Ashtanga Foundations — 4 Weeks
A four-week build into the Ashtanga method: standing sequence first, seated series added in, holds lengthening as the sequences become second nature.
- GOAL
- Mobility & Yoga
- LEVEL
- Intermediate
- LENGTH
- 4 weeks
- SESSIONS
- 5 per week
A structured on-ramp to a set-sequence practice for someone who has flow experience but has not trained a fixed series. Weeks 1 and 2 establish the standing sequence and introduce the seated foundations, run at five days a week with conservative holds so the order becomes automatic before anything deepens. Weeks 3 and 4 lengthen the holds toward the traditional five full breaths and add a second seated day, with a yin or restorative practice kept weekly throughout as the counterweight to daily active work. The block sets up a full six-day Ashtanga practice or a led class, having built the sequences patiently rather than dropping into the deep end. It trains the sequences and the breath that links them; it does not treat any condition, and existing injuries should be cleared first.
- →Has a flowing practice and wants to learn a set-sequence method properly
- →Prefers building a fixed routine over sampling classes
- →Can commit to five practices a week for four weeks
- →Wants the standing and seated sequences solid before a Mysore or led class
- →Can move through a sun salutation and hold Chaturanga with control
- →Can sit upright in a seated fold without the low back collapsing
- →No acute injury; anyone with a medical condition or persistent pain should clear this first
- →Has a mat and a strap, and can practise on an empty stomach
Make the standing sequence automatic and introduce the seated foundations, at conservative holds so the order settles before the depth does.
- MondayAshtanga: Standing SequenceLearn the order. Same order every time from here.
- TuesdayAshtanga: Seated FoundationsIntroduce the seated series. Staff Pose between every pose.
- WednesdayVinyasa: Sun Salutations A and BSharpen the vinyasa. Clean transitions carry into both sequences.
- ThursdayRest, or a slow 20 min walk
- FridayAshtanga: Standing SequenceSecond run of the week. Notice what the body already remembers.
- SaturdayYin: Hips and Lower BodyThe counterweight to active practice. Long passive holds.
- SundayRest
PROGRESSIONHold each pose for three to four breaths this fortnight, right side then left, in the fixed order. Add no poses beyond what the routines prescribe. The goal is that the sequence no longer needs to be thought about by the end of week 2.
Lengthen the holds toward the traditional five breaths and add a second seated day, now that the order is familiar.
- MondayAshtanga: Standing SequenceFive breaths per pose now. Same order.
- TuesdayAshtanga: Seated FoundationsSit tall before any bind. A strap stands in for the hand indefinitely.
- WednesdayAshtanga: Seated FoundationsSecond seated day. Compare the folds to week 1.
- ThursdayRest, or a slow 20 min walk
- FridayAshtanga: Standing SequenceSteady and unhurried. Breath sets the count.
- SaturdayRestorative PracticeFully propped recovery. Nothing active after a fuller week.
- SundayRest
PROGRESSIONMove to five full breaths per pose. Add the second seated session in place of one salutation day. Depth in the seated binds comes only once you can sit tall — sit tall first, bind second, and never the reverse.
- →The sequences stay fixed. Progress is longer breaths and steadier order, never new poses bolted on.
- →Sit tall before you bind in the seated series. A rounded spine reaching for a bind is going backwards, not forwards.
- →Keep one yin or restorative session every week — daily active practice without a counterweight is how the block breaks down.
- →Practise on an empty stomach; a morning slot is easier to keep than an evening one.
- →A missed session is skipped, not doubled up. Never train two demanding days back to back to catch up.
- →This block trains the sequences and the breath. Persistent or worsening pain needs a clinician, not more repetitions.
- →Seated forward fold: hands to shins, ankles or feet, measured the same way each week
- →Marichi's pose: fingertips apart, touching, or clasped
- →Chaturanga: clean reps through a salutation before the elbows flare
- →Standing hand-to-big-toe: balance duration each side