Don’t Forget About Sun Salutation C! Here’s a Refresher of How to Practice (Photo Tutorial)

Sun Salutations are a wonderful way to warm your body up, set your breathwork for practice, and get into the yoga zone.

If you’ve taken a Vinyasa, Power Yoga, or Ashtanga class before then you are probably already familiar with Sun Salutations A and B, but you might not be familiar with Sun Salutation C.

Want a refresher on Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B? Learn Surya Namaskar A and B: Sun Salutation Flow Photo Tutorial

Sun Salutation C (Surya Namaskar C) is the perfect sequence to use to add variety to your practice when you may be on autopilot with Sun Salutation A and B or when you’ve had enough Chaturanga push-ups but still want to flow.

Like Sun Salutations A and B, this sequence links breath with movement but has a slightly different cadence.

Sun Salutation C (also referred to as Sun C) has a few variations across yoga traditions, but this tutorial covers the most common and foundational flow.
 
 

Learn How to Practice Sun Salutation C:

Follow along with this step-by-step yoga pose tutorial of Surya Namaskar C.
 

1. Begin in Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Stand with your toes together and a small space between your heels
• Distribute your weight evenly across both feet as well as the balls and heels of your feet
• Stack your shoulders and hips over your feet
• Lengthen your spine from your tailbone to the crown of your head and broaden across your collar bones
• Release your arms to your side, spread your fingers with your palms facing forward

2. Inhale: Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Keep the alignment and weight distribution from Mountain Pose
• Inhale as your sweep your arms up overhead
• Bring your palms together overhead and gaze up towards your hands
• Draw your navel towards your spine to keep engagement in your core
• Some yogis like to add a small standing backbend here

3. Exhale: Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Exhale as you fold forward, hinging at the hips
• Bend your knees as much as you need in order to plant your palms on the mat
• Engage and lift your quadriceps to help release your hamstrings
• Let your head hang heavy to release tension in your neck and gaze towards your shins

4. Inhale: Half Standing Forward Fold, or Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Inhale as you lift your torso, lengthen your spine, and flatten your back
• Place your fingertips on the floor or gently rest your hands on your shins
• Gaze towards the floor
• Bend your knees slightly as needed to flatten your back

5. Exhale: Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

6. Inhale: Step Back Into Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

Let’s Try It:

• On your inhale, step your right leg back into a Low Lunge
• Lower your right knee to the mat
• All your hips to sink forward and down
• Keep your left foot steady on the mat between your hands and your left knee stacked over your heel
• Keep your palms on the mat or reach your arms overhead
• Bring your gaze forward and relax the shoulders away from your ears

7. Exhale: Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Exhale to plant your palms and step your left leg back to meet your right, feet hip-width distance apart
• Lift your hips up and back, stretch your heels towards the ground (it’s ok if they don’t touch the ground – many don’t in proper alignment)
• Your legs can be straight or have a slight bend in the knees
• Spread your fingers apart and grip the mat slightly with your fingertips
• Draw your navel in as you lengthen your spine and firm your shoulder blades into your back
• Evenly distribute your weight between your hands and feet
• Release tension in your neck and gaze towards your shins

8. Inhale: Plank Pose (Kumbhakasana or Phalakasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Inhale and shift forward, stacking your shoulders over your wrists
• Spread your fingers wide and grip the mat with your fingertips
• Lengthen from your heels through your spine all the way to the crown of your head, and gaze straight down at the mat
• Pull your navel towards your spine to engage your core and entire body
• Modify by dropping one or both knees down to the mat

Want to make sure you’re practicing Plank Pose correctly? Here’s How!
 

9. Exhale: Knees-Chest-Chin (Ashtanga Namaskara)

Let’s Try It:

• Exhale and lower your knees to the mat, keeping your toes tucked
• Lower your chest to the mat between your hands, hovering your shoulders just over your hands
• Gently lower your chin down towards the mat
• Hug your elbows in close to your sides
• Keep your hips and bum lifted high off the mat
• Move slowly and fluidly through this pose as you take a long exhale

10. Inhale: Cobra (Bhujangasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Inhale and pull your chest forward as you lift your chest and shoulders off the mat and lower your thighs onto the mat
• Keep your elbows tucked in close to your sides
• Release your feet so the tops of your feet are resting on the ground
• Press your feet, thighs, and pubic bone into the ground
• Broaden across the sternum and pull your chest forward and up instead of back
• Bring your gaze forward

11. Exhale: Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Send your hips up and back
• Roll through or step onto the bottom of your feet
• Take 5 breaths in Down Dog

12. Inhale: Step Forward Into Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Inhale and take a large step forward with your right leg coming into a Low Lunge
• Place your right foot between your hands
• Lower your left knee to the mat

13. Exhale: Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

Let’s Try It:

• Exhale as you step your left leg up to meet your right, finding a fold forward

14. Inhale: Halfway Lift (Ardha Uttanasana)

15. Exhale: Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

16. Inhale: Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana)

17. Exhale: Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

That completes one half of Sun Salutation C (Surya Namaskar C). Repeat the steps on the left side by stepping backward and forward with your left foot into lunges in Steps 6 and 12.
 
 

Final Tips and Guidance for Surya Namaskar C:

Sun Salutation C can serve as a complete practice when repeated several times if you’re crunched for time or can’t make it to your favorite yoga class.

Sun C is also great for class sequencing as you can easily add variations to low lunges such as lifting your arms up, adding a bind or twist, or lifting into Crescent Lunge variations.

Remember to keep breathing slowly and intentionally with each movement in this sequence to create a moving meditation, and as always listen to your body and adjust as needed.

Next time you feel like you’re in a bit of a yoga slump give Sun Salutation C a try and see how it invigorates your practice. Namaste!

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