Sequence · 20 min
Sun Salutation A, Walked Through Slowly
The most repeated sequence in modern yoga, taken apart at a pace where you can actually feel each transition. Twenty minutes for three rounds — which is slow enough that the shape of every step is visible.
- 01
Mountain PoseTāḍāsanaRound one is done slowly: stand, breathe, and only then move. - 02
Standing Forward FoldUttānāsanaExhale to fold. Knees soft, hands beside the feet or on blocks. - 03
Plank PosePhalakāsanaInhale forward to the plank; shoulders over the wrists, hips level. - 04
Four-Limbed Staff PoseChaturaṅga DaṇḍāsanaExhale down, elbows hugging the ribs. Stop at elbow height — no lower. - 05
Cobra PoseBhujaṅgāsanaInhale up. This is a cobra, not an upward dog: hips and thighs stay down. - 06
Downward-Facing DogAdho Mukha ŚvānāsanaExhale back to the dog. Bend the knees if the back rounds. - 07Standing Forward FoldUttānāsanaWalk or hop the feet forward and fold again, this time a little warmer.
- 08Mountain PoseTāḍāsanaStand all the way up over three breaths. That is one round.
- 09
Child's PoseBālāsanaAfter the last round, rest here before the final rest. - 10
Corpse PoseŚavāsanaThree minutes flat. The sequence is not finished until this is done.
The breath map
| Step | Breath | One thing to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fold | Exhale | Knees soft, hips hinge before the back rounds |
| Plank | Inhale | Shoulders over the wrists, hips at shoulder height |
| Lower | Exhale | Elbows back, stop at elbow height |
| Cobra | Inhale | Pubic bone and thighs stay on the mat |
| Down Dog | Exhale | Knees may bend to keep the spine long |
Sun Salutation A has a fixed breath pattern and it is worth memorising before you work on speed: exhale to fold, inhale to the plank, exhale down, inhale up, exhale back to the dog, inhale forward, exhale to fold, inhale to stand. Every movement belongs to one half of a breath, and nothing is held.
Learning this on the first day is what makes the sequence feel mechanical later. Practising it wrong eight times a class for a year is how people end up with a shoulder that clicks on the ninth.
Three slow rounds beat ten fast ones
A round done in twenty seconds is mostly momentum: the arms throw the body forward and the back does whatever gravity suggests. The same round done over sixty to ninety seconds has to be built with muscle at every step, which is why three slow rounds is a real practice and ten fast ones is a warm-up.
Once three slow rounds feel unremarkable, add a fourth before you add speed. Speed will arrive on its own; control does not.
This sequence is informational only, not medical advice, and not a substitute for a teacher who can see you move. Skip any step that hurts, and check with a clinician about injuries, pregnancy or recent surgery.