Fatwa against Surya Namaskara(Sun Salutation)

The huge furore of some people and a Fatwa against yoga came  as a shock to me and i am sure many more must have felt the same. The way some people have given Yoga a religious colour and branded it unislamic is totally unwarranted , nothing but intolerance .I watched the debate on National Television and to my surprise,according to one gentleman  Surya Nanmaskara was worship of Sun,which  is not allowed in their religion,where as its a mere exercise to strengthen  the core .Wanted to tell him, Yoga is Indian and has got nothing to do with any religion .

Surya Namaskara, known in English as Sun Salutation , is a common sequence of Hatha yoga asanas. . This sequence of movements and poses can be practised on varying levels of awareness, ranging from that of physical exercise in various styles..
The physical base of the Practice links together twelve asanas in a dynamically performed series. These asanas are ordered so that they alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards. When performed in the usual way, each asana is moved into with alternate inhalation and exhalation (except for the sixth asana where the breath is held in external suspension). A full round of Surya namaskara is considered to be two sets of the twelve poses with a change in the second set to moving the opposite leg first through the series.
Some proponents of the use of Surya namaskara as part of the modern yoga tradition prefer to perform it at sunrise, which is considered to be the most  favorable  time of the day does not mean offering prayers to the Sun .

photo credit Kulkarni's Surya Namaskara