If you are gripping the breath, the pace is wrong for you today. Slow down instead.
- Rushing the last round. Finish, stand still, take three normal breaths, then sit. Surya Namaskar is a warm sequence and it deserves a settling moment rather than a scramble for your slippers.
Who should not do Surya Namaskar?
Surya Namaskar is vigorous, it inverts the head repeatedly, and it loads the wrists, knees and lower back. That is a lot to ask of some bodies, and the list below is not a formality. If any of it applies to you, speak to your doctor and to your teacher before you start.
- Pregnant. The standard sequence is not taught in pregnancy — prone positions, deep folds and the pace are all wrong for it. See prenatal and postnatal yoga for what replaces it.
- An acute back flare, a diagnosed disc problem, or sciatica. Not without your doctor's or physiotherapist's clearance, and then only with the folds modified. Yoga for back pain has the alternatives.
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a heart condition. Repeated head-down positions and a fast pace are both unsuitable while readings are uncontrolled — see yoga for diabetes and blood pressure.
- Glaucoma, retinopathy, or a recent eye procedure. The forward folds raise pressure in the head.
- A hernia, or recent abdominal or chest surgery.
- Significant knee problems. Not a reason to drop the sequence, but the lunge must be shortened or replaced — see yoga for knee pain and arthritis.
- Wrist pain or carpal tunnel. Steps five to eight put body weight through the wrists. Fists, forearms or a lighter version are used instead.
- Vertigo or a recent fainting episode. The up-and-down transitions are the problem, not the postures.
- Heavy menstrual bleeding. Many students simply reduce the rounds or skip it on those days. Comfort decides, not tradition.
Does Surya Namaskar burn fat?
It is genuine moderate exercise, and it contributes. It is also considerably less than the internet suggests. The figure of "13.9 calories per round" circulates everywhere and is not reliable — energy cost depends on your body weight and how fast you move, so a single number cannot be right for everybody.
The honest version: twelve brisk rounds is roughly ten to fifteen minutes of moderate activity, comparable to a fast walk. That is worth having every morning. It will not out-run a plate of food, and it does not remove fat from the stomach specifically, because no exercise does that. Yoga for weight loss sets out the realistic timelines, including what three months usually looks like on a tape measure.
When is the best time to practise?
Early morning, on an empty stomach, facing the rising sun if you can — which is where the name comes from. Practically: leave three to four hours after a full meal, and do it before the day gets hold of you. The 6:00 AM batch exists for exactly this reason.
Evening practice is fine too, and better than no practice. Keep it slower after dark; a brisk sequence at nine at night leaves many people too alert to sleep. In the Jaipur summer, the morning slot is not just traditional, it is the only comfortable option.
सूर्य नमस्कार — 12 चरण और सही गिनती
सूर्य नमस्कार के बारह चरण इस क्रम में हैं — प्रणामासन, हस्त उत्तानासन, पादहस्तासन, अश्व संचालनासन, दंडासन, अष्टांग नमस्कार, भुजंगासन, पर्वतासन, अश्व संचालनासन (दूसरा पैर), पादहस्तासन, हस्त उत्तानासन, और फिर प्रणामासन। चरण 9 से 12 असल में चरण 4 से 1 का उल्टा क्रम हैं, इसलिए याद करने में सात ही आसन हैं, बारह नहीं।
साँस का नियम एक ही है: जिस चरण में शरीर का अगला हिस्सा खुलता है, उसमें साँस लें; जिसमें शरीर मुड़ता है, उसमें छोड़ें। दंडासन में साँस अंदर रोकी जाती है और अष्टांग नमस्कार में बाहर। इसलिए एक चक्र में बारह नहीं, लगभग दस साँसें बनती हैं।
कितने करें? शुरुआत 4 से 6 चक्र से करें और हर पंद्रह दिन में दो चक्र बढ़ाएँ। 12 चक्र रोज़ करना एक पूरा अभ्यास है और इसमें दस से तेरह मिनट लगते हैं। रोज़ छह चक्र करना हफ़्ते में एक दिन तीस चक्र करने से कहीं ज़्यादा फ़ायदेमंद है। याद रखें — एक तरफ़ के बारह चरण आधा चक्र होते हैं; दोनों पैरों से करने पर एक पूरा चक्र बनता है।
सबसे आम ग़लतियाँ: लंज में अगला घुटना पंजे से आगे निकल जाना (घुटने के दर्द की सबसे बड़ी वजह), हस्त उत्तानासन में गर्दन को पीछे झटकना, और आगे झुकते समय घुटने सीधे रखना। घुटने मोड़कर झुकें, सीना उठाकर पीछे झुकें, और साँस रोककर रफ़्तार बनाए रखने की कोशिश न करें।
ये न करें: गर्भावस्था में सामान्य सूर्य नमस्कार न करें। कमर में तेज़ दर्द, स्लिप डिस्क, अनियंत्रित हाई बीपी, हृदय रोग, हर्निया, ग्लूकोमा या आँख/पेट की हाल की सर्जरी में डॉक्टर से पूछे बिना न करें। घुटने की तकलीफ़ में लंज छोटा करें या बदल दें। कोई भी नया अभ्यास शुरू करने से पहले अपने डॉक्टर से सलाह लें।
This article is general information about yoga practice, not medical advice. Yoga is complementary to medical treatment and does not replace it. Please consult your doctor before starting Surya Namaskar or any new physical practice, especially if you are pregnant, managing blood pressure, a heart condition or a back problem, or recovering from surgery. Stop and sit down if you feel dizzy, breathless or unwell at any point.
Reviewed by Ritika Khandelwal, CERT_PLACEHOLDER certified yoga instructor, Mansarovar, Jaipur.
Get it corrected once, keep it for years
Surya Namaskar, 6:00 AM in Mansarovar
The morning hatha yoga batch in Mansarovar runs Monday to Saturday and opens with Surya Namaskar every day. Ritika walks the room while the sequence runs, which is how a knee that drifts forward or a neck that snaps back actually gets fixed. Your first class is free.
Questions
Surya Namaskar FAQs
What are the 12 steps of Surya Namaskar?
Pranamasana, Hasta Uttanasana, Padahastasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana, Dandasana, Ashtanga Namaskara, Bhujangasana, Parvatasana or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana with the other leg, Padahastasana, Hasta Uttanasana, and back to Pranamasana. Steps nine to twelve are steps four to one in reverse, which is why the sequence is easier to learn than it looks.
How many Surya Namaskar should I do a day?
Start with four to six rounds and add two rounds a fortnight. Twelve rounds is a complete daily practice for most adults and takes ten to thirteen minutes at a moderate pace. Doing six rounds every day is worth considerably more than doing thirty once a week, and there is no benefit that arrives only at fifty or a hundred.
Does one round of Surya Namaskar mean 12 steps or 24?
Both counts are in use, which is why students get confused. Twelve steps leading with the right leg is a half round; leading with the left completes the pair. Some teachers call the pair one round and some call each set of twelve a round. Ask which your teacher means, because it is the difference between six and twelve minutes of practice.
Which step of Surya Namaskar is an inhale and which is an exhale?
The rule is that anything opening the front of the body is an inhale and anything folding it is an exhale. So Hasta Uttanasana, Ashwa Sanchalanasana and Bhujangasana are inhales; Padahastasana, Ashtanga Namaskara and Parvatasana are exhales. There is no breath to spare in Ashtanga Namaskara, so it is taken on the held-out breath rather than a fresh one.
Who should not do Surya Namaskar?
It is not practised during pregnancy in the usual form, in an acute back flare or with a diagnosed disc problem without medical clearance, with uncontrolled high blood pressure or a heart condition, with a hernia, after recent abdominal, chest or eye surgery, or with glaucoma or retinopathy, because of the head-down positions. Knee problems need the lunge modified rather than the sequence dropped. Ask your doctor if any of these apply to you.
How many calories does Surya Namaskar burn?
The figure of about fourteen calories per round circulates widely online and is not reliable, because energy cost depends on your body weight and how fast you move. What is safe to say is that twelve rounds at a brisk pace is roughly ten to thirteen minutes of moderate exercise, which is real but smaller than most people assume.
हिंदी में आम सवाल
रोज़ कितने सूर्य नमस्कार करने चाहिए?
शुरुआत 4 से 6 चक्र से करें और हर पंद्रह दिन में दो चक्र बढ़ाएँ। 12 चक्र रोज़ करना एक पूरा अभ्यास है, जिसमें लगभग दस से तेरह मिनट लगते हैं। रोज़ थोड़ा करना हफ़्ते में एक दिन बहुत करने से कहीं बेहतर है।
सूर्य नमस्कार में साँस कब लें और कब छोड़ें?
जिस चरण में शरीर पीछे या ऊपर खुलता है, उसमें साँस लें — हस्त उत्तानासन, अश्व संचालनासन, भुजंगासन। जिसमें आगे मुड़ते हैं, उसमें छोड़ें — पादहस्तासन, अष्टांग नमस्कार, पर्वतासन। साँस रोककर रफ़्तार बनाए रखने की कोशिश न करें।
घुटने में दर्द है, क्या सूर्य नमस्कार कर सकते हैं?
अक्सर हाँ, लेकिन लंज (अश्व संचालनासन) बदलकर। अगला घुटना पंजे से आगे नहीं जाना चाहिए, और ज़रूरत हो तो पीछे का घुटना ज़मीन पर टिका लें या कदम छोटा रखें। शिक्षिका को पहले बताएँ ताकि आपके लिए आसान रूप बनाया जाए।
Still have a question? WhatsApp Ritika on +91-7424991400 — she answers herself.
One class fixes years of habit
Let someone watch your first round
6:00 AM or 5:00 PM, Monday to Saturday, opposite Thadi Market in Agarwal Farm, Mansarovar. Mats provided, first class free.