Chandra Namaskar
Under-rated or Over-hyped?
While Surya Namaskar (SN) and its ‘how to do’ practical techniques can be found in Vedic texts, there’s hardly any reference to Chandra Namaskar (CN), its technique or any specific benefits. In some old texts however, a rare mention of CN is found along with lesser known rituals like Vayu (wind) Namaskar, Varuna (water) Namaskar etc.
Of late, a trend has started and caught up with some yoga teachers … specifically YouTubers if I may say, to vie with each other to ostentatiously share the knowledge on the technique and benefits of CN.
My question to all of them is why do we have to practice CN alone replacing SN or doing concurrent practice of both. And also, why not practice Vayu Namaskar, Varuna Namaskar, Rahu Namaskar, Ketu Namaskar, Brihaspati Namaskar, Shani Namaskar and so on, for additional benefits …if at all? My personal opinion is it’s not worth the worry or effort because these are mere Puja rituals mostly sans physical activity.
Actually, we are governed by certain belief systems that have been ruling our psyche since times immemorial and this ‘star energy’ theory in particular, can perhaps be attributed to the belief in the cosmic power of the stars in our universe. Not only this. Our existence in the universe is influenced, practically by everything we come across in our day today life. All entities in the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms have individual cosmic energies that affect us significantly. The theory does have some scientific backing too but unfortunately, wrong interpretation due to inherent beliefs, drives us towards orthodoxy. The best solution is, neither to go for the hits nor for blind trials in following these fascinating delusive ideas.
For a conclusive inference, let us have a reality check on the effectiveness of CN vs SN in balancing TriDosha.
The physiological and anatomical activity done in CN practice is more or less similar to that of SN. The result of both too will obviously be the same …unless you are driven to believe psychologically, that CN will balance your TriDosha better than SN. Realistically, it’s your breath (parana-vayu) that does the job in sync with yoga positions in these Namaskars.
We are living in the ‘covert’ digital marketing world that sometimes pushes us to try things claiming to be the magical remedies. Constant exposure to this marketing sits in our subconscious mind and in desperation, we end up following these remedies to alleviate our woes.
Does it mean we stop using the mediums like YouTube for information? No, we don’t have to! What we need is to use our Viveka to decipher what we are getting is close to the facts, and not something that’s based on our pre-conceived notions. YouTube is a great friend if used with discerning mind (Viveka)….and the biggest rogue if followed blindly.
To check what I say, here’s a suggestion. Google your Dosha balancing query in two ways,
Does Surya Namaskar balance TriDoshas?
Does Chandra Namaskar balance TriDoshas?
You may then decide to change your current regime to Chandra Namaskar if you believe it works better …or stick to what you have always been doing and know best - Surya Namaskar!