The Anusara Sadhana: Awakening the Inner SunA Hymn of Breath, Sound, and Movement
- seadhna Treacy
- Dec 1
- 3 min read
Awakening the Inner Sun
A Hymn of Breath, Sound, and Movement
Written by Hristinka Maslarska
As I write this message to you from the golden warmth of sunny Greece, I close my eyes and envision you—studying, practicing, and teaching Yoga in every corner of the globe. I feel deeply grateful and honored for this opportunity to reach out and share a truly beautiful teaching with you.
This practice was born beneath the ancient pillars of the Temple of Poseidon, where I was blessed to receive it from the radiant soul of Dr. Nikolaos Kostopoulos. I offer my deepest gratitude to him for his generosity and wisdom.
Let me take you back to the moment it happened. I was sitting in meditation, ragged from the long journey to Athens for an Ayurveda and Yoga retreat. I was sleepless, exhausted after a four-hour drive, battling a pounding headache, and struggling just to hold myself together.
Then, everything shifted.
I was suddenly struck by the palpable energy of the massive group surrounding me. As we were guided through the Sun Salutation, the fog in my mind began to clear. The raw power of breath and movement revived my tired body. I attuned myself to the teacher’s voice, which was chanting peacefully across the room. We moved together as one—a dance of grace and healing—and I felt it vibrate down to my very core and bones. It was, without question, one of the most magical practices of my life.
He introduced me to an ancient chant that day, and I am sharing it with you now with the wish that it rekindles your spark whenever you need it most.
The Hymn of Unity
In the northern hemisphere the stillness of winter is coming, let us gather the warmth of practice toward Surya Namaskara, the sacred salutation to the Sun. Let us approach it not merely as a vinyasa, but as a hymn of unity between sound (nāda), movement (āsana), and breath (prāṇa).
When we move and breathe in this flow, we discover a powerful key that enriches our practice and connects us to something greater within the depths of our Being: the power of the voice.
Nāda is the sacred sound vibration. Chanting mantras is one of the most potent tools in yoga, especially when fused with movement. For me, Surya Namaskara is the moment we synchronize our energies: student with teacher, students with one another, and all of us with the flow of Grace and Life at its highest.
We move as a living wave, driven by Shakti, expressing the ocean of Her beauty collectively and individually. This sets the frequency of the community and opens the hearts of the students to their Inner Sun, connecting them with the powerful qualities of our greatest star—the source of healing and awakening.
A Spark of Remembrance
Rooted in the ancient Vedas, each mantra in this Surya Namaskara sequence is a spark of remembrance—a call to reawaken the inner radiance and fire that illuminate all things and keep us committed to our practices, on and off the mat.
The ancient sages understood that by combining the bīja (seed) mantras with the Surya Namaskara mantras, one enacts a complete and powerful spiritual practice—merging the vibrational energy of sound, the devotional invocation of the heart, and the embodied rhythm of movement.
The Spiritual Significance: From Spark to Constellation
These sacred mantras serve as a bridge, honoring both the majestic outer Sun and the luminous radiance residing at the core of your own being. When we move in unison with breath and sound, we do not just perform an exercise; we awaken the subtle fire of Tapas. This is the spiritual heat that burns away impurities, fueling our clarity, vitality, and profound transformation.
This inner fire is not confined to the mat. It manifests in the reverence we hold for our bodies, the depth of our relationships, the integrity of our work, and the clarity of our purpose.
As a community, our brilliance is amplified when we uplift one another. Each of us is a singular spark; yet together, we ignite a living constellation. We thrive by making a difference in people’s lives daily, just as those living with purpose make a profound difference in ours.
We have the power to be both the spark and the flame, especially when united in our Anusara Kula. With illuminated voices and a shared vision for a bright future, we stand grounded in an actively committed present.
If not now, when? If not you, who?
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