Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A): the Ashtanga order and its nine counts
Sun Salutation A in the Ashtanga order: the eleven positions you see, the nine counted movements (Ekam to Nava), the breath for each, five breaths in downward dog and five rounds.
By YogaVacation Editorial Team · Updated October 7, 2026 · Facts checked October 6, 2026
Not yet reviewed by a qualified teacher·Names and order checked against 5 sources
Taught by K. Pattabhi Jois as the first of two sun salutations that open Ashtanga practice; described in his book Yoga Mala and in lineage teaching material such as AshtangaYoga.info (Dr. Ronald Steiner). The wider history of sun salutations is on the overview page; we do not claim an age for this specific order.
Who it is for
For people who already move comfortably through plank, chaturanga (or a knees-down version), upward-facing dog and downward-facing dog. Beginners: learn the beginner sun salutation first or step and lower the knees.
The steps in order
Version shown: Ashtanga order with nine vinyasa counts, breath and five breaths in downward dog, as published by AshtangaYoga.info (Vinyasa sheet, 2004) and consistent with the Wikipedia summary of the Ashtanga practice
Easier option: Pause for a few breaths between rounds if needed.
Left and right
Symmetrical: no left or right side. Teachers vary on which foot steps back first when stepping instead of jumping; alternate rounds to stay balanced.
Repetitions and counting
One round = the nine counts, starting and ending in Samasthiti (which is not counted). Ashtanga lineage sources give five rounds of A, then five rounds of B, at the start of each practice.
Props and adaptations
Step instead of jumping; bend the knees in every fold and use blocks under the hands; lower with the knees down or all the way to the floor instead of chaturanga; cobra instead of upward-facing dog; rest in child's pose between rounds.
Precautions
Wrist, shoulder or lower-back problems: use the knees-down and cobra options, and ask a teacher.
High blood pressure, glaucoma or a recent eye or head injury: forward folds and downward dog put the head below the heart; check with a health professional first.
Pregnancy: avoid jumping and lying on the belly; learn a pregnancy-specific version with a qualified teacher.
Move at the pace of the breath; stop if you feel dizzy or short of breath.
Learn it with a teacher: Learning the jumps and chaturanga with a teacher, in a led or Mysore-style class, helps avoid shoulder and wrist strain.
General information, not medical advice. Poses do not cure illness. If you are pregnant, injured or have a health condition, check with your doctor and tell your teacher before you practise.
Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskara A) is the first of the two sun salutations that open every practice in Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, the system taught by K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. It is a short, fixed chain of movements, each one made on a single inhale or exhale, repeated five times before the standing poses. Many vinyasa classes use the same chain, sometimes with small changes, which is why it is the version most people mean when they say “sun salutation”.
This page follows the Ashtanga order as it is published by lineage sources (see Sources). For the family of sun salutations and how they differ, start at our sun salutation overview; for a gentler way in, see the beginner sun salutation.
The order in brief
Standing at Samasthiti (equal standing, the Ashtanga name for the starting stance), you move through raised arms, a standing forward fold, a half lift with the head up, a jump or step back to four-limbed staff (chaturanga), upward-facing dog and downward-facing dog, where you stay for five breaths. Then you jump or step forward to the half lift, fold, rise with the arms up and return to Samasthiti. That is one round.
Eleven positions, nine counts: how the counting works
If you list the shapes you pass through, you get eleven positions, starting and ending in Samasthiti. Ashtanga counts something different: the vinyasas, the movements, each tied to one breath. Lineage sources give Sun Salutation A nine vinyasas, counted in Sanskrit: Ekam (1), Dve (2), Trīṇi (3), Catvāri (4), Pañca (5), Ṣaṭ (6), Sapta (7), Aṣṭau (8), Nava (9).
Samasthiti is not counted. It is the stance you start from and come back to on the final exhale.
The jump back is part of count 4. You do not count a plank; you jump or step back and land in chaturanga on the same exhale.
Downward dog is count 6, and the five breaths you stay there are a hold inside that count, not extra counts.
The jump forward is count 7, landing with the head lifted.
The steps table on this page shows both: the posture you are in and the Sanskrit count it belongs to. Gaze points (dṛṣṭi) are part of the method too: AshtangaYoga.info lists the thumbs, the nose, the “third eye” (between the eyebrows) and the navel at different counts.
Breath and rounds
The breath leads: odd counts are inhales, even counts are exhales, with the five-breath pause in downward dog. Ashtanga teachers use ujjayi breathing, a slow, audible breath through the nose, throughout. The lineage sources we checked give five rounds of A, followed by five of Sun Salutation B, at the start of each practice (see Ashtanga opening sun salutations). There is no left and right side in A: every round is the same.
How to practise it safely
The traditional version is athletic: it asks for strong wrists and shoulders, open hamstrings and the coordination to jump. We list it as intermediate for that reason. Nothing is lost by stepping instead of jumping, bending the knees in the folds, or lowering the knees before chaturanga; these are standard teaching adaptations, listed against each step below. Move only as fast as your breath allows. If you get out of breath, rest in child’s pose or downward dog and start again.
Take extra care, and ask a teacher or health professional first, if you have wrist, shoulder or lower-back problems, uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma (downward dog and forward folds put the head below the heart), or if you are pregnant; Ashtanga teachers commonly change the practice in pregnancy. Stop any movement that causes sharp pain.
Sun Salutation A opens every class in Ashtanga yoga, whether led or Mysore-style, and appears in most vinyasa and power yoga classes, often with a half lift and a held plank added. Those versions are close relatives, but the counts and holds on this page are the Ashtanga ones.
Why does Sun Salutation A have nine counts but eleven positions?
Ashtanga counts movements (vinyasas), each tied to one breath, not shapes. The starting and finishing stance, Samasthiti, is not counted, and the jump back and forward belong to counts 4 and 7.
How many rounds of Sun Salutation A are done in Ashtanga?
Lineage sources give five rounds of A, followed by five rounds of B, at the start of each practice.
Is Sun Salutation A good for beginners?
The traditional version with jumps and chaturanga is demanding. Beginners can step, lower with the knees down and use cobra, or start with a beginner sun salutation.
