Link to VIDEO tutorials included below...
If you are just getting started on your exploration of Sun Salutations / Surya Namaskaras, then you might also find the articles below helpful:
They talk about the many questions raised by a beginner yogi, and why I believe Sun Salutations make a great starting point for beginners. All-in-all, they explain everything you need to know about Sun Salutations.
But if you have already explored those, then lets jump straight to the main difference between Ashtanga Yoga & Hatha Yoga sun salutations!
Ashtanga Yoga
This style of yoga includes two main sun salutations – A & B. Sun Salutation A comprises of 9 poses, while the Sun Salutation B comprises of 17 poses.
Ashtanga yoga in general is a very physically demanding practice. Their sun salutations do include a challenge of jumping back directly into Chaturanga. But for beginners, this transition can easily be modified by stepping back into plank and then lowering down to Chaturanga. This modification can make the sun salutations easily accessible to beginners.
(In my video links, I offer the modifications so that the practice of yoga can be made accessible to a larger group of people!)
Hatha Yoga
In this style of yoga, the sun salutation is performed through 12 spinal positions that are repeated on each side of the body – right & left. In other words, you would be cycling through 24 poses to complete one round of Hatha Sun Salutation.
Hatha yoga sun salutation is comparably easier than the other styles of sun salutations.