The Practice
How the Primary Series Grew
A dated look at how the Primary Series took shape, from Krishnamacharya's 1934 Yoga Makaranda to Sharath's Anuṣṭhāna: which poses each document lists, and where the sources disagree.
The documents that list the Primary Series do not agree with one another. This page sets them side by side, in date order, and shows what each one contains.
Some changes can be dated. Many cannot. Where a date is a guess, or a source is second-hand, the entry says so. Phrases quoted here are ten words or fewer; the sources are named so you can read them whole.
This is about the poses and the way they were counted, not how to practise them. For that, see the Primary Series and the outline.
The eras
- 1934Yoga MakarandaForty-two āsanas, each counted. No fixed series. A text we read.
- c.1941The Yogasanagalu tablePrimary, Middle, Proficient. Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana is in Middle. A text we read.
- 1958–62Yoga Mala, in KannadaWritten from 1958, printed in 1962. The text has not been seen. Second-hand, or a weak date.
- 1970sThe typed syllabusThirty-three Primary āsanas. Dated 1971, 1973 and 1974 by different sources. A text we read.
- 1973What Gilgoff was taughtStanding to Pārśvottānāsana. A three-pose finish. A text we read.
- c.1980MauiMany vinyāsas added to led classes. A text we read.
- After 1980The Parivṛtta posesAdded on a later trip. Her account gives no year. Second-hand, or a weak date.
- Late 1980sUtkaṭāsana and VīrabhadrāsanaAdded to her teaching, “perhaps”. Second-hand, or a weak date.
- 1991A talk in FranceFull or half vinyāsa, by strength. Date and place from a caption. Second-hand, or a weak date.
- 1993A video and a sheetŪrdhva Dhanurāsana inside Primary, on the video. Captions only. Second-hand, or a weak date.
- 1999–2010Yoga Mala, in EnglishGuruji rewrote small sections. Prasārita D, Jānu B and C described. A text we read.
- 2004–15The ashtangayoga.info sheetsFull count to half count. Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana B goes from 10 to 9. A text we read.
- 2014, 2016AnuṣṭhānaSharath’s book, 2nd and 3rd editions. The list this site follows. A text we read.
- 2024Sharath, and the Active SeriesSharath died on 11 November 2024. Second-hand, or a weak date.
Which poses, in which version
Five documented versions, left to right in date order: the 1941 table, the typed Mysore syllabus of the 1970s, Nancy Gilgoff's account of 1973, the English Yoga Mala, and Sharath's Anuṣṭhāna. Read across a row to see a pose arrive, move, or go missing.
- in the Primary list
- inside a range the account gives
- in a later group, named
- possibly: listed as “B”
- not in it
- blank: the source says nothing
| Pose | c.1941TableYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941 | 1970sTypedTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2 | 1973GilgoffGilgoff, as taught in 1973 | 1999Yoga MalaYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on | 2014SharathSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Pādahastāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Utthita Trikoṇāsana | A, BYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list (A, B) | A, BTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A, B) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Parivṛtta Trikoṇāsana | listed BYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: possibly, listed as B (listed B) | listed BTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: possibly, listed as B (listed B) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: not in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: not in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Utthita Pārśvakoṇāsana | A, BYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list (A, B) | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Parivṛtta Pārśvakoṇāsana | listed BYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: possibly, listed as B (listed B) | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: not in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: not in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Prasārita Pādottānāsana | A–CYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list (A–C) | A–DTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A–D) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | A–DYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list (A–D) | A–DSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list (A–D) |
| Pārśvottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: inside the range the account gives | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | after SetuGilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list (after Setu) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Ardha Baddha Padmottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | after SetuGilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list (after Setu) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Utkaṭāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: not in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Vīrabhadrāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | markedTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (marked) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: not in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Pose | c.1941TableYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941 | 1970sTypedTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2 | 1973GilgoffGilgoff, as taught in 1973 | 1999Yoga MalaYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on | 2014SharathSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paścimottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | A–ETyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A–E) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | A, B/DSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list (A, B/D) |
| Pūrvottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Ardha Baddha Padma Paścimottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Triyaṅga Mukhaikapāda Paścimottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Jānu Śīrṣāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | A–CTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A–C) | A–CGilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list (A–C) | A–CYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list (A–C) | A–CSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list (A–C) |
| Marīcyāsana | 3 or 4Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list (3 or 4) | A–DTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A–D) | A–DGilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list (A–D) | A–DYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list (A–D) | A–DSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list (A–D) |
| Nāvāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Bhujapīḍāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Kūrmāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | A, BTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A, B) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Supta Kūrmāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: the source says nothing | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | in KūrmaYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list (in Kūrma) | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Garbha Piṇḍāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | A, BTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (A, B) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Kukkuṭāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Baddha Koṇāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Supta Koṇāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana | 27Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list (27) | 20 + 28Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list (20 + 28) | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | 20 + 28Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list (20 + 28) | 28Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list (28) |
| Ubhaya Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Ūrdhva Mukha Paścimottānāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Setu Bandhāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in the Primary list | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Pose | c.1941TableYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941 | 1970sTypedTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2 | 1973GilgoffGilgoff, as taught in 1973 | 1999Yoga MalaYoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on | 2014SharathSharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana | MiddleYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in a later group (Middle) | 2nd yearTyped Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: in a later group (2nd year) | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: not in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Paścimottānāsana, closing | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: the source says nothing | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: not in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Sālamba Sarvāṅgāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Halāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Karṇapīḍāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Ūrdhva Padmāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Piṇḍāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Matsyāsana | MiddleYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in a later group (Middle) | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Uttāna Pādāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Śīrṣāsana | MiddleYogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in a later group (Middle) | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | after Interm.Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in a later group (after Interm.) | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Baddha Padmāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Yoga Mudrā | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Padmāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: not in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Utpluthiḥ | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: not in the Primary list | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: the source says nothing | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: in the Primary list | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: in the Primary list |
| Tolāsana | Yogasanagalu, Primary group, c.1941: the source says nothing | Typed Mysore syllabus, 1970s, pages 1–2: the source says nothing | Gilgoff, as taught in 1973: in the Primary list | Yoga Mala, English edition, 1999 on: the source says nothing | Sharath, Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition, 2014 on: the source says nothing |
Four things to read off it.
Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana are on the 1941 table and on the typed syllabus, with counts. Gilgoff was not taught them in 1973. They are in Yoga Mala and the Anuṣṭhāna. The sheet had them before her teaching did. The sources do not say why.
The Parivṛtta poses are in neither the 1973 account nor Yoga Mala. They are in the Anuṣṭhāna, where they are Trikoṇāsana B and Pārśvakoṇāsana B. Gilgoff says they came after 1980. The 1941 table and the syllabus list a B without saying what it is, so the dashed cells there are open.
Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana moves four times. Middle group in 1941. Second Year on the 1970s syllabus. After Intermediate in 1973. Left out of Primary by Yoga Mala. Inside Primary in the Anuṣṭhāna, and on a 1993 video, by its weak captions. The move is not dated.
The finish takes shape in stages. In 1941 it is folded into the seated list. In 1973 Gilgoff was given three poses, Yoga Mudrā, Padmāsana and Tolāsana, and the rest after Intermediate. Yoga Mala lists the run from Sarvāṅgāsana to Utpluthiḥ in full.
Matrix notes. The syllabus column covers pages one and two only. Pages three and four, where a finishing list would be, have not been transcribed, so those cells are blank. Vīrabhadrāsana is marked on the syllabus scan: the line is underlined or struck in heavy black, and the scan does not say which. The syllabus entry "Uthita Parswasahitha" (11) is probably the side-leg part of Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana; that reading is an inference, and the matrix does not rely on it. A dashed mark means the version lists a B that may be the revolved pose. Gilgoff names a range, "through Pārśvottānāsana", not each pose, so the standing rows to that point are hatched. Tolāsana is her word; whether it is the same pose as Utpluthiḥ the sources do not say. In the Yoga Mala column, Supta Kūrmāsana is a state of Kūrmāsana, not a separate pose. The number on Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana is its vinyāsa count: one entry of 27 in 1941, two entries (20 and 28) on the syllabus and in Yoga Mala, one entry of 28 now.
The counts moved too
Four of Sharath's counts match none of the older sources.
- Baddha Koṇāsana is 17 in the Anuṣṭhāna. The 1941 table, Yoga Mala and the syllabus all give 15.
- Ūrdhva Mukha Paścimottānāsana is 17. The older three give 13, 16 and 16.
- Sarvāṅgāsana is 15. The older three give 13.
- Kukkuṭāsana is 15, which matches 1941 only. Yoga Mala and the syllabus give 14.
Dated entries
1934 · Yoga Makaranda
Krishnamacharya's book. Kannada in 1934, a Tamil edition in 1938, English in 2006. Forty-two āsanas. Each has a vinyāsa count, from 3 to 48, counted from samasthiti, and many carry kumbhaka, the held breath. There is no fixed series. Jānuśīrṣāsana is held "5 minutes up to half an hour".
Eleven poses of the later Primary are not among its forty-two: Utkaṭāsana, Vīrabhadrāsana, Garbha Piṇḍāsana, Kukkuṭāsana, Setu Bandhāsana, Padmāsana, Utpluthiḥ, Matsyāsana, Uttāna Pādāsana, Piṇḍāsana, Karṇapīḍāsana. Two counts differ from now: Ubhaya Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana is 14 (now 15), Supta Koṇāsana 14 (now 16).
Read Krishnamacharya, Yoga Makaranda, Kannada 1934; English by Lakshmi and Nandini Ranganathan, 2006, from the Tamil.
c.1941 · The Yogasanagalu table
In Yogasanagalu, a "Table of Asana" sorts the poses into three groups: Primary, Middle, Proficient. Each pose has a vinyāsa count and the stage where it is held. The Primary group has about thirty-nine entries. Several counts are already today's: Utkaṭāsana 13, Vīrabhadrāsana 16, Bhujapīḍāsana 15, and Marīcāsana at 22, 22, 18 and 18. That last is four rows under three labels, so the table does not say whether it means three poses or four.
The finish is folded into the seated list. Śīrṣāsana, Matsyāsana and Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana are in the Middle group. Padmāsana and Utpluthiḥ are not in Primary. Paścimottānāsana is 15 here; the 1934 text says 16.
The book's introduction speaks of three "series": power, treatment, spiritual. They are not these three groups. Anthony Grim Hall, who edited the English, reads the Primary group as "an original form" of today's. That is his reading.
Read Krishnamacharya, Yogasanagalu, table printed on pp. 16–19; English by Satya Murthy, edited by Anthony Grim Hall. Read from a scan.
1958 to 1962 · Yoga Mala, in Kannada
Jois founded the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute at Lakshmipuram in 1948. Yoga Mala was written from 1958 and first printed in Kannada in 1962.
The Kannada text has not been seen. Whether Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana were in it, we cannot say. What the 1962 book held is known only through the foreword to the English edition.
Foreword only Eddie Stern's foreword to the English Yoga Mala.
The 1970s · The typed syllabus
A typed sheet on the letterhead of the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Lakshmipuram, Mysore 4, headed "Yoga – Diploma Course". First year, Primary: thirty-three numbered āsanas with counts, after Sūrya Namaskāra A (9) and B (17).
How it differs from now:
- Marīcyāsana A to D are all 22. Today C and D are 18.
- Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana (20) and Supta Pārśvasahita (28) are two entries.
- Baddha Koṇāsana is 15, Kukkuṭāsana 14, Garbha Piṇḍāsana 14.
- Paścimottānāsana runs A to E.
- Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana is not in Primary. It is in the Second Year, at 15.
- Utkaṭāsana (13) and Vīrabhadrāsana (16) are listed. The Vīrabhadrāsana line is marked in heavy black.
The sheet carries no date. A compilation by Grimmly (Anthony Grim Hall) gives 1974 in one place and 1971 in another. Gilgoff describes being handed a syllabus sheet at the end of her first trip, in 1973. The sheet lists Yogamala Part I among its readings, so it was probably typed after 1962; that is an inference. The finishing sequence is not on the two pages transcribed. The scan is small, 595 by 841 pixels, and a few digits may be misread.
Read, low resolution AYRI syllabus, pp. 1–2, reproduced at Keen on Yoga.
1973 · What Nancy Gilgoff was taught
Her first Mysore trip lasted four months. By her account, she learned Primary and Intermediate in the first two months and did them together twice a day.
- Her first class was five Sūrya Namaskāra A and the three finishing poses: Yoga Mudrā, Padmāsana, Tolāsana.
- Standing went through Pārśvottānāsana, then a jump through to Daṇḍāsana. There was no Parivṛtta Trikoṇāsana or Parivṛtta Pārśvakoṇāsana. Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana were not in the series.
- Utthita Hasta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana and Ardha Baddha Padmottānāsana came after Setu Bandhāsana. They were moved up into the standing sequence later.
- Almost no vinyāsas between sides or between variations. Jānu A, B and C together, one vinyāsa, then Marīcyāsana A to D together, one vinyāsa, three Nāvāsanas. Baddha, Upaviṣṭa and Supta Koṇāsana ran together.
- After Setu Bandhāsana, Intermediate began at Pāśāsana. Backbends and the rest of the finish came after Intermediate: Paścimottānāsana, shoulderstand, Halāsana, Karṇapīḍāsana, Ūrdhva Padmāsana, Piṇḍāsana, Matsyāsana, Uttāna Pādāsana, Śīrṣāsana. Nine poses.
This is one student's account of what she was taught. It is not a record of what was on the sheet.
Her account Nancy Gilgoff, "Ashtanga Yoga as it was", reposted by Keen on Yoga, January 2023.
c.1980 · Maui
By her account, many more vinyāsas were added to led classes on Maui around 1980. She was told to add them "to build strength". There was still no Parivṛtta, Utkaṭāsana or Vīrabhadrāsana.
Her account Gilgoff, as above.
After 1980 · The Parivṛtta poses
Parivṛtta Trikoṇāsana and Parivṛtta Pārśvakoṇāsana were added "on a later trip to the States". She gives no year. Jois called Parivṛtta Pārśvakoṇāsana a "crazy posture", she writes, and Maui kept it. The English Yoga Mala has neither pose.
Her account, no year Gilgoff, as above.
The late 1980s, perhaps · Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana
Her word for when the two came into her teaching is "perhaps": the late 1980s. Both are on the 1941 table and on the typed syllabus, with counts. The sheet listed them. Her teaching did not have them. Nothing read for this page settles why.
Her account, a guess Gilgoff, as above.
1991 · A talk in France
In a public talk, Jois describes both ways of counting: half or full vinyāsa, "depending on your strength". Full is "the best". Half is a shortcut, because "now there is no time". "Both is no problem." The year and the place come from a caption on Grimmly's compilation, and from nowhere firmer.
Second-hand Transcript quoted in Anthony Grim Hall, "Exploring Krishnamacharya's Ashtanga".
1993 · A video and a sheet
Two items. The video is Yoga Works' Primary Series Ashtanga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, uploaded in 2012, with a slowed copy in 2017. What we have of it is the auto-captions, which drop numbers. By them, Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana is inside the series, three lifts; Śīrṣāsana is 25 breaths and then 10; Utpluthiḥ 25.
The sheet is "Astanga Yoga as taught by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Mysore 1993", with drawings by John Scott and translations by Eddie Stern. It is the oldest dated count sheet found. It gives Sarvāṅgāsana 25 breaths. The video's captions give 10. The two disagree.
Heard, weak; and read Yoga Works video, captions only. The 1993 sheet, small print.
1999 to 2010 · Yoga Mala, in English
The first English edition was 1999, in the United States, from Eddie Stern and the Patanjali Yoga Shala. North Point Press followed in 2002, and a 2010 edition. One library record dates the first to 2000.
The foreword says Guruji rewrote small sections, corrected errors and made additions, and that he reviewed every change. The descriptions of Prasārita D and of Jānu Śīrṣāsana B and C "did not appear in the original"; they "have been included here". That is about the book. The practice was older: the typed syllabus lists Prasārita A to D and Jānu A to C, and Gilgoff did Jānu A, B and C in 1973. Whether the 1962 text lacked the descriptions rests on the foreword alone.
The English Yoga Mala has no Parivṛtta poses and no Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana. It has no closing Paścimottānāsana, and forbids one after the shoulderstand group.
Read Pattabhi Jois, Yoga Mala, foreword by Eddie Stern; Patanjali Yoga Shala 1999, North Point 2002, 2010 edition. Counts checked against a Kindle copy.
2004 to 2015 · The ashtangayoga.info sheets
One site, three generations. The 2004 sheet (the file's metadata says August 2005) counts in full vinyāsa and prints totals: Baddha Koṇāsana 17, Garbha Piṇḍāsana 14, Kukkuṭāsana 15. It puts Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana B at state 10. The 2015 sheet counts in half vinyāsa and gives states only, no totals; Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana B is 9. The per-pose pages of 2020–21 agree with 2015.
The 2004 sheet disagrees with itself: its header and its body give different states for Upaviṣṭa B, and the readings of the header differ. The body says 10.
Read ashtangayoga.info, "Vinyasa Series1" PDF (2004) and the Primary Series cheat sheet (2015).
2014 and 2016 · Anuṣṭhāna
Sharath Jois, director of the institute from 2007, wrote Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anuṣṭhāna. The second edition is 2014, the third 2016. It prints half vinyāsa from Sapta: the first six and last two counts of each pose are left out of the steps, and the header still gives the full total. It ends on Sukhāsana.
This site's Primary Series follows it. Which counts changed between editions is not documented; that would take the three editions side by side.
Read Sharath Jois, Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anuṣṭhāna; photographs of the third edition and a PDF of the second.
2024 · Sharath, and the Active Series
Sharath died on 11 November 2024. The Active Series was revealed that month. We found no dated change to the Primary list in his time as director.
Second-hand Wikipedia, "R. Sharath Jois". The month of the Active Series comes from search results, not a primary page.
Reported, not read
Three dates that rest on someone else's telling.
- 1937, claimed. By Eddie Stern's account, quoted by Grimmly, Jois divided Krishnamacharya's "mountain of asana" into four years for a college syllabus. Second-hand twice over.
- c.1964. André Van Lysebeth studied Primary and Intermediate for two months, according to the Yoga Mala foreword. The year comes from search snippets. No pose list was found.
- 1974–75. David Williams and Gilgoff taught in Encinitas, and Jois and Manju came in 1975, per summaries at Keen on Yoga. No pose list for that teaching was found. The same summary has Williams saying the backbends first came at the end of Intermediate and were later moved to the end of Primary, one of several changes he calls "unhelpful".
Where the sources disagree
- What B is. In Sharath's book, Trikoṇāsana B and Pārśvakoṇāsana B are the revolved poses. The 1941 table lists Trikoṇa a, b and Pārśvakoṇa a, b. The syllabus lists Trikoṇāsana A and B. Neither says what B is. Gilgoff says the revolved poses came after 1980. The sources do not settle it.
- The syllabus date. 1971, 1973 or 1974, depending on the source.
- Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana. Listed on the sheet and the 1941 table; not taught to Gilgoff in 1973. The sheet may be a fuller list than the teaching. Not resolvable from what was read.
- Paścimottānāsana. 16 vinyāsas in the 1934 text, 15 in the 1941 table.
- Closing Paścimottānāsana. Gilgoff's finish starts with it. Yoga Mala forbids it after the shoulderstand group.
- Backbends. Gilgoff: after Intermediate. Williams, by summary: at the end of Intermediate. Compatible, not identical.
- Marīcāsana in 1941. Four rows of counts, three labels.
- Sarvāṅgāsana in 1993. 25 breaths on the sheet, 10 on the video.
- The first English Yoga Mala. 1999 by its copyright page; 2000 in one library record.
Still undated
- When Ūrdhva Dhanurāsana entered Primary.
- When Supta Pādāṅguṣṭhāsana became a single entry of 28.
- When half vinyāsa became the printed norm.
- Who first fixed Kūrmāsana and Supta Kūrmāsana as one pose of 16.
- What Sharath changed in the Primary list, and when.
- Whether the 1962 Kannada Yoga Mala contained Utkaṭāsana and Vīrabhadrāsana.
Sources
Checked against the sources on 26 October 2026. Scans of several of these books sit on third-party sites. They are not linked here.
- Krishnamacharya, Yoga Makaranda (1934; Tamil 1938; English, Lakshmi and Nandini Ranganathan, 2006).
- Krishnamacharya, Yogasanagalu (c.1941); English, Satya Murthy, edited by Anthony Grim Hall.
- Pattabhi Jois, Yoga Mala; foreword by Eddie Stern. Patanjali Yoga Shala 1999; North Point 2002; 2010.
- Sharath Jois, Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Anuṣṭhāna, 2nd edition 2014, 3rd edition 2016.
- The Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute syllabus, "Yoga – Diploma Course", as reproduced by Keen on Yoga.
- Nancy Gilgoff, "Ashtanga Yoga as it was", Keen on Yoga.
- David Williams, summary at Keen on Yoga.
- Anthony Grim Hall ("Grimmly"), "Exploring Krishnamacharya's Ashtanga".
- Yoga Works, Primary Series Ashtanga with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (1993 video); "Astanga Yoga as taught by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Mysore 1993" (sheet; drawings John Scott, translations Eddie Stern).
- ashtangayoga.info, Primary Series sheets, 2004 and 2015.
- R. Sharath Jois, Wikipedia.