r/ashtanga
Fatigue from Ashtanga – want to change style?
This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.
The Question
Hi everyone, I work a very demanding job – typically 6 days a week, around 12 hours per day. For the past 2.5 years, I’ve maintained an Ashtanga Primary Series practice 3x per week, alongside supplements and a strict diet. Recently, I’ve started to feel that this is no longer sustainable, as I’m constantly fatigued. I experimented with shorter 45-minute workouts and felt significantly better, which made me realize that the intensity – especially the deep stretching and tendon load in Ashtanga, i…
— via r/ashtanga
Our Response
Yeah. Listen to your body. It's screaming at you.
You're working seventy-two hours a week. That's not a job. That's two jobs.
Ashtanga isn't some sacred contract. It's a practice. And practice has to fit your life, not destroy it.
You already did the experiment. Shorter sessions felt better. So do shorter sessions.
Three times a week, do forty-five minutes. Hit standing poses, a few seated poses, skip the deep stuff when you're fried. Save full Primary for when you actually have capacity.
Or — radical idea — practice twice a week instead of three.
Your body doesn't care about your streak. It cares about recovery. And you're not giving it any.
The "strict diet and supplements" thing? Also a red flag. You're trying to discipline your way out of exhaustion. Doesn't work.
Rest is not a failure. It's part of the practice.
If you want to explore this more, check out the study guide on fatigue and overtraining on ashtanga.tech.
Do less. You'll get more.
Not sure where to start?
Chat with the intake assistant — tell it about your practice and it’ll point you to what fits.
Talk to the Intake Bot →
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