“It gets you there faster.”
The history, lineage, weekly system, and complete Rocket I, II & III sequences of the Ashtanga-derived practice created by Larry Schultz — gathered, organized, and offered freely to everyone who loves the practice.
Rocket Yoga — or simply “the Rocket” — is a dynamic vinyasa system built directly on Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Larry Schultz drew poses from the Primary, Intermediate, Third and Fourth series and re-sequenced them into three accessible routines, opening advanced asana to practitioners of every level long before they would “earn” it in the traditional Mysore method.
Because the Rocket offers built-in modifications for every pose, beginners and advanced practitioners can share the same room and the same flow — each finding their own edge. That openness earned it the affectionate nickname “the Montessori School for Yoga,” and it remains the soul of the method: structure you can trust, freedom you can play inside.
Larry Schultz (1950–2011) learned classical Ashtanga directly from Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in the early 1980s, including study in Mysore. He grew frustrated with the tradition's strict gatekeeping — you couldn't move to the Second Series until you'd “mastered” the First. So he started mixing the series himself, and a new practice was born.
Schultz becomes one of Jois's dedicated Western students, immersing himself in the traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa method, with time spent practicing in Mysore, India.
He begins teaching in Austin, Texas, then moves to San Francisco. Wanting to make Ashtanga accessible, he develops on-ramp routines — the Minimum Daily Requirements (MDR) and Modified Primary Series (MPS) — and starts re-sequencing the classical series.
Schultz founds It's Yoga in San Francisco's South of Market. His “90 days for $90” membership model treats a yoga studio like a health club — an industry first. He becomes known as “the Mayor of Folsom Street,” and his Wednesday-night Rocket class becomes legendary.
Schultz tours as the band's personal yoga teacher until Jerry Garcia's death in 1995. When a band member asks the name of his sequence, Larry says it has none — and Bob Weir declares it should be called “the Rocket,” because it gets you there faster. The name stuck.
Schultz moves to Sonoma and opens a retreat center, Nauliland. With his wife Marie, he builds a global 200-hour Rocket teacher training that graduates more than 5,000 students across roughly 15 studios.
Schultz dies on February 27, 2011. His students — among them David Kyle, Rusty Wells, Stephanie Snyder, Clayton Horton, Duncan Wong, David Lurey, and MC Yogi & Amanda Giacomini — carry the Rocket worldwide.
Larry was great. So much charisma — so many philosophy gems delivered like a stand-up comic. If the sequence didn't make you feel good, Larry would.— remembered by his students
The Rocket isn't a single class — it's a weekly architecture. Larry mapped the three routines onto the days so the body's focus rotates and stays in balance. The full system runs roughly 140 poses across the three sequences, organized around the joints of the body.
Friday's Rocket III was nicknamed “BBQ day” at It's Yoga — students knew they were about to get roasted.
A signature of the Rocket: rather than the traditional Ashtanga right-then-left alternation, Rocket I keeps all transitions on one side before switching — a method some trace to Krishnamacharya himself. The playful arm balances and handstands woven between standing and seated work are the “Rocket transitions,” where teachers often invite students to choose their own pose.
Start with the comparison, then open any sequence for its full pose-by-pose flow. Sanskrit names are listed with English translations throughout.
| Rocket I | Rocket II | Rocket III | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Legs | The Back | Happy Hour / Mixed Level |
| Practiced | Sun · Mon · Thu | Tue · Wed | Fri · Sat |
| Ashtanga basis | Primary Series (Yoga Chikitsa) | Intermediate Series (Nadi Shodhana) | Blend of I & II |
| Focus | Hips, hamstrings, forward folds, core | Backbends, twists, arm balances, core | Widest range of movement |
| Character | Grounding & lengthening; long seated forward-bend section | Stimulating & opening; spinal extension wakes the nervous system | Endurance & choice; pick options that fit your body |
| Larry on it | “A jolt to the body's vital energies.” | “90-minute classes, 90 poses — that's the Rocket!” | “The ultimate Rocket sequence.” |
About these sequences. Larry never published a single fully-standardized pose chart in his lifetime, so the exact order, pose count, and chosen transitions vary between teachers and lineage holders — creativity within structure is built into the method itself. The flows below are representative, widely-taught versions compiled from multiple lineage sources. For definitive, photo-documented sequences, see David Kyle's Rocket Yoga (Human Kinetics) and the sequence resources from the lineage schools listed under Resources.
The Rocket is meant to flex around real bodies and real lives. Here are the building blocks for shaping your own consistent practice.
Every Rocket closes with the same restorative arc to seal the practice:
Shorter ~45-minute distillations developed for busy days and newer students:
The Rocket lives on adaptation. Soften or intensify any pose:
A starting list of teachers, schools, and books carrying Larry's work forward. (Listings are informational; this site is not affiliated with any school.)
The most thoroughly documented reference, with photo sequences for each series. Kyle, a senior student of Larry's, founded Progressive Ashtanga Vinyasa.
Led by Amber Jean-Marie, who developed the Bottle Rocket routines. Offers trainings and sequence downloads dedicated to preserving the Rocket as Larry taught it.
The continuing global network growing from Larry's original San Francisco studio and his 200-hour teacher training.
The Rocket grows directly from the Ashtanga method of K. Pattabhi Jois. Studying the Primary & Intermediate series deepens any Rocket practice.
Larry's original filmed Rocket II and related practice videos — primary-source documents of his teaching voice and pacing.
Larry trained 5,000+ teachers. Seek out a certified Rocket teacher near you — the practice is best learned in a room, with breath and community.