Student Involvement In Health-Related Conferences In Nigeria: A Scoping Review.

Surya Namaskar (SN) or Sun Salutation is an ancient ritual since the Vedic times which combined mantras with prostrations to pay homage to the Sun god. In modern times, due to rising awareness on obesity and physical fitness, SN has become popular as a dynamic yogic practice and found a place in many fitness programs. There are 12 postures in the modern-day SN; these are performed in a cyclic sequence, starting with (prayer pose), followed by (raised arms pose), (standing forward bend pose), (lunge pose), (plank pose), (eight-limbed pose), (cobra pose), (mountain pose), and finally coming back to from .[] During these postures, breathing is maintained in a way such that forward and backward bending are accompanied by exhalation and inhalation, respectively. This helps to keep synchrony between body, mind, and breath. Although SN does not appear in classical hatha yogic .[] It is believed that the 12 postures of modern-day SN were constructed and propagated by the King of Aundh, Late Shrimant Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, in the 1920s, and later popularized by Sri K V Iyer and Sri Krishnamacharya.[] There are some variations in the SN sequence among different modern yoga traditions; however, most traditions consistently maintain a count of 12 postures.[] Several scientific studies have reported that cardiorespiratory,[] metabolic,[] autonomic,[] and musculoskeletal,[] functions improve as a result of SN practice. Bhutkar .[] concluded that 6 months of SN practice can improve cardiorespiratory efficiency for patients as well as healthy individuals. Mody[] found that performing four rounds of SN reached 90% of age-predicted maximal heart rate (HR) at the 4 round, oxygen consumption averaged 26 ml/kg/min during each round, and energy expenditure of 230 kcals during a 30 min session for a 60 kg individual. This study claimed that regular practice of SN helps to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, as well as promote weight management.[]