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Surya A: Gentle / Modified

A gentle, modified sun salutation where all positions have been softened, making this flowing sequence accessible for sensitive spines and bodies building their capacity.

Transitional240 to 360 seconds
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand with your feet about hip width apart

    A slightly wider base than the classic version, which makes the stepping back and forward steadier.

  2. 2

    Reach up and fold with generously bent knees

    Hands can slide down the thighs on the way. Depth is not what this version is for.

  3. 3

    Step back into a low lunge with the knee down

    The back knee rests on the floor and the hands stay on the mat or on blocks. There is no lowering through a plank in this version at all.

  4. 4

    Move through a soft wave rather than a backbend

    Instead of pressing up into an arch, roll through the spine one part at a time and let the chest lift only a little.

  5. 5

    Step forward, rise slowly, and change sides

    Come up on an inhale with soft knees. If getting up and down from the floor is the hard part, the chair version does the same sequence, and fists instead of flat palms spare the wrists.

  6. 6

    Continue for four to six minutes

    Alternate which foot steps back so both sides get a turn.

What to watch for

Sliding back into the standard version. There is no push up and no strong backbend here, so if you find yourself holding a plank or pressing into a deeper arch, you have left the gentle sequence behind.

Ways to adjust it

  • Chair version
  • Fists

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Sun Salutation versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

Also part of sessions for

PCOS

Each of those explains what the condition is, what the published guidance recommends, and where this movement fits.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

Start your first session

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.