Sunaad Raghuram: Could you please tell us about the meaning of Surya Namaskara and what its importance is for the practice of yoga?
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois: There is no Ashtanga Yoga without Surya Namaskara, which is the ultimate salutation to the sun god. In Hindu philosophy, the sun is accepted as the giver of life, the protector of all life forms on this earth — the health minister, you might say — and the illuminator of the intellect. When
udyantam astamyantam adityam abhidyan kurvan brahmano'vidvan sakalam bhadram asnute (The wise one, the knower, obtains complete goodness by performing obeisances to the rising and setting sun)
is recited during Surya Namaskara, this Sanskrit sloka has a direct effect on the nervous system and helps to purify not only the blood, but the mind, too. This is why Surya Namaskara should be performed once in the morning and once in the evening. If it is done properly, which is to say, while the uloka above is kept always in the back of the mind, then a state of mind will be reached in which whatever you think will occur. This exalted state, in which concentration has, to the utmost, been achieved, will also lead to mental and physical strength, as well as go a long way toward helping you achieve whatever it is you have set out to do in life.