Although Ashtanga yoga works with a set sequence of postures, if you come to Mysore style class with me there’s every chance I’ll suggest you work with some (or maybe even all!) of my favourite Ashtanga yoga preps. These are exercises that have helped me in my own practice and can help you too.

Working with the Ashtanga sequence of postures can be really beneficial:

• Each posture builds on something that’s come before and is preparing you for something that comes later;

• If you’ve put in the work to build the foundations you never practice a posture you’re not ready for;

• You can see improvements over time;

• Practising on your own is easier as you don’t need to figure out what posture to do next;

• You’re learning to be independent – the support and guidance of a good teacher is invaluable but the bottom line is it’s your practice.

When I ask you to work with these preps I’m hoping to enrich your experience of the postures in the set sequence. You’ll hopefully find more space in your body for the postures which follow. That’ll help you find some steadiness and ease, or at the very least allow you to practise without pain.

Working with these preps and exercises will also help you really experience and understand your body and the postures you find challenging.

Take a look at the videos below…

Ashtanga Yoga Preps: Exploring Aspects Of Downward Facing Dog

Are you struggling with aspects of downward facing dog? Maybe you’re coming to the posture with tight hamstrings and feel the stretch in the legs. Or perhaps you really feel it in the upper body as you’re bearing weight through the hands, arms and shoulders.

If you’re practising Ashtanga Yoga or Vinyasa Flow regularly, you’ll come to downward facing dog many times too. It’s easy to get into a habit or a pattern of movement that might not be so helpful. So it can be worth revisiting and looking again to see if there’s more you can get out of this posture and if you can use it to help you build stronger foundations.

Gain a different perspective and take a look at some aspects of downward facing dog in this video. Can you explore this foundational posture in another way?

Ashtanga Yoga Preps: Three Options To Try Instead Of A Vinyasa

When you’re building your strength and stamina with the Ashtanga sequence or Vinyasa Flow, it can be helpful to have some options to take instead of a vinyasa.

For example, in half led primary when we come through to the seated postures we do a vinyasa between each different posture but between the right side and the left side of each posture I offer these options for students to take. Give them a go!

Ashtanga Yoga Preps: Exploring Upward Facing Dog With Gravity

Often when we’re in a fast paced class, where we’re flowing from one posture to the next, it can be difficult to find a sense of strength, stability and space in upward facing dog. A helpful thing to do is to take upward facing dog out of the sequence and move into it and explore it in a slightly different way.

You’ll know if you’re practising ashtanga or vinyasa flow that we transition into upward facing dog from chaturanga. That’s pretty tricky because we’re actually lifting against gravity. The weight of our body is pulling us down so it’s very difficult to find the integrity, especially through the centre of the body and you might feel a bit jammed in the low back.

What I’ve found really helpful is to come into upward facing dog from downward facing dog. This means we have gravity to help us, we’re moving down into upward facing dog.

Ashtanga Yoga Preps: High Plank to Chaturanga

If you’re struggling with chaturanga or maybe you’re practising with a shoulder injury, a helpful place to spend some time and pay a little bit of attention is high plank.

In ashtanga class, in the sun salutations and vinyasas, high plank is a position we pass through. Or maybe, depending on who you’ve learned from, it may be that the transition to chaturanga doesn’t pass through high plank at all.

For me, when I was building my strength and technique for chaturanga, I found it really helpful to do a bit of extra work in high plank just before starting to lower. Give this a try and then incorporate it into your practice at home. It’s worth spending a couple of extra breaths in high plank before lowering to chaturanga just to help you find the work and build the strength and stability needed for this transition.

Let us know how you get on with these Ashtanga yoga preps and remember we’re here to help. If you have any questions please get in touch. You can email me at judi@merchantcityyoga.com, message me through Facebook or Instagram or you can text me on 07880 631599.

Judi x

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