The Surya Namaskar Benefits for Entrepreneurs !

 

Hanuman, The Monkey God from Ramayan was very strong and possessed supernatural strength since birth. He was intrigued by the Sun God. When he was a little boy, he looked at the delicious mango in the sky and soared in take the sun in his mouth. As soon as he enveloped the sun in his mouth, the balance of the universe was disrupted. The gods from Indralok requested him to release the sun. A request, which the little monkey simply denied. It was then that the king of Gods, Indra, hurled his Vajra towards him. The Vajra hit the little boy on his jaw and left him unconscious.

Hanuman released the sun while falling on the earth, which brought the balance of the universe back. Because of the trauma he had to undergo, his mother Anjana, who was a celestial maiden got angry at the gods, who to please her, bestowed Hanuman with boons and celestial powers of Strength, Speed, Shape changing, Gift for Celibacy, Prodigious memory including reverence & love for God. 

When Hanuman grew up, his mother wanted him to get the best education. Since the Sun god was the one who went around the world and was knowledgeable about all scriptures, Anjana suggested that he approach the Sun god and become his disciple. Hanuman now approached Sun god to become his teacher, but Sun was apprehensive. He was too busy fulfilling his duties, moving around in his chariot and couldn't afford even a moment of delay. Teaching Hanuman would require him to take pauses which didn't go well with his duties as Sun.

Hanuman promised to keep moving with the Sun and keep pace with him if he taught him. This meant that Sun wouldn't have to stop to teach him and the education can go on seamlessly. Hanuman then positioned himself facing the sun and moving backwards with the speed of the sun, so that the sun can complete his round of the world with his prescribed speed. Hanuman learnt all the Vedas in a week's time and was ready to return. He asked for Sun's fees to which Sun refused. He was very happy with his disciple and did not want to take any fees from him. Hanuman dedicated his backward movement poses to Sun God as gratitude towards him, which came to be known as the Surya Namaskar.

It is said that as you perform the Surya Namaskar early in the morning, with gratitude and love, the Sun god will guide you, keep you healthy and keep your life illuminated with knowledge, success and happiness. The sequence of Surya Namaskar is a well designed sequence of alternate backward and forward bending asanas with a well regulated breathing pattern. It is such that it builds strength, reduces weight and stretches the spinal cord along with giving meditative orientation in the process. The mantras chanted along with each pose bring in rejuvenation to a specific centre of energy called the Chakras which get aligned and energized.

What does getting so much energy and stability do to us ? Let us derive an analogy with the Entrepreneur. An Entrepreneur needs to be focussed in their approach and work. If their mind wavers away, it is very difficult to bring it back, since in most of the cases, there is no accountability to anyone else. This makes it extremely difficult for the entrepreneur to be disciplined. On a parallel analogy, if the body is not healthy and ailments arise from time to time, the entire energy and focus shifts towards solving the urgent problem at that time. An Entrepreneur does not have the luxury to spend time on recovering from health issues consistently. Thus, the policy of prevention is better than cure works best. This means a tool which helps you maintain your body and mind, is a must for everyone, more importantly for entrepreneurs.

A healthy body is a gift to us & it is our duty to maintain it well. This will enable us to study well, work well and do physical activities well. The mind is fickle. It is the natural tendency of the mind to waver away. The sequence of Surya Namaskar is such that it brings stability in practise. It stabilizes the mind and body along with giving better digestion and appetite.  It energizes the Body, Mind and Soul.  Surya Namaskar is a tool passed on to us generation after generation to enable us live a healthy and happy life. 

आदित्यस्य नमस्कारं ये कुर्वन्ति दिने दिने।
जन्मान्तरसहस्रेषु दारिद्र्यं नोपजायते।।

Aadityasya namaskaram ye kurvanti dine dine |
Janmaantarsahasreshu daridryam nopajaayate||

The shloka in sanskrit says, that a person who does Surya Namaskar every day, is untouched by poverty for his thousand lifetimes. For some people, the World is not Enough, but, for me, even this much is enough !