1836 Sun Salutations in 365 days revised

1836 Sun Salutations. That seems a lot. I'll tell you how I came to this number and why I'm doing this year 1836 Sun Salutations.

1836 is 17 times 108.

The 17 is from our year 2017.

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.

A sun salutation is a yoga mantra. Some yogi’s do 108 Sun Salutations at the time of the spring equinox.

Sun salutations is a series of movements with the breath. The purpose of a sun salutation is to wake up, to warm, to meditate with the entire body. To ground.

I do like to ground while doing my salutations.

Just to silence my thoughts, to be to follow all the thought processes that are going on.

It’s not for nothing that a monk called it a monkey mind; thought after thought after thought without stopping. I succeed to stop brooding for a moment when saluting the sun. I am less good at meditating, sitting still or remain serious when shouting "Ohmmmm”. Sun Salutations have worked in the past for me. But doing it is a daunting prospect and I like to go for it.

Accomplishing 108 per day I (still) can not; I’m in the process getting my energy back after giving birth. I have a family. I have enough excuses for not doing it…

It helps me making my own commitments. And that’s why I made my own yoga challenge. This I support. I plan to do 17x108 (1836) spread over 2017.

That´s about 5 per day. That´s a piece of cake. Yes I love baby steps. These small steps can take me far. Small steps make me excited, especially if the end result is so great.

And who knows, I'm in for 108 Sun Salutations at the time of the spring equinox…