Julia

Celebrating the Summer Solstice with 108 sun salutations

As you probably already know, yesterday was the Summer Solstice, marking the official start of summer and the day of the year with the longest period of daylight (of course, this is only true for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, as those in the Southern Hemisphere experience their shortest day and the start of winter – thus another study of opposites so popular in the yoga tradition). To celebrate the occasion, I along with 6 other yoginis welcomed this beloved season with open arms and open hearts by completing 108 sun salutations in our local park. Maybe you’re wondering, as was I, why on earth we would attempt to do 108 sun salutations! What is the significance of 108? There are many different explanations for the auspiciousness of this number. Shiva Rea writes in Yoga Journal:

“The number’s significance is open to interpretation. But 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads (plus one for the “guru bead,” around which the other 108 beads turn like the planets around the sun). A mala is used for counting as you repeat a mantra—much like the Catholic rosary.

Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. Such phenomena have given rise to many examples of ritual significance.

According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India. And there are also 108 Upanishads and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body.”

There are many other explanations which, if you’re interested, can be found here.

Solstice yoga

So, in yoga tradition, we often practice 108 sun salutations at the beginning of each new season. We do this to honor the season and the changing world around us, as well as to celebrate our accomplishments of the previous season and to offer ourselves to all the possibilities of the new season upon us. For those that aren’t familiar, a sun salutation is a set series of postures done in a flowing movement linked with the breath. There are many different forms, but in the traditional ashtanga yoga system there are either 9 or 17 movements depending on which set you are practicing.

108 is a lofty goal, even for regular yoga practitioners. Even if you are practicing the 9 pose set that is still 972 postures! To put this in perspective, my practice typically starts with about 10 sun salutations, by the end of which I am sweating, my heart rate is well into the cardio zone, and my arms start to feel like spaghetti. Even one sun salutation can be physically demanding for a beginner yogi. But regardless of the significance of the number 108, the important thing is to show up, be fully present in the moment, and breathe. It doesn’t matter if you do 1 or 20 or 108 or 208.

So often when we are doing something challenging or repetitive, it is the limitations of the mind that we come up against way before the limitations of the body. I found myself saying things like “there’s so many left!” or “how many more?” or “there’s no way I will finish.” Then it occurred to me – there is only ever one sun salutation to complete, the one you’re in. Forget about how many you need to do or whether or not you can finish, and just simply focus on this one sun salutation and the breath required to complete it…and just keep breathing. Now, maintaining this focus in a park with tennis players, mosquitos, dogs, dog poo, threats of rain, not to mention a voyeuristic gentleman sitting 10 feet in front of you staring, can be quite a challenge to say the least. But therein lies the power of the practice. I stayed focused on the present and kept coming back to my breath and found the count progress quickly. Before I knew it I was at 50, then 60, then 70…and then the storm came. The ominous clouds and wind told me to end my practice at 75, but it was ok. It didn’t matter that I didn’t complete all 108, because I knew that I could.

Peace,

Julia