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Yoga has long been a part of my life. I bought my very first book around age fifteen and practiced my way through it. I don't recall there being many options available at the time, but I am glad that this was one of them (maybe the only one available in that bookstore).
At age 18 I moved to Oregon where there were a few yoga classes available at the time. I began to attend group practices and eventually sought out a yoga teachers training program to deepen my learning even further. I studied Anusara Yoga because it was based on alignment and structure, though I was unfortunately never a fan of the founder, and his reputation continued to deteriorate over time.
Around 2005, I became a trained yoga instructor. Teaching someone else always deepens your own understanding of the subject, because they engage with the subject matter in a different way, so it makes you explore other aspects and angles. It was never my intent to teach yoga though, it was only to deepen my own practice.
Yoga then began to become very mainstream, and I stopped attending group yoga classes because they had become watered-down versions of what originally attracted me to the practice.
So, for over a decade now, I have been practicing a core set of postures that I will alter or add to as necessary. Keeping to this core set allows me to focus my mind while practicing, rather than think through the series. It also gives me a baseline from which to understand where I am that day, what is more difficult, or easier and why. Some days I feel so heavy, and it is this core set of postures that puts me in tune with that. Some things are not my progression as a practitioner, rather other factors that alter my abilities that day.
Eventually, I settled on a set of postures modified from the standard Ashtanga series.
For visual aids, search for Ashtanga Primary Series, and you will see most of my below selection, or search any posture I have listed to learn more.
I practice the following usually two but no more than four times per week. Often I will incorporate my Yoga Hammock for additional inversions etc.
My standard set of postures
Sun Salutation A*
Tadasana/Mountain Pose
Urdhva Hastasana/Upward Salute
Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend- feet hip-width
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
*Repeat five times
Sun Salutation B*
Tadasana/Mountain Pose
Urdhva Hastasana/Upward Salute
Utkatasana/Chair Pose
Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend- feet together
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I Pose-Right Side
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I Pose-Left Side
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend- feet together
Utkatasana/Chair Pose
Urdhva Hastasana/Upward Salute
Tadasana/Mountain Pose
*Repeat five times
Standing Sequence
Padangusthasana/Big Toe Pose
Bakasana/Crane (Crow)
Marjaryasana/Cat Pose
Bitilasana/Cow Pose
Pincha Mayurasana/Forearm Balance
Adho Mukha Vrksasana/Handstand
Utthita Trikonasana/Extended Triangle Pose
Parivrtta Trikonasana/Revolved Triangle Pose
Utthita Parsvakonasana/Extended Side Angle Pose
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana/Revolved Side Angle Pose
Hanumanasana/Monkey Pose-Middle, Right and Left
Prasarita Padottanasana/Wide-Legged Forward Bend
Tripod Headstand
Parsvottanasana/Intense Side Stretch Pose
Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon Pose
Utthita Hasta Padangustasana/Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose
Vrksasana/Tree Pose
Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana/Half lotus standing forward bend
Transition to Seated
Urdhva Hastasana/Upward Salute
Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I Pose- Right Side, Hold for 5 Breaths
Virabhadrasana II/Warrior II Pose- Right Side, Hold for 5 Breaths
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana/One-Legged King Pigeon Pose- Right Side
Vasisthasana/Side plank- Right Side
10 Cross-Body Knee to Elbow
Vasisthasana/Side plank- Left Side
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Virabhadrasana I/Warrior I Pose- Left Side, Hold for 5 Breaths
Virabhadrasana II/Warrior II Pose- Left Side, Hold for 5 Breaths
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana/One-Legged King Pigeon Pose- Left Side
Vasisthasana/Side plank- Left Side
10 Alternating Knee to Elbow
Vasisthasana/Side plank- Right Side
Kumbhakasana/Plank Pose
Chaturanga Dandasana/Four-Limbed Staff Pose
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana/Upward-Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward-Facing Dog
Seated Sequence
Dandasana/Staff Pose
Paschimottanasana/Seated Forward Fold
Sun Salutation A
Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana/Half Bound Lotus Forward Fold-Right * Left
Sun Salutation A
Triang Mukhakapada Paschimottanasana/Three Parts Forward Bend Pose-Right * Left
Sun Salutation A
Janu Sirsasana/Head-to-Knee Forward Bend-Right * Left
Sun Salutation A
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana/Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose-Right * Left
Sun Salutation A
Marichyasana D/ Seated Bound Twist-Right * Left
Sun Salutation A
Baddha konasana/Bound Ankle Pose
Upavistha Konasana/Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend
20 alternating straight leg lift situps
20 alternating knee to nose situps
Setu bandha sarvangasana/Bridge Pose
Urdhva dhanurasana/Wheel Pose
Salamba sarvangasana/Shoulder stand
Halasana/Plow Pose
Savasana/Corpse Pose
*Between each side, do Tolasana/Scale Pose