Ashtanga yoga takes you through set routines that require vigor and sweat to execute. K. Pattabhi Jois, a yoga teacher in India, derived the postures from an ancient text called the "Yoga Korunta." The authors of "Instructing Hatha Yoga" recount how Jois called the practice ashtanga, or eight limbs, because he believed it to be a lost form of yoga meant to accompany the yoga sutras assembled by Patanjali, a sage or doctor who lived 2,000 years ago. Power yoga, advanced by American yoga innovator Beryl Bender Birch, abridges the full sequences of ashtanga. So if you've sweated and trembled through a power yoga class, you've experienced ashtanga poses.
Standing
The standing poses include a lot more than just standing. If you've ever done a sun salutation, you know that you bend forward at the waist, drop down into plank, conduct a low pushup and undulate through upward dog or cobra and back to the inverted "V" of downward dog. Ashtanga teacher Michaela Clark also describes foundational postures in her book "Ashtanga Yoga for Beginners," such as the bound-toe forward bend, as you grasp your big toes while folded forward at the waist. In extended triangle, revolved triangle, side stretch and revolved side stretch, you'll have one foot at the front and one at the back of your mat, with your body in a variety of twists and arms extended to complete the triangle. Standing poses also include balancing postures, including a challenging version of tree, and the dramatic warrior sequence.
Sitting
You sit on your mat for postures such as the seated forward bend, which lengthens the spine and the hamstrings. Exhale, reach forward and grasp your big toes with the first two fingers and the thumbs of each hand. On an inhale, arch your back, and the next exhale involves a deep fold forward, placing your face as close to your toes as possible, elbows near the floor. In the variation called the bent knee forward bend, you perform this stretch with one knee bent and touching the floor, as the sole of your foot touches the thigh of your straight leg. Boat posture resembles the seated "V" position of Pilates, with legs and spine 45 degrees to the floor and arms parallel.
Finishing Postures
Finishing postures typically occur from a starting position while lying on your back. The face-up bow, shoulder stand, headstand, plough, fish and wheel require you to stretch or counterstretch your back, and for the wheel, your whole body. A power yoga session features a selection of these finishing postures in the closing 15 minutes of an hourlong workout.
Movements and Breath
The poses themselves and the movements between them entail linked breathing, with inhales and exhales typically called out by the class instructor. You'll move from relaxed breathing at the start of the sun salutation to what is called ujjayi breathing, creating a noisy "haaaa" with each exhalation. You'll often be inhaling on an upsweeping motion and exhaling on the descent of your arms or torso. Your breathing returns to normal during the sivasana or corpse pose that closes the practice.
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