Surya Namaskara A, or Sun Salutation A is comprised of a flowing series of postures called Vinyasa. Through out the rest of the
Ashtanga Series, the Vinyasa flow is, inpart, used as a transition between postures
Om
Vanda gurunam charanaravinde
sandarshita svatma sukhavabodhe
nih shreyase jangalikayamane
samsara halahala mohashantyai
Abahu purushakaram
shankhachakrasi dharinam
sahasra shirasam shetam
pranamami patanjalim
Om
"I bow to the lotus feet of the supreme teacher
who reveals the happiness of self-realization;
who like the jungle doctor removes the delusion
caused byt the great poison of conditioned existence
To Pantanjali, who (representing the serpent of infinity)
has thousands of white radiant heads
who in his human form holds a conch (representing sound,
a discus (representing light), and a sword (representing discrimination,
I prostrate."
The word yoga comes from Sanskrit, the language of ancient India. It means union, integration, or wholeness. It is an approach to health that promotes the harmonious collaboration of the human being's three components: body, mind, and spirit.
Stella Weller