The Ashtanga Intermediate Series: When and How to Begin

The Intermediate Series is the second sequence of Ashtanga yoga. Its Sanskrit name is Nadi Shodhana, usually translated as "cleansing of the channels". For many students it is the natural next step after years of Primary, and it is also the point where practice can go wrong if it is rushed. This guide explains what the series is, how it is traditionally added, and how you can learn it with Ashtanga Yoga Dubai, in a private session or in a shared Mysore room.

Where Intermediate sits in Ashtanga

Ashtanga is taught as a set of fixed sequences that are learned one after another:

• Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) is the first series: sun salutations, standing poses, seated poses, and a closing sequence.
• Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) is the second. It keeps the same frame (sun salutations at the start, standing poses, and the finishing sequence at the end), but the middle part changes completely.

The breath, the counted vinyasa and the gaze points stay the same. What changes is the kind of work the body is asked to do.

What the Intermediate Series contains

You can browse the series pose by pose on the site. Broadly, it moves through these groups:

1. An opening twist and folds. The series opens with Pasasana, a squat with a twist and a bind, followed by Krounchasana, a strong forward fold.
2. Backbends. A long run of prone and kneeling backbends: Shalabhasana, Bhekasana, Dhanurasana, Parsva Dhanurasana, Ustrasana, Laghu Vajrasana, Kapotasana and Supta Vajrasana.
3. Arm balances, twists, and leg-behind-head poses. Poses such as Bakasana, Bharadvajasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana, Eka Pada Sirsasana, Dvi Pada Sirsasana and Yoga Nidrasana.
4. Strength and balance work. Tittibhasana, Pincha Mayurasana, Karandavasana, Mayurasana and Nakrasana.
5. Closing poses of the series. Vatayanasana, Parighasana, Gomukhasana, Supta Urdhva Pada Vajrasana and a set of headstand variations, including Mukta Hasta Sirsasana and Baddha Hasta Sirsasana.

The full list after the first ten poses is on the Intermediate Series page.

Compared with Primary, Intermediate asks for more spinal extension, more strength in the arms and shoulders, and more steadiness when things get hard. That is why it is not treated as a reward for flexibility. The series is learned gradually, and how steady your breath stays matters more than how deep you go.

When is it time to start?

On this site the rule is simple: Intermediate is added only when your practice and body are ready, and it is never rushed. There is no fixed number of months or years. In traditional Mysore-style teaching, the teacher decides when to give the next pose, not the student.

Signs that a teacher usually looks for (general Ashtanga practice, not a fixed checklist):

• You know Primary by heart and can practise it without stopping to remember the order.
• Your breath stays even through the whole of Primary, including the harder seated poses and the closing sequence.
• Your practice is regular. Intermediate builds on consistent practice over time, not on occasional long sessions.
• The key Primary shapes are stable for your body. Teachers often look at the binds, the forward folds and the backbend at the end of Primary before adding new backbends.
• You recover well. You are not finishing every practice exhausted or sore.

If you are unsure, ask. A short conversation with your teacher is more useful than trying poses from a video.

How Intermediate is usually added

In a Mysore-style room, Intermediate does not replace Primary overnight. A common traditional approach goes like this:

1. One pose at a time. After Primary, you are given Pasasana. When it is steady, the next pose follows.
2. Primary and Intermediate together for a while. For a period, the practice can get longer, with new Intermediate poses added after Primary.
3. Splitting the practice. At some point the teacher may ask you to stop Primary earlier, or to practise Intermediate on its own on most days and Primary on others.

Teachers adapt this to the student, and practices differ from room to room.

Learning Intermediate in Dubai

Practice already runs in Dubai as pop-up classes, private sessions (Dubai and online by arrangement), and Mysore-style practice in the Primary and Intermediate series, alongside a shala in the future (see the Shala page). For Intermediate there are two routes:

Private sessions

Private sessions are ongoing one-to-one Mysore-style guidance in Primary and Intermediate. They take place in Dubai or online, by arrangement, and the place for an in-person session is agreed when you book. One-to-one work suits the start of Intermediate well, because new backbends and leg-behind-head poses need close attention to breath, pacing and how your body responds. The price is shared on request.

The Dubai Mysore pop-up

The Dubai Mysore pop-up is a shared Mysore-style room, and Primary and Intermediate practitioners are welcome. Dates are announced once the room is confirmed, and the venue is shared at the same time. Pop-up classes are from AED 100 per class and from AED 900 per month (incl. VAT); the final price is confirmed at booking. Current listings are on the Dates page.

Who teaches

Sessions are led by founder Nelli Kulikova, who teaches traditional Ashtanga, Primary and Intermediate, in Mysore-style and led classes. Alongside a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Pattaya Studio in June 2025, she completed a further 200-hour studio training focused on the Intermediate series in May 2026. Details are on the Teacher page.

Practical notes before you begin

• Tell your teacher about injuries or health conditions before starting new backbends or leg-behind-head poses, so the practice can be adapted.
• Expect your practice to feel new again. Poses you could not do yesterday are part of the series. That is normal.
• Keep the finishing sequence. However long the practice gets, it still ends with the closing poses and rest.
• In Dubai's heat, drink well during the day and arrive for practice rested. Practice is traditionally done on an empty stomach.

How to book

Use the Book page. Choose your interest (private, pop-up, retreat or shala waitlist) and add a short message. Sending the form is a request, not a confirmed class. Mention how long you have practised Primary, how often you practise, and whether you have already been given any Intermediate poses. Practice in Dubai today is also on the Shala page.

Want to explore the series first? Start with the Asana guide, or request a place to begin Intermediate with guidance.