Sequence · 90 minutes · 34 poses
The Ashtanga primary series, pose by pose
The Ashtanga primary series, called Yoga Chikitsa, runs in a fixed order: five rounds each of Sun Salutation A and B, a standing sequence, a seated sequence of forward folds, twists and hip openers, then a finishing sequence of backbends, shoulder stand, headstand and lotus. Each pose is held for about five breaths, linked by vinyasa.
The sequence
| # | Pose | Hold | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Sun Salutation Surya Namaskar | 5 rounds | Surya Namaskara A: one movement per breath, knees down for Chaturanga if needed. |
| 02 | Surya namaskara b | 3 to 5 rounds | Adds Chair Pose and Warrior I to the A sequence. Step rather than jump while learning. |
| 03 | Standing Forward Bend Uttanasana | 5 breaths each | Padangusthasana and Padahastasana: hold the big toes, then hands under the feet. Bend the knees freely. |
| 04 | Triangle Pose Trikonasana | 5 breaths each side | Utthita and Parivrtta Trikonasana: the open then the revolved triangle. Hand on the shin or a block. |
| 05 | Extended Side Angle Utthita Parsvakonasana | 5 breaths each side | Utthita and Parivrtta Parsvakonasana. Forearm on the thigh is a fine start for both. |
| 06 | Wide Legged Forward Bend Prasarita Padottanasana | 5 breaths each | Prasarita Padottanasana A to D: four arm positions in the same wide fold. |
| 07 | Pyramid Pose Parsvottanasana | 5 breaths each side | Parsvottanasana: hands in reverse prayer or holding the elbows, fold over the front leg. |
| 08 | Utthita hasta padangusthasana | 5 breaths each part | Standing on one leg, hold the lifted foot or the knee forward and to the side. A strap is fine. |
| 09 | Ardha baddha padmottanasana | 5 breaths each side | Half-lotus standing fold. Only if the knee is happy; otherwise rest the foot on the inner thigh. |
| 10 | Chair Pose Utkatasana | 5 breaths | Utkatasana, entered from the vinyasa. Weight back in the heels. |
| 11 | Warrior Poses Virabhadrasana I, II and III | 5 breaths each side | Virabhadrasana I then II, front knee over the ankle. |
| 12 | Staff Pose Dandasana | 5 breaths | Dandasana: legs straight, sit tall. The start of the seated sequence. |
| 13 | Seated Forward Bend Paschimottanasana | 5 breaths each | Paschimottanasana A to C: three hand positions. Fold from the hips, knees bent if needed. |
| 14 | Purvottanasana | 5 breaths | Upward plank: hands behind you, lift the hips with straight legs. Keep the neck comfortable. |
| 15 | Ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana | 5 breaths each side | Half-lotus seated fold. Use a cross-legged foot position if the knee complains. |
| 16 | Tiriang mukha ekapada paschimottanasana | 5 breaths each side | One leg folded back beside the hip, fold over the straight leg. A blanket under the straight-leg hip helps. |
| 17 | Janu sirsasana | 5 breaths each side, A to C | Head to knee folds with three foot positions. Skip B and C if they strain the knee. |
| 18 | Marichyasana | 5 breaths each side, A to D | Two forward folds and two twists with a bound arm. Use a strap or skip the bind. |
| 19 | Boat Pose Navasana | 5 breaths, 5 times | Navasana: lift and lower between rounds. Knees bent is fine. |
| 20 | Bhujapidasana | 5 breaths | Arm balance with the legs over the arms and ankles crossed. Lower slowly onto a cushion if you go forward. |
| 21 | Kurmasana and supta kurmasana | 5 breaths each | Tortoise folds with the arms under the legs. Only as far as the hips and back allow. |
| 22 | Garbha pindasana and kukkutasana | 5 breaths each | Rolling in lotus, then lifting on the hands. Needs a free lotus; many people skip it for now. |
| 23 | Butterfly Pose Baddha Konasana | 5 breaths each part | Baddha Konasana: soles together, sit tall, then fold. Cushions under the knees are fine. |
| 24 | Upavistha konasana and supta konasana | 5 breaths each | Wide-legged seated fold, then rolling back with the legs overhead. Keep weight off the neck. |
| 25 | Supta padangusthasana | 5 breaths each part | On your back, hold the lifted big toe or use a strap, forward then out to the side. |
| 26 | Ubhaya padangusthasana and urdhva mukha paschimottanasana | 5 breaths each | Balancing on the sit bones holding the feet, then the same with the face towards the shins. |
| 27 | Setu bandhasana | 5 breaths | A head-supported backbend in this series. Many teachers replace it with Bridge Pose for beginners. |
| 28 | Wheel Pose Urdhva Dhanurasana | 5 breaths, up to 3 times | Urdhva Dhanurasana: the closing backbend. Bridge Pose is the option until the shoulders open. |
| 29 | Shoulder Stand Salamba Sarvangasana | 10 breaths or as taught | Salamba Sarvangasana, folded blanket under the shoulders. Learn with a teacher. |
| 30 | Plow Pose Halasana | 8 breaths or as taught | Halasana, followed in the series by Karnapidasana, Urdhva Padmasana and Pindasana. |
| 31 | Fish Pose Matsyasana | 5 to 8 breaths | Matsyasana, then Uttana Padasana with the legs lifted. Little weight on the head. |
| 32 | Headstand Sirsasana | 10 to 25 breaths as taught | Sirsasana: forearms and crown down, learned at a wall with a teacher. Rest in Child's Pose after. |
| 33 | Lotus Pose Padmasana | 10 breaths each | Baddha Padmasana, Yoga Mudra, Padmasana, then Utpluthih lifting on the hands. Easy Pose is the option. |
| 34 | Corpse Pose Savasana | 5 to 10 minutes | Lie still and rest. A full rest belongs at the end of every practice. |
The primary series is the first of the set sequences of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, as taught by K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India, and described in his book Yoga Mala. Its Sanskrit name is Yoga Chikitsa. The order never changes: sun salutations, standing poses, the seated primary sequence, and a closing sequence shared by every series. A full practice takes about 90 minutes in a led class.
Each pose is usually held for five breaths with steady ujjayi breathing, a fixed gazing point and short linking movements, the vinyasa, between seated poses: a lift, a jump back to Chaturanga, Upward Dog, Downward Dog and a jump through to sit. Jois wrote of five to eight breaths in each posture. Beginners learn the series a few poses at a time, usually in a Mysore-style room, and stop where their teacher stops them rather than doing the whole sequence on day one.
The table follows the published outline. Poses that share a family are grouped on one row, such as the four Marichyasana twists, and the cue gives the easier option many teachers allow. Rows that link to a pose page show the closest shape in this library; Ashtanga versions can differ in detail. For the history and the eight limbs the style is named after, see Ashtanga yoga and its set series, and for how it compares with a changing flow, ashtanga vs vinyasa.
Several poses in the series ask a lot of the knees and the neck: the half-lotus folds, Marichyasana D, Garbha Pindasana, Shoulder Stand and Headstand. Never force a leg into lotus, keep the knee comfortable in every bind, and learn the inversions with a teacher. Start your rounds with the Sun Salutation, Surya Namaskar, which opens every Ashtanga practice.
Questions
How long does the full Ashtanga primary series take?
About 90 minutes for a led class at a steady count. A self-paced Mysore practice of the full series often takes a little longer. Beginners practise a shorter part of it, so their sessions are shorter too.
Do you have to do the whole primary series in one go?
No. In the traditional method a teacher gives new students a few poses at a time, and they practise up to that point and go straight to the finishing poses. Many people practise half the series for months.