[Swami Ritavan Bharati, Ashram Pramukha and Spiritual Guide of AHYMSIN, taught a class on ‘From Darkness to Light’ at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama on 22 November 2023. You may watch a glimpse of the session by clicking on the video below.]

Our dear Swami Veda has said in the Philosophy of Hatha Yoga (pp. 26-27), ‘Now, a truth-seeker is one in whom mind, speech, and body all act together, in unison. In fact, in the ancient tradition, one of the definitions of personal truth, in terms of truthful speech and truthful acts, is that “What one thinks with the mind, that one utters with the speech; what one utters with the speech, that one puts into action; what one thus puts into action is accomplished and fulfilled.” The entire personality is involved. And likewise with hatha yoga, neither worship nor exercise should, then, be separated from each other. The muscles, the mouth, the mind—everything—must be involved. This integration of the entire personality can be experienced with surya-namaskara, the solar salutation.’

So, you cannot practise surya-namaskara without experiencing stillness within. In your hatha yoga practice, continue working with the body, bringing ease into movements by way of the flow of breath and awareness. Slowly work with your body with full awareness. Otherwise, it becomes just an aerobic practise of jumping and it’ll get some aerobic benefits, no doubt, but if you’re doing asana, then do asana.