With Namita

Say hello to 2024 in yogi’s style! Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is a fundamental sequence in many Hatha yoga traditions and an important aid in overall health. There are many health benefits such at detoxifying internal organs, promoting cardiovascular and respiratory functions and boosting the immune system. It also strengthens the muscles while improving the flexibility.  This moving meditation gives a strong connection to the mind, body and breath.   We will aim to practice the sun salutations 108 consecutive times.  

What’s the significance of 108? 

The number 108 is considered a sacred number:

• There are 108 prayer beads on the Mala

• There are 54 sounds in the Sanskrit alphabet, each with a masculine and feminine aspect (2 x 54 = 108)

• The distance between the earth and sun is 108 times the diameter of the sun, and the distance between the earth and moon is 108 times the diameter of the moon

• There are 108 Upanishads, which are part of the oldest scriptural texts of Hinduism; there are 108 Hindu deities and 108 names for Buddha

• Some say there are 108 feelings: 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future

• The individual numbers 1, 0, and 8 represent one thing, nothing, and everything (infinity)

• 108 represents the ultimate reality of the universe as being simultaneously one, emptiness and infinite

• In Buddhism, the gong is rung 108 times at new year to represent the new start

• Mathematicians favor the number 108 for its countless patterns and divisions

Let’s practice this New Year’s 108 sun salutations together!