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AYD.yoga

Ashtanga Yoga Denver

Yoga Chikitsā

The Primary Series — yoga therapy

The first series of Ashtanga yoga as taught in the KPJAYI method. Tap any pose to explore its complete compendium — etymology, vinyāsa count, alignment, anatomy, philosophy, and more.

Opening→
Sūrya Namaskāra→
Standing Sequence→
Seated Sequence→
Finishing Sequence→
Closing Sequence

Opening

Invocation(1 pose)

वन्दे गुरूणाम्Vande GurūṇāmOpening Mantra
Dṛṣṭi: Nose

Sūrya Namaskāra

Sun Salutations(2 poses)

सूर्य नमस्कारASūrya Namaskāra ASun Salutation A
Vinyāsa: 9×5 roundsState: 6Dṛṣṭi: Navel
सूर्य नमस्कारBSūrya Namaskāra BSun Salutation B
Vinyāsa: 17×5 roundsState: 14Dṛṣṭi: Navel

Standing Sequence

Building heat and balance(16 poses)

Forward folds

पादाङ्गुष्ठासनPādāṅguṣṭhāsanaBig Toe Pose
Vinyāsa: 3State: 2Dṛṣṭi: Nose
पादहस्तासनPādahastāsanaHand Under Foot Pose
Vinyāsa: 3State: 2Dṛṣṭi: Nose

Triangle & side-angle

उत्थित त्रिकोणासनUtthita TrikoṇāsanaExtended Triangle Pose
Vinyāsa: 5State: 2 (R), 4 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Upper hand
परिवृत्त त्रिकोणासनParivṛtta TrikoṇāsanaRevolved Triangle Pose
Vinyāsa: 5State: 2 (R), 4 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Upper hand
उत्थित पार्श्वकोणासनUtthita PārśvakoṇāsanaExtended Side Angle Pose
Vinyāsa: 5State: 2 (R), 4 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Upper hand
परिवृत्त पार्श्वकोणासनParivṛtta PārśvakoṇāsanaRevolved Side Angle Pose
Vinyāsa: 5State: 2 (R), 4 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Upper hand

Prasārita group

प्रसारित पादोत्तानासनAPrasārita Pādottānāsana AWide-Legged Forward Fold A
Vinyāsa: 5State: 3Dṛṣṭi: Nose
प्रसारित पादोत्तानासनBPrasārita Pādottānāsana BWide-Legged Forward Fold B
Vinyāsa: 4State: 3Dṛṣṭi: Nose
प्रसारित पादोत्तानासनCPrasārita Pādottānāsana CWide-Legged Forward Fold C
Vinyāsa: 4State: 3Dṛṣṭi: Nose
प्रसारित पादोत्तानासनDPrasārita Pādottānāsana DWide-Legged Forward Fold D
Vinyāsa: 5State: 3Dṛṣṭi: Nose
पार्श्वोत्तानासनPārśvottānāsanaIntense Side Stretch
Vinyāsa: 5State: 2 (R), 4 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes

Balance

उत्थित हस्त पादाङ्गुष्ठासनUtthita Hasta PādāṅguṣṭhāsanaExtended Hand to Big Toe Pose
Vinyāsa: 14State: 2, 4, 7 (R) · 9, 11, 14 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes → Side
अर्ध बद्ध पद्मोत्तानासनArdha Baddha PadmottānāsanaHalf Bound Lotus Forward Fold
Vinyāsa: 9State: 2 (R), 7 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes

Transition to the floor

उत्कटासनUtkaṭāsanaFierce Pose
Vinyāsa: 13State: 7Dṛṣṭi: Thumbs
वीरभद्रासनAVīrabhadrāsana AWarrior Pose A
Vinyāsa: 16State: 7 (R), 8 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Thumbs
वीरभद्रासनBVīrabhadrāsana BWarrior Pose B
Vinyāsa: 16State: 9 (L), 10 (R)Dṛṣṭi: Fingertips

Seated Sequence

Forward folds, twists, and hip openers(26 poses)

दण्डासनDaṇḍāsanaStaff Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 7Dṛṣṭi: Nose
पश्चिमोत्तानासनPaścimottānāsanaSeated Forward Fold
Vinyāsa: 16State: 9Dṛṣṭi: Toes
पूर्वोत्तानासनPūrvottānāsanaUpward Plank Pose
Vinyāsa: 15State: 8Dṛṣṭi: Nose
अर्ध बद्ध पद्म पश्चिमोत्तानासनArdha Baddha Padma PaścimottānāsanaHalf Bound Lotus Seated Forward Fold
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes
त्रियङ्ग मुखैकपाद पश्चिमोत्तानासनTriyaṅga Mukhaikapāda PaścimottānāsanaThree Limbs Face One Foot Pose
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes

Jānu group

जानु शीर्षासनAJānu Śīrṣāsana AHead to Knee Pose A
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes
जानु शीर्षासनBJānu Śīrṣāsana BHead to Knee Pose B
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes
जानु शीर्षासनCJānu Śīrṣāsana CHead to Knee Pose C
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes

Marīcī group

मरीच्यासनAMarīcyāsana ASage Marīci Pose A
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes
मरीच्यासनBMarīcyāsana BSage Marīci Pose B
Vinyāsa: 22State: 8 (R), 15 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Nose
मरीच्यासनCMarīcyāsana CSage Marīci Pose C
Vinyāsa: 18State: 7 (R), 12 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Side
मरीच्यासनDMarīcyāsana DSage Marīci Pose D
Vinyāsa: 18State: 7 (R), 12 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Side
नावासनNāvāsanaBoat Pose
Vinyāsa: 13×5 liftsState: 7Dṛṣṭi: Toes

Arm balances

भुजपीडासनBhujapīḍāsanaArm Pressure Pose
Vinyāsa: 15State: 8Dṛṣṭi: Nose
कूर्मासनKūrmāsanaTortoise Pose
Vinyāsa: 14State: 7Dṛṣṭi: Nose
सुप्त कूर्मासनSupta KūrmāsanaSleeping Tortoise Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 9Dṛṣṭi: Nose
गर्भ पिण्डासनGarbha PiṇḍāsanaEmbryo in the Womb Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 8Dṛṣṭi: Nose
कुक्कुटासनKukkuṭāsanaRooster Pose
Vinyāsa: 15State: 9Dṛṣṭi: Nose
बद्ध कोणासनBaddha KoṇāsanaBound Angle Pose
Vinyāsa: 17State: 8 (chin to floor), 10 (head to toes)Dṛṣṭi: Nose
उपविष्ट कोणासनUpaviṣṭa KoṇāsanaSeated Wide Angle Pose
Vinyāsa: 15B runs on to 16State: 8 (A), 10 (B)Dṛṣṭi: Nose / Up
सुप्त कोणासनSupta KoṇāsanaSleeping Angle Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 8Dṛṣṭi: Nose
सुप्त पादाङ्गुष्ठासनSupta PādāṅguṣṭhāsanaReclining Big Toe Pose
Vinyāsa: 28State: 9, 11 (R) · 17, 19 (L)Dṛṣṭi: Toes → Side
उभय पादाङ्गुष्ठासनUbhaya PādāṅguṣṭhāsanaBoth Big Toes Pose
Vinyāsa: 15State: 9Dṛṣṭi: Up
ऊर्ध्व मुख पश्चिमोत्तानासनŪrdhva Mukha PaścimottānāsanaUpward Facing Seated Forward Fold
Vinyāsa: 17State: 10Dṛṣṭi: Toes
सेतु बन्धासनSetu BandhāsanaBridge Pose
Vinyāsa: 15State: 9Dṛṣṭi: Nose

Transition

चक्रासनCakrāsanaBackward Roll
Dṛṣṭi: Nose

Finishing Sequence

Backbends, inversions, and integration(11 poses)

Backbends

ऊर्ध्व धनुरासनŪrdhva DhanurāsanaUpward Bow / Full Wheel
Vinyāsa: 15State: 9 · 3 lifts × 5 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
पश्चिमोत्तानासनPaścimottānāsana (closing)Seated Forward Fold (closing)
Vinyāsa: 16State: 9 · 10 breathsDṛṣṭi: Toes

Shoulderstand sequence

सालम्ब सर्वाङ्गासनSālamba SarvāṅgāsanaSupported Shoulderstand
Vinyāsa: 15State: 8 · 10 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
हलासनHalāsanaPlow Pose
Vinyāsa: 13State: 8 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
कर्णपीडासनKarṇapīḍāsanaEar Pressure Pose
Vinyāsa: 13State: 8 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
ऊर्ध्व पद्मासनŪrdhva PadmāsanaUpward Lotus in Shoulderstand
Vinyāsa: 14State: 9 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
पिण्डासनPiṇḍāsanaEmbryo Pose in Shoulderstand
Vinyāsa: 14State: 9 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
मत्स्यासनMatsyāsanaFish Pose
Vinyāsa: 13State: 9 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
उत्तान पादासनUttāna PādāsanaExtended Legs Pose
Vinyāsa: 13State: 9 · 8 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose

Headstand

शीर्षासनŚīrṣāsanaHeadstand
Vinyāsa: 13State: 8 · 15 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
अर्ध शीर्षासनArdha ŚīrṣāsanaHalf Headstand
Vinyāsa: 13State: 9 · 10 breaths, then 10 with the head liftedDṛṣṭi: Nose

Closing Sequence

Meditation and rest(5 poses)

बद्ध पद्मासन / योग मुद्राBaddha Padmāsana / Yoga MudrāBound Lotus / Yoga Seal
Vinyāsa: 16State: 9 · 10 breaths in Yoga MudrāDṛṣṭi: Nose
पद्मासनPadmāsanaLotus Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 10 · 10 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
उत्प्लुतिःUtpluthiḥScale Pose
Vinyāsa: 16State: 10 · 10 breathsDṛṣṭi: Nose
शवासनŚavāsanaRest (the book calls it sukhāsana)
State: no fixed timeDṛṣṭi: Eyes closed
स्वस्ति प्रजाभ्यःMaṅgala MantraClosing Prayer
Dṛṣṭi: Nose