NEW YORK, NEW YORK, June 23, 2014 (Medical Daily): Thousands of sun-worshipping yogis lined their mats up in the middle of Times Square to celebrate the summer solstice on Saturday. More than 11,000 people followed the Athleta sponsored events “Solstice in Times Square: Athleta Mind Over Madness Yoga” as they gradually moved from pose to pose in their bare feet.
The summer solstice occurs when the sun aligns directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is the moment the earth’s tilt toward the sun is at a maximum, on June 21. This is the only day of the year that the sun is at its highest point in the sky, making it the longest day of the calendar year, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Solstice means “standing on the sun” and marks the midsummer point when the earth returns back into the dark half of the year. The sun is an important aspect of yoga. In fact, one of the most familiar stances is Surya Namaskar, which means “sun salutation” and represents a symbolic movement of the human reliance on the sun. For thousands of years Hindus, who are one of the original creators of yoga, have revered the sun they call Surya because they believe it is the creator of all life. The sun salutation pose stems from the word namas, which means to bow or adore the sun and is used as a reminder of our place in the world.