The Ashtanga finishing sequence closes every Ashtanga vinyasa practice, whichever series came before it. After the backbends and a forward bend, it moves through a shoulderstand group, fish pose, headstand, a group of lotus postures and a long rest. This page follows the finishing sheet of AshtangaYoga.info (Dr. Ronald Steiner), cross-checked with a teacher guide.
AshtangaYoga.info describes the change of mood clearly: in the finishing sequence the breath becomes calmer and you stay longer in each posture. It also notes that, in K. Pattabhi Jois’s classes, students traditionally even moved to another room for the finishing postures. You do not need a second room, but it helps to know that this part of practice is meant to feel quieter than the series before it.
The order
Shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana), plough (Halasana), ear pressure pose (Karna Pidasana), lotus in shoulderstand (Urdhva Padmasana), embryo in shoulderstand (Pindasana), fish (Matsyasana), Uttana Padasana (fish with the legs lifted), headstand (Sirsasana) with legs lowering to horizontal and lifting again, child’s pose (Balasana), bound lotus (Baddha Padmasana), Yoga Mudra (bound lotus folded forward), lotus (Padmasana), Utpluthih (lifting the body in lotus on the hands), and rest (Savasana). Movements between the shoulderstand group and headstand use a vinyasa or a backward roll (Chakrasana).
The short version for novices
The full sequence is not where anyone starts. According to the AshtangaYoga.info sheet, novices finish with just one seated posture (lotus, or a cross-legged seat if lotus is not safe for the knees), the closing chant, and a relaxation lying down; the other postures are added gradually as practice grows. The inversions in particular should be learned with a teacher.
How the holds work
Today most finishing postures get five breaths, and shoulderstand, headstand and the final lotus postures get ten; in the 1970s and 1980s the main inversions were held for up to 25 breaths. Rest for 10 to 20 minutes at the end. The sequence is symmetrical, so there are no sides, and each posture is done once. Breathing remains ujjayi until the final rest, when it is released.
Breath counts, posture by posture
The posture pages of AshtangaYoga.info (Dr. Ronald Steiner and Richard Pilnick, 2021) give one clear count for each step. Shoulderstand: 10 breaths. Plough, ear pressure pose, lotus in shoulderstand, embryo in shoulderstand, fish and Uttana Padasana: 5 breaths each. Headstand: 10 breaths, then the straight legs lower to horizontal (Urdhva Dandasana) for another 10. Bound lotus is now mostly a short hold on the way into Yoga Mudra, which gets 5 breaths with the chin toward the floor. Lotus: 10 breaths, hands on the knees with the index finger touching the root of the thumb (Cin Mudra). Utplutih: 10 breaths.
Why do other sheets show up to 25? The same site explains that counts in the finishing sequence have changed over the decades. For the longer holds (shoulderstand, headstand, lotus), around 25 and 10 breaths were usual in the 1970s and 1980s, about 10 and 8 in the 1990s, and the 10 and 5 shown above from around 2005. Later, many people held every finishing posture for 5 breaths. In Utplutih, Pattabhi Jois once taught about 100 fast breaths, later 10 slow ones. So there is no single “correct” number; follow your teacher’s count.
AshtangaYoga.info adds two details on the end. In led classes the closing mantra was recited standing, in call and response, after Utplutih; many students now chant it seated in lotus or after the rest. And Pattabhi Jois did not call the rest Savasana: he often ended class with “Lie down. Take rest.” The site suggests planning your practice so that at least seven minutes are left for this rest; the sheet gives 10 to 20 minutes.
How to practise it safely
- Shoulderstand, plough and headstand put weight near the neck. Use folded blankets under the shoulders in the shoulderstand group, never turn the head while inverted, and learn them with a teacher.
- Neck problems, high blood pressure, heart conditions, glaucoma or other eye conditions, pregnancy or menstruation (by personal choice): ask a health professional and teacher; leave out the inversions and use legs up the wall.
- Yoga Journal calls shoulderstand an intermediate to advanced pose, not to be done without enough experience or a teacher’s supervision, and asks you to practice headstand only under a teacher’s careful supervision. Come out at once if you feel pressure building in the head or neck.
- The Bihar School manual Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha says people with heart problems, high blood pressure, glaucoma or an active ear infection should not do inverted postures, and people with neck problems should avoid postures in which the neck bears weight.
- In fish and Uttana Padasana, set the head down lightly. AshtangaYoga.info notes that the neck loses support when the arms let go in Uttana Padasana, so keep most of the weight away from the head; skip it if your neck complains.
- Lotus postures: never force the knees; sit cross-legged instead.
- Do not skip the final rest.
This page has not yet been reviewed by a qualified teacher.
For the whole practice see the Ashtanga overview; a gentle alternative to the inversions is legs up the wall.