The Sun Salutation Sequence (Surya Namaskar A & B)
The sun salutation is the beating heart of a flowing class. Surya Namaskar is a short, repeating sequence that links breath to movement, builds heat, and warms the whole body for what comes next. Learn the two classic versions, A and B, and you have a reliable warm-up for almost any class. Here is each one step by step, with breath cues and pose images.
What a sun salutation is for
A sun salutation warms the body from the inside and sets the rhythm of one breath to one movement that a vinyasa class runs on. Repeated two to four times, it raises the heart rate, mobilizes the spine and shoulders, and gives students a familiar pattern they can eventually flow through without thinking. It sits in the warm-up phase of the class arc.
Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)
The classic round: one breath per movement, all the way down to the floor and back up to standing. Offer knees-chest-chin in place of Chaturanga for anyone building strength.
Flow through on the breath, then repeat two to four times before moving on.
Sun Salutation B (Surya Namaskar B)
A longer, stronger round that adds Chair pose and Warrior I, so it builds more heat and introduces standing strength. Repeat the Warrior on the second side each round.
Add Chair at the start and a Warrior I on each side. Repeat the whole round two to four times.
How to use them in a class
Start with two or three rounds of A to establish the breath, then one or two rounds of B to build strength and heat before your standing sequence. In a gentler or beginner class, use only A, move slowly, and offer the knees-chest-chin option throughout. Sun salutations are the natural bridge from your warm-up into the build toward your peak pose.
Build this sequence in minutes
Drag and drop from 200+ illustrated poses, see your whole class at a glance, and download a beautiful PDF to teach from, with alignment cues included.
Create your sequence freeLoved by 2,000+ yoga teachers · rated 4.93/5 from 376 reviews.