Ashtanga Yoga Foundations

A 5-Week Introduction to the Primary Series

This five-week course offers a steady, supported introduction to the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series, designed especially for beginners — whether you’re new to yoga altogether, or new to Ashtanga and curious to understand it properly.

Ashtanga is a strong, structured form of yoga that links breath and movement into a flowing, rhythmic practice. When taught carefully, it becomes not just a workout, but a deeply grounding and confidence-building practice — one that strengthens the body, steadies the mind, and rewards consistency.

This course is about learning how Ashtanga works, so that you feel confident, capable, and supported — not rushed or overwhelmed.

What you’ll learn over the 5 weeks

Across the course, you’ll gradually build the foundations of a traditional Ashtanga practice, including:

• How to move with the breath to create a steady, flowing practice

• An introduction to bandhas (stabilising actions in the body) to support strength and control

• How vinyasa links postures together safely and intelligently

• Building upper-body strength, stamina, and mobility over time

• Learning key elements of the Primary Series:

  • Sun Salutations A & B

  • Standing poses

  • Seated poses up to Navasana (boat pose)

  • The finishing sequence

• How to modify postures to suit your body and ability

• Using focus and repetition to quieten the mind

Rather than trying to do everything at once, we move step by step — repeating, refining, and building confidence week by week.

Who this course is for

This course is ideal if you:

• Are new to yoga and want a strong, structured foundation

• Are new to Ashtanga and want to learn it properly

• Enjoy repetition and building skill over time

• Want to feel stronger, steadier, and more confident in your practice

You don’t need to be flexible, fit, or experienced. You just need a willingness to show up and learn.

Weekly Breakdown

Week 1 — Breath, Bandhas & Sun Salutations

We begin by laying the foundations.

In this first class, you’ll be introduced to:

• Breathing with movement

• The role of bandhas in creating stability

• Sun Salutations A & B, taught slowly and with a steady counted rhythm

This class builds energy, strength, and stamina, and can also be used as a supportive warm-up for other yoga practices.

Week 2 — Standing Poses (Part One)

After flowing through Sun Salutation A, we begin to explore the standing sequence.

You’ll learn:

• Alignment principles for the first four standing postures

• How each posture flows as part of the Ashtanga sequence

• The final three postures from the finishing sequence

This class is accessible, informative, and designed to build confidence as you deepen what you learned in Week 1.

Week 3 — Standing Poses (Part Two)

This week completes the standing sequence.

After Sun Salutations A & B, we continue from Prasarita Padottanasana, (wide legged fold) learning:

• The remaining standing postures

• How the vinyasa transitions take you from standing down to the floor

• Repetition of the finishing postures to build familiarity

By the end of this class, the structure of the standing sequence will feel clearer and more familiar.

Week 4 — Seated Poses (Up to Navasana)

This week introduces the seated section of the Primary Series.

After Sun Salutations and the standing sequence, you’ll learn:

• Seated postures up to Navasana

• Half vinyasas linking the poses

• How to use props and modifications to practise safely and sustainably

We finish with the finishing sequence, including bridge pose, reinforcing consistency and rhythm.

Week 5 — The Finishing Sequence

In the final week, we focus on the finishing postures of the Ashtanga Primary Series.

You’ll be guided through:

• The full preparation leading into the finishing sequence

• Shoulderstand and related postures

• Gentle preparations for headstand, with options and alternatives

This class brings together everything you’ve learned, helping you understand how the practice is structured from beginning to end.

After the course

By the end of these five weeks, you’ll have:

• A clear understanding of how the Ashtanga Primary Series works

• The confidence to practise independently or join a guided class

• A strong foundation for continuing into a regular Ashtanga practice

This course is designed not as a one-off, but as the beginning of an ongoing, sustainable relationship with Ashtanga.