The Breath Pattern in Sun Salutation

If Sun Salutation ever feels breathless or rushed, the breath pattern is usually the fix. Done well, the breath leads and the body follows, and the whole round becomes a moving meditation. This page focuses just on the breathing; for the full sequence and context, see the complete Surya Namaskar guide.

Watch: Divya Rolla's breath guide to Sun Salutation (Part 2)

In the video above, Divya Rolla teaches the second episode of her Surya Namaskar series, which is given over entirely to the breath. Her starting point is that the sequence is not just 12 random postures: the breath is what links them into one practice.

She explains it with a single rule and its reason. You inhale in every backward bend, because the chest opens and the lungs can expand fully. You exhale in every forward bend, because the chest and abdomen contract. Once you see why, the pattern follows naturally from the shape of each position.

She then talks you through a full round, breath by breath:

• Exhale as the palms come together.
• Inhale, raise the arms and arch back; exhale and fold forward.
• Inhale as the right leg steps back and the chin lifts.
• Hold the breath as you step back into plank.
• Exhale as knees, chest and chin come down; inhale as you slide forward into cobra.
• Exhale into the inverted V.
• Inhale as the right foot comes forward; exhale as the other foot joins it in the fold.
• Inhale, lengthen and arch back; exhale and release.

She then repeats the round leading with the left leg.

One detail is worth noticing next to the position-by-position list above: in her version the breath is held at plank rather than released, a choice this page also allows for. Whichever you follow, keep the hold brief and easy, and slow the movement whenever the breath can't keep up. Practising along with her a few times is the quickest way to stop counting and let the breath carry you through.

The one rule that governs it

Inhale as you open, lift or lengthen; exhale as you fold, lower or contract. That single rule covers almost the whole sequence. Opening the chest and reaching the arms up are expansions, so they ride an inhale; folding forward and lowering down are contractions, so they ride an exhale. Once this logic clicks, you rarely have to memorise the breath pose by pose — it follows naturally from what the body is doing.

Breath by position

Prayer pose: breathe evenly to centre. Arms overhead: inhale. Forward fold: exhale. Low lunge (stepping back): inhale. Plank: exhale, or hold briefly. Knees-chest-chin: exhale. Cobra: inhale. Downward dog: exhale, then take a breath or two here. Low lunge (stepping forward): inhale. Forward fold: exhale. Arms overhead: inhale. Return to standing: exhale. The pattern is symmetrical, which is part of why the sequence feels so balanced.

Let the breath set the pace

The most common mistake is moving faster than you can breathe. Slow the movement until each transition has a full, unhurried inhale or exhale of its own — if you're gasping, you're going too fast. Many practitioners use a soft ujjayi breath through the sequence, which naturally lengthens each breath and gives the movement a steady rhythm to follow.