How the Count Works

A vinyāsa is a movement joined to a breath, and it has a number. Each āsana has a fixed count from samasthitiḥ. The state, the held āsana, falls on a named count. Learn the number and you know where the breath is.

The numbers are said in Sanskrit: ekam, dve, trīṇi, catvāri, pañca, ṣaṭ, sapta, aṣṭau, nava, daśa.

Two ways to write the count

Full vinyāsa. Every pose is counted from samasthitiḥ back to samasthitiḥ. This is how Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda (1934) prints it, and Yoga Mala, and Lino Miele.

Half vinyāsa. Seated poses are picked up at sapta (7), the jump-through, and leave by jumping back. This is how Sharath's Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anuṣṭhāna counts, and Maehle, and most led classes.

Much of what looks like disagreement between sources is how the count is written, not how it is done.

The book's rule

The Anuṣṭhāna numbers each seated pose from sapta. The book says it leaves out the first six counts and the last two (p. 48). The header still gives the full total from samasthitiḥ. Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana is headed 28; its numbered steps end at 26.

So a seated header runs two past its last step. The first six are the opening of Sūrya Namaskāra, up to downward dog. The last two are the way back.

Paścimottānāsana, both ways

Counted full, the pose runs 1 to 16. Counted half, it runs 7 to 14. The header says 16 either way.

Full

1. 1ekam↑ in
2. 2dve↓ ex
3. 3trīṇi↑ in
4. 4catvāri↓ ex
5. 5pañca↑ in
6. 6ṣaṭ↓ ex
7. 7sapta↑ in
8. 8aṣṭau↑ in

Half

1. ·
2. ·
3. ·
4. ·
5. ·
6. ·
7. 7sapta↑ in
8. 8aṣṭau↑ in

Full

1. 9nava↓ ex
2. 10daśa↑ in
3. 11ekādaśa↑ in
4. 12dvādaśa↓ ex
5. 13trayodaśa↑ in
6. 14caturdaśa↓ ex
7. 15pañcadaśa↑ in
8. 16ṣoḍaśa↓ ex

Half

1. 9nava↓ ex
2. 10daśa↑ in
3. 11ekādaśa↑ in
4. 12dvādaśa↓ ex
5. 13trayodaśa↑ in
6. 14caturdaśa↓ ex
7. ·
8. ·

Full

1. 1ekam↑ in
2. 2dve↓ ex
3. 3trīṇi↑ in
4. 4catvāri↓ ex

Half

1. ·
2. ·
3. ·
4. ·

Full

1. 5pañca↑ in
2. 6ṣaṭ↓ ex
3. 7sapta↑ in
4. 8aṣṭau↑ in

Half

1. ·
2. ·
3. 7sapta↑ in
4. 8aṣṭau↑ in

Full

1. 9nava↓ ex
2. 10daśa↑ in
3. 11ekādaśa↑ in
4. 12dvādaśa↓ ex

Half

1. 9nava↓ ex
2. 10daśa↑ in
3. 11ekādaśa↑ in
4. 12dvādaśa↓ ex

Full

1. 13trayodaśa↑ in
2. 14caturdaśa↓ ex
3. 15pañcadaśa↑ in
4. 16ṣoḍaśa↓ ex

Half

1. 13trayodaśa↑ in
2. 14caturdaśa↓ ex
3. ·
4. ·

the state, nava (9): the fold, five breaths. One exhale after daśa (10) carries no number. The book prints no steps for 15 and 16; here they are the way home, jump forward and fold.

Sapta (7) is the jump-through, an inhale. Aṣṭau (8) is a second inhale: catch the big toes, head up. Nava (9) is the state: fold, five breaths. Daśa (10) is head up, then one exhale with no number, then ekādaśa (11), lift. Dvādaśa (12) is the jump back, trayodaśa (13) upward dog, caturdaśa (14) downward dog. In half, the next pose picks up at sapta.

What Guruji said

In a public talk in France in 1991, as reported in Grimmly's transcript, Pattabhi Jois said half or full vinyāsa, "depending on your strength." "Both is no problem." Full is "the best." Half is a shortcut, because "now there is no time." The date and place come from Grimmly's caption alone.

On the site

• The outline gives the count, the state, the gaze and the grip for every pose, and where the sources part.
• The Score draws the whole practice as one line of breath. Under Count, choose Half or Full: Full puts back the first six and last two counts of each pose the book counts from sapta, and shows how much longer the practice runs.
• The count trainer follows the book's half count, breath by breath.