Yoga guide
Ashtanga yoga is a flowing style with a fixed order: five rounds each of two sun salutations, a set of standing poses, a series of postures and a closing sequence, moving with the breath and holding most poses for five breaths. It was developed in 20th-century Mysore, India, and is taught in the tradition of K. Pattabhi Jois.
You can learn it in a led class, where a teacher counts everyone through together, or Mysore style, where you work at your own pace and the teacher adds poses one at a time. The only lab measurement, of a 56-minute beginners' video, found light exercise with harder spells in the sun salutations, and the trials are few and small.
This guide covers the series, the two kinds of class, how hard it is, what the trials and injury studies found, who should adapt it, and a 40-minute short form with every pose shown in 3D.
Every practice opens with 5 rounds each of sun salutations A and B, then a set of standing poses, a set series and a closing sequence, moving on the breath. The British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) calls Ashtanga a physically strong form of yoga made up of set sequences.
In a Mysore-style class you practise at your own pace and the teacher adds poses one at a time; a first practice may last only 20 to 30 minutes. In a led class, the teacher counts the whole group through the series together.
In the one lab study, a 56-minute beginners' Ashtanga video averaged 2.5 METs (metabolic equivalents: 1 is the energy you use sitting still), which is light, with the sun salutations close to moderate. A full practice by an experienced student hasn't been measured.
Eight months of twice-weekly Ashtanga-based classes made women's legs stronger but didn't change their bone density or blood pressure. A 12-week trial in 18 air force pilots found a difference only in lung capacity.
In a German survey, people reported 0.60 injuries per 1,000 hours of yoga, fewer than published rates for running. Headstand, shoulder stand and lotus are the poses most often linked to injuries.
Learn the sun salutations first, step back rather than jump, and leave lotus, headstand and shoulderstand until a teacher has taught you, as US health advice suggests for beginners.
AshtangaYoga.info, the site of an Ashtanga teacher-training school in Germany, describes "Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois". Sun salutation A has 9 movements and B has 17, each done on one breath in or one breath out, and each is done five times at the start of every practice.
The BWY describes "a physically strong form of yoga made up of set sequences", with the victorious breath, ujjayi, "central to its practice".
Every practice follows the same order, as AshtangaYoga.info sets it out:
Ashtanga teachers speak of tristana: the union of breath-linked movement (vinyasa), the "locks" (bandhas) and a set point for your gaze (drishti), such as your thumbs, nose or navel. An Ashtanga school calls ujjayi, breathing through a slightly narrowed throat, "the foundation of vinyasa".
Ashtanga means "eight limbs". In Patañjali's Yoga Sutras, the eight limbs of yoga run from abstentions and observances, through posture and breath control, to concentration, meditation and absorption. Ashtanga vinyasa yoga borrows the name for a posture practice developed in the 20th century; our yoga guide covers the eight limbs.
In the 1930s, T. Krishnamacharya taught yoga at the palace in Mysore, India, as postures joined by a repeating sequence based on sun salutations. His student K. Pattabhi Jois (1915 to 2009) built Ashtanga from three series of postures linked in a counted breath sequence.
Jois's grandson R. Sharath Jois led the school in Mysuru until his death in November 2024; it now runs as the Sharath Yoga Centre.
A university Ashtanga programme describes Mysore style as Ashtanga "in a self-practice setting with an experienced practitioner there to help". You don't need to know the sequence: the teacher starts you on the sun salutations and the opening and closing poses, then adds new poses one at a time when you're ready. Your first practice may be only 20 to 30 minutes, and practices lengthen over time.
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In a led class, the teacher counts everyone through the series together. The school in Mysuru marks out an area for Mysore-style practice and also runs led classes, and the university programme recommends led classes for learning the breath and the count.
Ashtanga is traditionally practised six days a week, with one or two led classes. The same programme says that if daily practice isn't possible, "many benefits can still be found practicing a few times a week". No trial has compared how often to practise.
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The school in Mysuru closes on Sundays and on "moon days" (two a month in its 2025 list), and the university programme notes that "traditionally, women rest for 3 days during menstruation". These are school customs. We found no study showing harm from practising, or from upside-down poses, during a period, and the NHS suggests gentle exercise such as yoga to ease period pain.
Mysore teachers often help with a hands-on assist. Yoga Alliance's code of conduct says teachers must get "Explicit and Informed Consent before physically adjusting" a student, and that silence or not resisting isn't consent. At the school in Mysuru, injured or pregnant students who don't want assistance put a card in front of their mat. You can always say no.
The school in Mysuru says its regular classes are "open for students of all levels including absolute beginners".
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Twenty experienced practitioners followed a 56-minute beginners' Ashtanga video while their oxygen use was measured. The first 24 minutes were sun salutations, with the pose changing every 3 to 8 seconds, then came standing poses, then sitting and lying poses.
The whole session averaged 2.5 METs and 3.2 kcal (kilocalories) a minute, with heart rate at about half of predicted maximum: light exercise, no different from walking at 3.2 km an hour. The sun salutation part averaged 2.9 METs, close to the 3 where moderate activity starts. This was one beginners' video, not a full practice, so it tells you little about the primary series.
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The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities lists hatha yoga at 2.3 METs, vinyasa at 2.7, sun salutations at 3.5 and power yoga at 4.0 (an estimate), but has no value for Ashtanga. The World Health Organization (WHO) counts 1.5 to under 3 METs as light activity, 3 to under 6 as moderate and 6 or more as vigorous.
Ten minutes of fast sun salutations by yoga teachers averaged 8.7 METs, which is vigorous. Across 17 energy studies, yoga sessions were mostly light, with sun salutations the main exception. In yoga, heart rate rises more than energy use, so it makes a class look harder than it is.
The NHS lists yoga among muscle-strengthening activities. In a motion-capture study of a 12-pose sun salutation (not the Ashtanga version), the spine moved from about 58 degrees of forward bend to 44 degrees of backbend, and the wrists bent back to about 85 degrees. That's why the folds need care with osteoporosis, and why wrists need building up (our reading).
The NHS asks adults for 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus strength work on 2 days. The US physical activity guidelines say yoga can include time at light or moderate intensity and can be both aerobic and muscle-strengthening, depending on the type and the poses.
Our reading: Ashtanga counts as strength work, its sun salutations give you some moderate minutes, and you still need brisk walking, cycling or something similar.
A large research database lists 13 papers with Ashtanga and yoga in the title, 4 of them randomised trials, all small. No review has pooled Ashtanga trials.
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In 34 women aged 35 to 50, two 60-minute Ashtanga-based classes a week for 8 months raised leg-press strength by 11%, while it fell by 7% in women who didn't take part. Other strength tests, artery stiffness, blood pressure and bone density didn't change, though a blood marker of bone building held steady while it fell in the comparison group.
In 18 pilots, 12 weeks of Ashtanga vinyasa classes improved general health, grip strength and lung function within the yoga group, but the only difference from the waiting-list group was in lung capacity.
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In 21 legally blind adults, 8 weeks of Ashtanga-based yoga therapy changed balance measures within the yoga group, but the pilot was too small to compare the groups.
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A 10-week group Ashtanga course was practical for 14 people with irritable bowel syndrome (10 finished), and their symptom scores fell from 272 to 177, but there was no comparison group.
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In a survey of 667 Finnish adults, people who practised Ashtanga reported less anxiety, depression and stress than people who didn't do yoga. A survey can't show that Ashtanga caused the difference.
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Across 306 randomised yoga trials, positive conclusions were as common for one style as another, so there's no evidence that Ashtanga does more for health than other yoga.
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Across 94 yoga trials with 8,430 people that reported harms, serious and minor problems were no more common with yoga than with usual care or other exercise, though reporting was often poor.
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In a German survey of 1,702 practitioners (about 1 in 6 mainly did Ashtanga), people reported 0.60 sudden injuries per 1,000 hours of yoga, mostly sprains and strains, against published rates of about 2.5 for running and general fitness training. Practising only on your own, without ever learning from a teacher, was linked to more problems.
As reported in two reviews, 62% of 110 Finnish Ashtanga practitioners said they'd had at least one yoga-related musculoskeletal injury (to muscles, bones or joints), mainly sprains and strains, and about half recovered fully. One of the reviews notes that injury figures from surveys vary widely, from 2.4% to 62%, with how and over what time people were asked.
In an Australian survey of 2,353 practitioners, 4.6% had been injured in the past year; headstands accounted for 7.4% of injuries, shoulder stands 6.3% and lotus and half lotus 5.3%, and people often blamed pushing too far. Reviews of published cases of harm name headstand, shoulder stand, lotus and forceful breathing most often, and one names Ashtanga among the styles most often involved.
People who do yoga have more meniscus (knee cartilage) injuries than people who don't. Lotus, half-lotus binds and some of Marichi's twists load the knees: come out if your knee hurts, and use easy pose instead of lotus.
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The American Academy of Ophthalmology advises people with glaucoma to avoid headstand, shoulderstand and other strenuous inversions, and to breathe out gently without holding the breath or narrowing the throat as in ujjayi; a yoga teacher in the same article suggests a slower style with props. In a lab study, head-down poses raised eye pressure within a minute, most of all in downward dog. Use a wall or chair for downward dog and keep folds brief, with your head up.
The primary series is full of seated forward bends. The UK consensus on exercise for osteoporosis advises modifying sustained, repeated or end-range forward bending, so fold from your hips with a long back, or leave the deep folds out, and skip plough and shoulderstand.
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The NHS says it's not recommended to start a new vigorous activity in pregnancy, so this isn't the time to start Ashtanga. If you already practise, tell your teacher, step rather than jump, leave out the inversions and closed twists (the move pages' cautions), and avoid lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes in later pregnancy.
Every round lowers you to the floor and back up, with the wrists bent well back. Lower with your knees down until your arms are strong, and use fists or forearms if your wrists hurt (our suggestion).
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Our suggestions, drawing on the advice to learn sun salutations first, add poses one at a time and avoid extreme poses as a beginner:
Two or three sessions a week is a sensible start (our editorial starting point): the trial that found stronger legs used two 60-minute sessions a week for 8 months. The tradition is six days a week, but the same school says a few times a week still helps. Add brisk walking or other aerobic activity on other days.
In the tradition, each sun salutation is done 5 times, most poses are held for 5 breaths and boat pose is repeated 3 to 5 times. Beginners can start with 3 rounds of each sun salutation, as in our short form (our suggestion).
The nine counted movements, the breath for each and the 5 breaths in downward dog follow AshtangaYoga.info's vinyasa count for sun salutation A. Stepping, lowering with your knees down and low cobra are our suggestions for beginners.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Sun salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)
Learn sun salutation A at one breath per movement, then add B; lower with your knees down and use low cobra until chaturanga and upward dog are comfortable.
3D demoSun salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSun salutation B (Surya Namaskar B)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoDownward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoFour-limbed staff pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoLow cobra (Bhujangasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoUpward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)Intermediate · No equipmentHold each for 5 breaths a side, as Ashtanga does; the hip hinge fold stands in for the big-toe folds, and revolved side angle can wait until revolved triangle is easy.
3D demoHip hinge foldBeginner · No equipment
3D demoTriangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)Intermediate · A step
3D demoRevolved triangle pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana)Advanced · A step
3D demoExtended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoRevolved side angle (Parivrtta Parsvakonasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoWide-legged standing forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPyramid pose (Parsvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipmentFive breaths each, with boat pose 3 to 5 times and your knees bent in the folds; the twist and the strap stretch stand in for Marichi's poses and the lying hand-to-toe pose.
3D demoStanding hand-to-big-toe pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior I (Virabhadrasana I)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoStaff pose (Dandasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSeated forward fold (Paschimottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoUpward plank pose (Purvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHead-to-knee pose (Janu Sirsasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHalf lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBoat pose (Navasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWide-angle seated forward fold (Upavistha Konasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipmentA bridge, then 10 breaths sitting in easy pose instead of lotus, then at least 5 minutes of corpse pose (that pose's page suggests at least 5, up to 10).
Traditional closing and primary-series poses to learn in person; skip the inversions with glaucoma, neck problems or high blood pressure that isn't controlled.
3D demoWheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoSupported shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoPlow pose (Halasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoFish pose (Matsyasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)Expert · A wallLearn the sun salutations step by step first, then follow the 40-minute short form. The walk and yoga workout adds the brisk walking that yoga alone doesn't give you.
A 40-minute beginners' Ashtanga practice in the traditional order: sun salutations A and B, the standing poses, the start of the primary series and a rest.
40 minBeginner18 movesA stepA 20-minute way into sun salutation A: learn the standing half, then the floor half with your knees down and cobra, then link them into 3 slow rounds.
20 minBeginner11 movesNo equipmentA 20-minute flow built on sun salutations A and B, with warrior poses and a short cool-down.
20 minIntermediate8 movesNo equipmentA 30-minute beginners' vinyasa flow: sun salutations, lunges, standing poses, balances and backbends, moving with the breath at a slow pace, then a rest.
30 minBeginner16 movesNo equipmentA 45-minute session for weight loss and health: a 20-minute brisk walk, which does more for the scales, then a standing yoga flow for strength and balance.
45 minBeginner12 movesCardio machineFor chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or that spreads to your arms, neck or jaw, severe difficulty breathing, or if someone collapses. In the US, call 911.
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If you're suddenly more short of breath than usual, or have chest pain with feeling sick or a racing, slow or fluttering heartbeat.
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The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell. Come out at once for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling in a leg or foot in lotus or kneeling poses, or dizziness, blurred vision or a sudden headache with your head back or upside down.
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For pain that hasn't eased after a few weeks, keeps coming back, or came with a pop, swelling or locking in a knee (our suggestion). In one study, more than a third of new pain caused by yoga lasted over 3 months or cost practice time.
Get advice before starting if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, have had a recent heart attack or operation, or are pregnant or have recently given birth. Tell your teacher about any condition.
See a GP if period pain stops you doing your usual daily activities. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111 if it's severe or worse than usual and painkillers haven't helped.
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We found no study measuring toxins leaving the body in sweat during Ashtanga. What you lose is fluid (about 0.28 kg in 45 minutes of power yoga) and salt, which the NHS says to replace after heavy sweating.
It was developed in 20th-century Mysore from Krishnamacharya's teaching. In the Yoga Sutras, ashtanga means the eight limbs, which is a different thing.
These are school customs. The same university programme says a few times a week still brings benefits, and the NHS suggests gentle exercise such as yoga for period pain.
Classes at the school in Mysuru are open to absolute beginners, and in Mysore style a first practice may be only 20 to 30 minutes, with new poses added one at a time.
Teachers need your explicit consent to touch you, and you can decline at any time.
The often-quoted 62% comes from one small Finnish survey, as reported in two reviews. In a national survey, yoga caused fewer injuries per hour than running, and the riskiest parts (inversions, lotus, forced folds and practising alone too soon) can be avoided.
Eight months of Ashtanga-based classes didn't change bone density, and across 11 studies of Pilates or yoga in women, bone density didn't change significantly. Our osteoporosis guide covers the exercise that does help bone.
A flowing style in which you practise the same set sequence every time, moving on the breath and holding most poses for five breaths. It opens with sun salutations, moves through standing poses and a series, and ends with closing poses. It is taught in the tradition of K. Pattabhi Jois, who developed it in 20th-century Mysore.
The first of the set series: about 40 poses and variations, from standing balances and warrior poses through seated forward bends, twists and boat pose to a bridge and wheel. It comes after the sun salutations and standing poses and before the closing sequence. Most people practise it for years before learning the second series.
Self-practice in a group room: each person works through the sequence at their own pace while the teacher helps people one at a time and adds new poses when you're ready. A first practice may last only 20 to 30 minutes. In a led class, by contrast, the teacher counts the whole group through the series together.
Yes, if you start small: Mysore-style classes teach the sun salutations first and add poses one at a time, and the school in Mysuru welcomes absolute beginners. Step back rather than jump, lower with your knees down, and leave headstand, shoulderstand and lotus until a teacher has taught you.
A 56-minute beginners' practice measured as light exercise, similar to a slow walk, with the sun salutations close to moderate. Faster practice is harder: 10 minutes of vigorous sun salutations averaged 8.7 METs in yoga teachers, which is vigorous. A full primary series by an experienced student hasn't been measured.
In the one lab study, a 56-minute beginners' video used about 3.2 kcal a minute. A full practice by an experienced student hasn't been measured, so we can't give a reliable figure for that.
The trials are few and small: 8 months of twice-weekly classes made women's legs stronger but didn't change bone density or artery stiffness. Ashtanga practitioners report less anxiety and stress than people who don't do yoga, but a survey can't show that yoga caused it. Like other yoga, it counts as muscle-strengthening activity.
Most injuries are sprains and strains, and yoga's injury rate per hour in a national survey was lower than running's. The poses most often involved are headstand, shoulder stand and lotus, so learn them slowly or skip them, and practise with a teacher rather than alone at first.
The tradition is six days a week, but the same school says a few times a week still brings benefits. Two or three sessions a week is a sensible start, with walking or other aerobic exercise on other days.
They are school customs: the school in Mysuru closes on Sundays and moon days, and women traditionally rest for 3 days of their period. No study shows harm from practising then, and the NHS suggests gentle exercise such as yoga for period pain.
Ashtanga repeats the same set series with counted breaths, while vinyasa classes use the same breath-linked flow in sequences each teacher designs. Our types of yoga guide compares all the main styles.
With glaucoma, skip headstand and shoulderstand and keep head-down poses brief or head-up. With osteoporosis, swap the many deep forward folds for flat-back versions. In pregnancy, this isn't the time to start a demanding new practice; if you already practise, tell your teacher and midwife.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
