30 Minute Beginners Ashtanga Yoga | Modified Primary Series

This 30-minute beginner Ashtanga yoga class introduces a modified version of the Primary Series in a more accessible, approachable way. You’ll move through a structured sequence that links breath with movement while building strength, flexibility, and focus. The pace is steady with clear guidance, making it ideal if you’re new to Ashtanga or looking for a shorter practice. Expect to leave feeling energized, grounded, and more familiar with the rhythm of the practice.

Transcript

Hello, My name is Leah Sugarman. Welcome to your Ashtanga-inspired vinyasa flow. This is a rough modification of the Ashtanga primary series and a shortened and condensed version of it. So it'll help you to get your heart rate pumping, To get sweaty and a great workout in and also help you to connect to your breath. So start at the top of your mat in a strong, Stable mountain pose or Samasthiti. Let your feet be roughly hip distance apart, Ground down into your feet. Lift up tall through your spine. As you inhale, Sweep your arms out and up overhead, Option to lift your gaze. And then exhale, Lead with your chest, Hinge from your hips and dive forward over your legs. Inhale, Lift up halfway. You can place your hands on your thighs, Your shins or the floor. Elongate your back body. Exhale, Fold and release. Bend your knees deeply until you can plant your palms and then step back into a high plank position. Soften your knees to the floor and exhale, Slowly release your weight all the way down to the mat. Flip your toes, Roll your shoulders down your back and inhale, Peel your heart forward and up into Cobra. Exhale, Release your weight back down to the floor, Tuck your toes underneath and send your sit bones high into Downward Facing Dog. Establish a connection to your breath here. Option to bend your knees as much as you'd like to. Focus on creating length in your back body. Inhale look forward and slowly step your feet forward toward the top of your mat, Option to bend your knees. Inhale, Lift up halfway. Exhale, Fold and release forward. Soften your knees. Inhale, Lead with your chest, Rise all the way up to stand, Sweep your arms out and up overhead. Exhale, Release your arms down by your sides back to Samasthiti. Option to repeat that exact same flow or inhale, Reach your arms out and up overhead. Exhale, Lead with your chest, Hinge from your hips and dive forward. Inhale, Lift up halfway, Elongate your spine. Exhale, Plant your palms and step into a high plank position. Again, You can lower your knees down and lie down and then lift to Cobra or shift your weight forward and bend your elbows straight back behind you, Lower roughly halfway to the floor. Then flip your toes, Open your chest, Roll your shoulders back, Lift your heart into Upward Facing Dog and exhale, Lift your hips up and back into Downward Facing Dog. Stabilize your breath here as you ground down into your palms. Lift out of your shoulders and then lengthen your waistline, Lengthen both sides of your body to tip your pelvis forward and send your sit bones skyward. Inhale, Look forward between your hands. Rise up high onto the balls of your feet and place a slight bend into your knees. Keep your hips held high. At the bottom of your exhale, You have the option to either step or lightly float your feet forward between your hands. Inhale, Lift up halfway, Lengthen your back. Exhale, Fold forward and release. Inhale, Lead with your chest, Sweep your arms out and up overhead, Rise up to stand. Exhale, Release your hands down by your sides. Again, You have the option to repeat that exact sequence or inhale, Reach your arms up overhead. Exhale, Lead with your chest, Hinge from your hips and dive forward over your legs. Inhale, Lift your torso halfway up. Exhale, Bend your knees, Plant your palms, An option to step or float back into Chaturanga. Land with bent elbows. Inhale, Roll over your toes, Open your heart either into Cobra or Up Dog. Exhale, Lift your hips up high into Downward Facing Dog. Take five deep breaths here, Option to bend your knees. Focus on creating length in your back body. Draw your awareness to your pelvic floor and gently lift up on your pelvic floor. Imagine you need to use the bathroom and you're drawing in on those muscles to activate your Mula Bandha, Your root lock. And then hug your navel in toward your spine and draw it up toward your ribcage. Activate Uddiyana Bandha, Your flying upwards lock. And keep these locks engaged as you inhale, Look forward, Lift your toes, Soften your knees. And at the bottom of your exhale, Either step or lightly float your feet forward between your hands. Inhale, Elongate your spine. Exhale, Fold forward and release. Inhale, Lead with your chest. Rise up to stand, Sweep your arms overhead. Exhale, Release your arms down by your side. On your next inhale, Bend your knees deeply, Graze your fingertips to the floor and sweep your arms to the sky. Sit your seat low into chair. Exhale, Fold your weight forward and down over your legs as you straighten them. Inhale, Lift up halfway, Elongate your back. Exhale, Fold and release. Option to step or lightly float your feet back into Chaturanga and land with bent elbows. Inhale, Flip your toes, Open your heart either into Cobra or Up Dog. Exhale, Lift your hips up high into Downward Facing Dog. Inhale, Step your right foot forward next to your right thumb. Option to keep your back heel lifted or grounded to the floor and pivot your toes to face roughly toward the top left corner of your mat. Ground down against the floor and sweep your arms up toward the sky into either a High Lunge or a Warrior I. Exhale, Release your hands down, Frame out your front foot. Step back into a Plank. Option to lower your knees down and lie down or bend your elbows roughly halfway to the floor into Chaturanga. Inhale, Roll over your toes, Open your heart to Cobra or Up Dog. Exhale, Flip your toes again, Lift your hips into Downward Dog. Inhale, Look forward, Step your left foot between your hands. Option to keep your back heel lifted or pivot on your foot. Ground your heel and sweep your arms up into a High Lunge or a Warrior I. Scissor your legs together to square your hips forward. Exhale, Release your hands down, Frame out your front foot. Step back into Plank. An option to lower knees down, Lie down or into Chaturanga. Roll over your toes, Open your heart. Exhale, Lift your hips into Downward Facing Dog. Take five long, Deep breaths here. On your next inhale, Look forward between your hands. Lift your heels, Soften your knees, Engage your Bandhas. And at the bottom of your exhale, Either step or lightly float your feet forward between your hands. Inhale, Lengthen your back. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Bend your knees deeply, Sweep your arms to the sky. And then exhale, Root down against your feet to rise back up. Release your arms by your sides back to Mountain Pose or Samastitihi. Flow through that Surya Namaskar B, Sun Salutation B one more time. Inhale, Bend your knees, Sweep your arms to the sky. Exhale, Fold forward over your legs. Inhale, Lift your torso halfway up. Exhale, Plant your palms, An option to step or float back into Chaturanga. Inhale, Roll over your toes, Open your heart. Exhale, Lift your hips high. Inhale, Step your right foot forward, Option to ground your back heel as you sweep your arms to the sky. Exhale, Release your hands down, Frame out your front foot. Step back into Plank and either lower knees down, Lie down or Chaturanga. Inhale, Flip your toes, Open your heart. Exhale, Flip your toes, Lift your hips. Inhale, Step your left foot forward, Option to ground your back heel as you sweep your arms high. Exhale, Release your hands down, Frame out your foot. Step into Plank and flow through your Vinyasa of choice. Meet back in Downward Facing Dog and take five deep breaths here. On your next inhale, Look forward. Lift your heels, Soften your knees. And at the bottom of your exhale, Either step or lightly float your feet forward. Inhale, Lift your torso halfway up. Exhale, Fold and release forward. Inhale, Bend your knees, Sweep your arms to the sky. Exhale, Root against your feet, Rise up and release your arms by your side. Walk your feet to be roughly hip distance apart. And inhale, Elongate your spine, Sweep your arms up toward the sky. Exhale, Lead with your chest and hinge from your hips to dive forward over your legs. Option to bend your knees as much as you'd like to and then take your first two fingers and your thumb and wrap them around your big toes. Press your thumbs into your big toenails so you can root down against your feet and straighten your legs as much as you would like to as you lengthen your spine forward. Reach the crown of your head to the top of your mat. And then keep this length as you exhale, Fold and release your weight forward and down over your legs. On your next inhale, Lift your torso halfway up, Elongate your spine. And as you exhale, Release your hands and slide your palms to face up underneath your feet. Ground your feet down onto your hands. Elongate your back body, Reach the crown of your head forward. And then keep this length as you exhale, Hinge from your hips and fold forward over your legs. Let the weight of your upper body hang heavy. Option to even lean your weight forward toward the balls of your feet. And as always, You can bend your knees as much as you'd like to here. On your next inhale, Lift up halfway, Elongate your spine. Exhale, Release your hands, Draw them to your hips. Hug your shoulder blades toward each other, Root down against your feet and slowly rise all the way up to stand. Release your arms by your sides. Again, Find length through your spine. And this time, Take a big step back with your right foot. Reach it toward the back end of your mat and then pivot on your feet so that your left toes point forward toward the long edge of your mat and your right toes point toward the top, The bottom of your mat now. Inhale, Grow tall through your spine. Reach your arms out into a T shape and then keep this length in your spine as you lean the weight of your torso forward toward the top, Toward the back of your mat now. And then release your right arm down toward the floor. Stretch your left arm up toward the sky. And you could rest your right hand onto your shin. You could release it down to just dangle toward the floor. Could catch a hold of your big toe with a yogi toe lock, Wrapping your first two fingers and thumb around that foot. But just focus on grounding down into your feet. Lengthen both sides of your waistline evenly, As evenly as possible. And then spin your heart to face up toward the sky. On your next breath, Root down against your feet. Rise up through your torso. And then again, Spin on your feet. Turn your right toes to face the long edge of your mat. Turn your left toes to face forward. Lean the weight of your torso as far forward as possible. And once you find that edge, Relax your left arm down and sweep your right arm high. Again, You can rest your left arm onto your shin. You can let it dangle to the floor. You can catch a hold of your big toe. Find a position that feels appropriate for you right now. And root evenly against both feet. Lengthen through both sides of your waistline and spin your heart toward the ceiling. Inhale, Root down against the floor. Slowly rise back up through your torso. Again, Pivot on your feet. And this time, Pivot even further so that your right toes face toward the back of your mat. And spin your left toes to face toward the top left corner of your mat, Facing the back. So you may wish to shorten your stance slightly. And maybe bring a heel-to-heel alignment through your feet. Or maybe you'd like to walk your feet apart. More like two steps on a rope. Railroad track. So find whatever gives you the most balance here. And then draw your hands to your hips and lift and lengthen through your back body. Ground down into both feet. Energetically draw your legs toward each other. And then keep this energy in your base as you lead with your chest and hinge from your hips to fold forward over your leg. Rest your left hand to either your front shin. You could be on fingertips, A prop, Or the floor. And spiral and spin your chest. And your right arm up toward the sky. Now your left hand could be on the big toe side of your front foot. Maybe you'd prefer to bring it to the pinky toe side of your front foot. So play around with what feels most comfortable and stable for you. And focus on elongating your back forward as you spin your heart open. Can you find a steadiness within your breath? On your next inhale, Root firmly against the floor. Slowly rise back up. Again, Pivot on your feet. This time turn to face toward the top of your mat. Draw your hands to your hips. Elongate your spine. And lead with your chest as you hinge forward over your front leg. Release your right hand to either your front shin. You could be on fingertips, A prop, Or on the floor. Lengthen your spine forward. And keep that length as you spin your chest and your left arm to the sky. Focus on rooting down into both feet. Energetically draw your legs toward each other as you stretch the crown of your head forward. Turn your head to gaze in any direction that feels comfortable for your neck. Again, Your right hand could be on the inside or the outside of your front foot. So find what feels most stable for you. And on your next inhale, Root firmly against your feet. Rise back up. And then bring your feet back to the top of your mat. Ground down through your feet. Find a strong, Stable mountain pose. Again, Take a big step back with your right foot. Pivot on your feet. Turn your left toes to face the long edge of your mat. Turn your right toes to face the back of your mat. And then bend your front knee deeply and sink low in your hips. Root down into the pinky side of your back foot. Open your arms out wide into a T-shape. And again, Lean the weight of your torso as far forward as you can. When you find that edge, Release your right forearm to your front thigh. Spiral your left arm over your head with your bicep by your ear and your fingers reaching to the back of your mat. Now, You're welcome to keep your forearm on your thigh. If you would prefer, You can bring your hand down to dangle toward the floor. You could rest on a prop. You could be on the fingertips or your palm in front of your front foot. So find the position that allows you to lengthen both sides of your waistline evenly. And then spin and rotate your heart face up towards the sky. Draw your awareness to your breath. Find a steady rhythm. Inhale, Root firmly against both feet. Rise up, Straighten your front leg. Again, Pivot on your feet. Turn your left toes forward. Turn your right toes toward the side. Bend your front knee deeply. Sink your hips low. Readjust your stance however you need to. And then lean the weight of your torso forward to release your left forearm to your thigh. Sweep your right arm up over your head. Reach your fingertips to the top of your mat and lengthen from your right fingertips down to your right toes. Again, You could stay on your right thigh. You could reach your hand down toward a prop or to the floor. So find the position that you like best today. Focus on lengthening your left side body. And then from that length, Spin your heart to face open toward the sky. Bring your awareness to your breath. Can you maintain its steady rhythm? Inhale, Root firmly against the floor. Slowly rise up. Bring your feet back to the top of your mat. Relax your arms by your sides. Pause for a moment. And then on your next breath, Again, Take a big step back with your right foot. Pivot on your feet. Turn your toes to face toward the long edge of your mat. Ground down into the pinky sides of your feet so your full foot is grounded to the floor and draw your hands to your hips. Inhale, Roll your shoulders down your back. Draw your shoulder blades together. Peel open your chest. Hug your elbows together. And then keep this opening through your heart as you lead with your chest. Hinge from your hips and fold forward over your legs. Option to keep your hands as they are or option to release your hands to props or to the floor. Plant your hands roughly shoulder width apart in between your feet. And then relax the weight of your upper body forward and down toward the mat. If your hands are grounded, Bend your elbows straight back behind you. And soften your shoulders down away from your ears. Again, Option to lean your weight forward toward the balls of your feet. As always, You have the option to bend your knees. On your next inhale, Lift up halfway. Create length in your back body. Exhale, Soften your knees. Draw your hands to your hips. Lead with your chest. Rise all the way up to stand. Again, Roll your shoulders down your back. Hug your shoulder blades together. And then lead with your chest and hinge from your hips to dive forward. This time, Keep your hands on your hips. Hug your shoulder blades toward each other. Draw your elbows toward each other on your back body. And root firmly against your feet. Maybe lean your weight forward toward the balls of your feet. And allow the weight of your upper body to hang heavy toward the floor. Inhale, Root firmly against your feet. Lead with your chest. Rise all the way back up to stand. This time, Take a hold of your fingers behind your back. Interlace them behind you. Roll your shoulders down your back. Draw your shoulder blades toward each other. Puff up through your chest. And then keep this as you lead with your chest. Hinge from your hips. And dive forward over your legs. Relax the weight of your arms up and over your head. Your palms could be pressing together or drawing apart. Do whatever feels good in your body right now. Relax the weight of your head. You could shake your head yes and shake your head no. You could lean your weight forward toward the balls of your feet. Inhale deeply. Exhale completely. On your next inhale, Ground down into your feet. Lead with your chest. Rise all the way back up. Again, Draw your hands to your hips. Roll your shoulders down your back. Draw your shoulder blades together. And one last time, Lead with your chest. Hinge from your hips. And dive forward. Again, You're welcome to keep your hands as they are. If you would like to, You can take your yogi to lock your first two fingers and thumbs. And wrap them around your big toes. Press your thumbs into your big toenails. And root down into the floor as you inhale. Elongate the crown of your head forward. Lengthen your spine. And then exhale. Keep that length as you hinge from your hips and dive the weight of your torso forward. Maybe bend your elbows open toward the sides of your mat. Maybe lean your weight forward toward the balls of your feet. Focus on your breath. On your next inhale, Lift your torso halfway up. If your hands are on your feet, Release them. Draw them to your hips. Root firmly against the floor to slowly rise back up. Ground down against the mat. Pivot on your feet and draw your feet back to the top of your mat. Relax your arms by your sides. Lengthen your spine. Pause for a moment here. On your next inhale, Sweep your arms out and up over your head. And as you exhale, Lead with your chest. Hinge from your hips. And dive your torso forward. Inhale, Lift up halfway. Lengthen your back. Exhale, Fold and release. Option to step or lightly float your feet back into chaturanga. Or knees down, Lie down. Inhale, Open your chest either into cobra or upward facing dog. And exhale, Lift your hips back into downward facing dog. Inhale, Look forward between your hands. Rise up high into the balls of your feet and soften into your knees. Lift up on your pelvic floor. Draw in on your navel. Lift it up toward your spine. And then at the bottom of your exhale, When all of the air is released from your body, Can either step or lightly float your feet forward into a seat. So stretch your legs forward in front of you. Ground down into your sitting bones. Activate your feet. Root your heels into the floor and spread your toes. Press the balls of your feet forward. Inhale, Lift tall through your spine. Stretch your arms up toward the sky. And as you exhale, Lead with your chest. Hinge from your hips and fold your torso forward and down over your legs. Now you're welcome to rest your hands anywhere that feels comfortable for you. You could catch a hold of your legs or your ankles or your feet. And then inhale, Lift up halfway. Elongate your back body. And keep that length as you exhale, Fold and release. Forward and down. Tap into your breath. And with every inhale, See if you can lengthen your spine a little bit further forward. And with every exhale, Perhaps allow your body to surrender a little bit deeper into the fold. On your next inhale, Lift your torso halfway up. Elongate your spine. Exhale, Slowly rise back up into a seat. And then you have the option to keep your legs straight, Or you may wish to bend into your knees and plant your feet to the floor roughly hip distance apart. Take your hands back behind you and your fingers can point in any direction that you'd like. Option to have your fingers pointing back to the sides of the mat or toward your feet. Roll your shoulders down your back. Hug your shoulder blades toward each other. Puff up through your chest. And then root firmly into your feet and your hands to lift your hips up off the floor. Again, Your knees can be bent. Or if they're bent, You can have the option to straighten your legs and root down against the feet to lift your hips even higher. Tap into your breath. Find its steady rhythm. Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Slowly release your hips to the floor. Stretch and straighten your legs if they aren't already straight. And then slowly and mindfully find your way onto your back. Bend your knees. Plant your feet to the mat. Ground down against your feet and your shoulders to lift your hips up off the floor. Option to stay here or slide one shoulder underneath you at a time and interlace your fingers behind you. Broaden your chest. Elongate your breath. Inhale deeply. And as you exhale, Slowly release your hips back down to the floor. Pause for a moment. Let the weight of your lower back melt into the mat. And then whenever you feel ready, Stretch your legs forward in front of you. Relax your arms by your sides. And you could either just relax your gaze, Soften your eyes, Or you could close them. And allow the weight of your body to sink down into the mat. Release control over your breath. Let it just flow naturally. And let your body weight become heavy. Let your muscles soften and release. And allow your mind to also soften and release. Very slowly start to deepen your breath. Gently brush your thumbs against your fingertips. Slowly wiggle your toes. Stretch your arms up above your head. And take a big cat stretch through your whole body. Lengthen from your fingers to your toes. And then slowly draw your knees into your chest. And roll over onto your right side. Gently press the floor away from you. Rise up into any comfortable seated position. Ground down into your sitting bones and lift and lengthen through your spine. Soften your shoulders and your gaze or close your eyes. Take a moment to tap into your body. Tap in with your breath. And tap in with your mind. Take notice of any changes that your practice may have created. Bring your palms together in front of your heart. And gently bow your chin towards your chest. Thank you for sharing your practice.