Ashtanga Yoga

This posture is called Parivrtta Parsvakonasana in Sanskrit, and it is the sixth posture in the standing sequence of the Ashtanga Primary Series. It asks for open hips and some flexibility in the spine, which the earlier poses of the traditional sequence give you. All the standing postures in the Ashtanga series are linked together.

This video breaks the posture down and shows you how to enter it step by step.

In this class we open up the hips to make it easier to come into one of the best known postures, Padmasana, or Lotus Pose.

We talk about how to avoid hurting the knees on the way in. Never force your legs into Lotus. It should come with ease, once there is enough flexibility in the hips.

In this class Sofia goes through preparation postures and movements that help you find your way into deeper backbends, with both stretches and strength work to get your body ready.

The peak pose is Kapotasana, one of the deepest backbends in the Ashtanga Intermediate Series. In the traditional Ashtanga method, this posture is often introduced to students who have practised for years. Level 2, no props needed.

This posture is called Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana in Sanskrit, and it is one of the first balances on one leg. For the full posture you need some flexibility in the hamstrings and hips, which the earlier postures of the Ashtanga sequence give you in time.

This tutorial also cues the correct vinyasa count, showing which movement goes with an inhale and which with an exhale.

This tutorial shows you step by step how to approach Chakrasana, the backward roll that comes at the end of the Ashtanga Primary Series and in the closing sequence.

Chakrasana is often used to come out of a posture lying on the floor. It gives more flow to the sequence than rolling up to sit, jumping back to Chaturanga and doing the vinyasa.

A class to help you open up the hips and the hamstrings to prepare for Supta Kurmasana, one of the deepest forward folds in the Ashtanga Primary Series.

Supta Kurmasana, or Sleeping Turtle Pose, is the peak pose of the series, and many forward folds come before it. Do this video on its own, or after or within your longer practice.

Here are some of Sofia's favourite strength exercises to prepare for going upside down. This set of exercises strengthens your core and wrists and improves your balance.

Do the routine a few days a week and it will get your inversion practice going. Keep practising and it will come.

Short of time? This practice warms up the body with some Sun Salutations, then goes straight to the finishing sequence of Ashtanga yoga.

This practice is for the more experienced yogi, since there are no detailed instructions for the asanas. Level 2-3, no props needed.

This practice is for the more advanced yoga practitioner. We try some of the postures from the second series of Ashtanga, a sequence you are ready to start after years of consistent practice of the Primary Series.

Expect inversions and arm balances, with work for the hips, the hamstrings and the spine. Level 3.

Do you want to learn to balance on your forearms? This short tutorial gives you tips and drills to get your forearm balances going.

The work is in the arms and the shoulders. Level 1-2, no props needed.

This video is for you who want to know what the Ashtanga yoga method is all about and how to recognise it.

Take five minutes to learn more about it before you try your first class.

This class is an intense but fun flow where you get to play with handstands. We start slowly, warming up the wrists and the body, then get upside down.

Feel free to practise close to a wall, and get ready to flow and fly. Level 2-3, no props needed.

Want to learn how to do drop backs? Then this is the class for you. A drop back is the transition from standing into Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose).

Place your mat close to a wall, and warm up your back before you start this class, so you move safely into the backbends. Level 1-2.

This short Ashtanga class is for you who already have a regular, experienced Ashtanga practice. There are few descriptions of how to do the poses. It is an effective flow that gets your body warm.

The right practice when you are short of time or travelling. Level 2-3, no props needed.

If you are short of time, a shorter routine is much better than no yoga at all.

You start this session sitting still to get grounded, then build heat with Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations). We continue with forward folds and twists, and finish with a couple of rounds of backbends. Level 2-3, no props needed.

The full Ashtanga Primary Series with fewer instructions: simple guiding and timing of the postures.

A Led Primary Series class takes away bad self-practice habits, such as a wandering mind, losing the connection with the breath or fidgeting between postures. It gives you a chance to refine your practice by following the count as it is traditionally prescribed. Level 2-3, no props needed.

See the full Ashtanga yoga primary series

This class is an introduction to Ashtanga yoga. If you are new and want to learn the fundamentals, this class is a great start.

Sofia touches on three of the eight limbs of yoga: Asana (posture), Pranayama (control of breath) and a little meditation (Dhyana). Level 1, no props needed.