Function Check

Sun Salutation As An Indicator of Movement

Humans are master compensators. We have a default mode switch that allows to continue to move forward even with the dankest of dysfunctional movement patterns. It is for this reason it is essential that we have some systematic way to keep tabs on our movement capacity. On one hand we could use highly precise measurement tools like motion sensitive videography and goniometers to assess biomechanics down to every angular degree and every Newton of force.

Those tools certainly have their place but  for most of us they are neither necessary nor sustainable. Instead, a reliable heuristic that provides enough insight to keep us abreast of how the ups and downs of life may be effecting our movement quality will do for the vast majority of us and in more cases than you might think, for the elite among us as well.

When I present this material to my Check Engine Light classes the natural question that arises are: How does one keep tabs on their movement over time? Is there something that I use myself or with my clients that is an immediately accessible and reliable indicator that can be deployed right away? While in truth there is more of a menu of concepts and tools that serve as indicators on my MoVeMenT dashboard, Sun Salutation, or as the gents in my class have come to call it, Sun Fuckers (thanks for that K), is singular in its versatility and robustness. It's for these reasons it has stood the test of time not just in my own practice, but for thousands, maybe even millions of people over the course of its history.

Oldie But Goodie

This simple sequence of postures is reported by yoga adepts as being a part of the yogic movement system for over two millennia in some form or another. Of all of the tools and techniques that I have used for both myself and with private human performance clients over the years, Sun Salutation has proven itself to be an immovable anchor point many times over.

Originally intended as a way to prepare for morning meditation, this simple series of positions and the transitions between them can provide any user with a stupendous set of data points for how well you can move your meat machine on any given day. This simple practice can help you create connections between habits and behaviors that make things function better and the ones that make things worse.

Breathing Air and Making Shapes

The term yoga can come with some baggage. These connotations can be for better or for worse depending on your prejudice. For the more esoterically inclined mystical powers may be bestowed. For the more hardcore types, it's the frozen yogurt of exercise. Let's abandon all of that and take a look at the core behaviors that make this practice useful.

The core of yoga lies in pranayama or "breath control". Our breath is tied to the deepest portions of our neurology and learning to tune into it can provide a wellspring of information about how the nervous system is interpreting the movement of the body. Specifically if the range of motion that we are expressing is perceived as a threat.

Threat detection is a powerful biological instinct that extends through much of our physiology including our movement systems. The Autonomic Nervous System, which houses our fear response mechanisms, reacts to perceived internal and external threats with over tension, breath holding, and range avoidance. Becoming more attuned to our breathing while we move through the postures of Sun Salutation (asanas in yoga) will furnish us with important information we might otherwise gloss over if we are locked into a Task Completion mode of movement.

In this particular iteration of Sun Salutation the shapes we make are as basic as basic gets - and for good reason. The goal here is not to put on a display of impressive flexibility but rather to create a set of standards of execution that open a rhythm of communication with our bodies. The sequence that I share in this article is eleven postures in total each with a distinct breath phase associated with it. Of the eleven five repeat themselves with a turnaround posture of sorts in the middle of the sequence.

From the basic series given here much extrapolation can be done based on an individual's knowledge, experience, and imagination. My suggestion is to perform it exactly as suggested for awhile to build an anchor of understanding. That can sound kind of rigid but standards are like that. With that said, The longer you do it, the more exploration can be tolerated without losing the power of the practice as an indicator. Which is, as far as this article is concerned, the point of doing it at all.

You Get What You Give

While there is some intuitive license when it comes to using a practice like this as a performance longevity indicator it is important to execute this series with as much precision as possible. In the video below I've provided here the standard focal points that I've found to be successful both for myself and at scale. If you find some that work better, use those. Just be sure to hold yourself to them each time otherwise you comparison is bust. Also, if you do find a better way please come back here and share it. I like to get better too.

It's not just the what, it's the how. Any fool can flop around and approximate these same shapes. In fact many human pretzels that call themselves "yogis" do just that. Their attention is not driven to the most important aspects of the movement. What could be a beautiful formal movement indicator has become another mindless set of tasks to be completed. A set of boxes to be checked. How do know this you might ask? Because I've fixed a few broken yogis in my day, that's how.

If we lack clarity in regards to what problem we seek to solve or what goal we want to hit, then we are just doing a thing. Fine. We have to pass time in this life in some way I do suppose. Personally, I'd much rather invest my effort into a meaningful practice. 

Of course if you perform this series of shapes with a perfunctory attitude well then you'll accomplish exactly jack shit. As the song goes, "You only get what you give." I suggest giving your full and undivided attention to this seemingly innocuous practice.

It will pay you back ten fold.

Function Check

When it comes to the operation of complex machines, especially ones that can do harm when they malfunction, there's a checklist of items performed by the operator of that machine to prevent critical failure. Checklists like this are used in all sorts of industries from surgical theaters to aviation.

Those of you who have served in the military or in law enforcement may know this idea as a function check. A function check is a simple series of tests that let the user know if their firearm is able to function properly prior to using it in a life or death scenario.

While a function check does not represent the same level of scrutiny as does breaking down a firearm all the way down to its component parts it does tell the user if they can expect the machine they are operating to do its basic job. The same is true for the Sun Salutation as a formal movement indicator for the human body.

Data Is As Data Does

Imagine if you performed Sun Salutation nearly every day for around 20 years. Even if we assume 5 days per week x 52 weeks x 20 years that's 5,980 days of practice. Assuming you performed it once each day that's nearly six thousand plus data points for what's going on under the hood. What have I learned in that time? Maybe my back gets tight if I don’t get enough deep sleep? Maybe that when I’m dehydrated my calves get stiff first regardless of other demands on my body? That my scale of begrudging execution to easy going in regards to doing Sun Salutation at all provides me with key information about my state before it becomes a problem elsewhere? All hypothetical of course.

Performing one round of Sun Salutation takes around five to seven minutes. About the same time as it takes for coffee to brew. Instead of doom scrolling on Instagram or staring out the window you could use that time to tune in to what’s going on with your body that day. Investing in a deeper connection with your movement quantity and quality will pay massive dividends whether you are a nine to fiver or an elite performer.

Thanks for reading,

Rob

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YouTube Link for this video: Sun Salutation Version 1