Asanaverse

Phase 2 · Full Volume

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Metabolic Syndrome

45 Minute Yoga Sequence for Metabolic Health and Strength

Weeks five to nine, and the main session. Sun salutation elements, six standing poses and the back of the body.

This is the full version of what the strongest trials actually did. In the twelve week trial that most closely matches this program, 45 percent of the yoga group no longer met the criteria for metabolic syndrome at the end, against 32 percent in the group changing their diet alone. In the year long trial, waist circumference came down by three centimetres more than the control group and central obesity dropped from 90 percent of participants to 64. Both used active practice, and this is it.

45 min · Level 2

← Back to the full program

Wann hilfreich

For weeks five to nine, four or five times a week. Forty-five minutes. A mat, a chair, two blocks and a wall. This works alongside changes to what you eat and any medication you take, not instead of them. Chairs and a wall are fair game in every pose here.

Metabolic effect

Twenty-five minutes of sustained work across the largest muscle groups you have. That is what moves waist circumference and blood pressure.

Physical effect

Legs, back, shoulders and the middle of the body, with balance work in the second half.

Effort

This session should feel like exercise. That is not a failure of the yoga, it is the mechanism.

Brief start

Four minutes. The warm up is short because the session is long.

SchneidersitzSukhasana
01
2 min

Schneidersitz

Sitting up, breathing evenly.

Two minutes to arrive.

Mehr über Sukhasana erfahren
KatzenposeMarjaryasana
02
1 min

Katzenpose

Rounding the back on the out breath.

The middle of the body wakes up.

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Kuh HaltungBitilasana
03
1 min

Kuh Haltung

Chest forward on the in breath, eight rounds.

The other half of the same movement.

Mehr über Bitilasana erfahren

Standing and working

Twenty-five minutes. This is the block that does the metabolic work and it is meant to feel like effort.

Herabschauender HundAdhomukha Shvanasana
04
45 sec, twice

Herabschauender Hund

Hands and feet down, knees bent as much as you need.

A whole body demand, and the shape most sun salutations pass through.

Mehr über Adhomukha Shvanasana erfahren
StuhlUtkatasana
05
45 sec, three times

Stuhl

Three sets with a rest between them, sitting back until the thighs work.

Sets with rest beat one long hold. That is a training principle and it applies here.

Mehr über Utkatasana erfahren
Der AdlerGarudasana
06
45 sec each side

Der Adler

Eagle. Legs crossed, arms crossed, sitting down a little. Hold the chair back if you want.

A narrow single leg base with the legs working, which is more demanding than it looks.

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SeitwinkelUtthita Parsvakonasana
07
1 min each side

Seitwinkel

Side Angle, forearm on the thigh or hand on a block.

A long loaded hold with both legs doing different jobs.

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PyramideParshvottanasana
08
45 sec each side

Pyramide

Pyramid, hips level, hands on blocks.

The back of the front leg under load, a direction the other standing poses mostly miss.

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Krieger 3Virabhadrasana 3
09
30 sec each side

Krieger 3

Warrior III with the hands on a wall or a chair back. Use the support.

Single leg work with the whole back of the body switched on.

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SquadMalasana
10
1 min

Squad

A squat, heels down or on a folded blanket, sitting on a block if that is easier.

The deepest position the legs get into, and one worth being able to hold.

Mehr über Malasana erfahren

The back of the body

Ten minutes on the floor to finish the work, then five to settle.

Hohe KobraBhujangasana
11
30 sec, twice

Hohe Kobra

Face down, chest lifting, breath moving throughout.

The back of the body working after all that front leg loading.

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SchulterbrückeSetu Bandha Sarvangasana
12
45 sec, three times

Schulterbrücke

Hips lifted, feet pressing. Three sets.

The glutes and hamstrings in sets, which is the most useful way to load them.

Mehr über Setu Bandha Sarvangasana erfahren
Die liegende DrehungJathara Parivartanasana
13
1 min each side

Die liegende Drehung

Knees to one side, shoulders staying down.

A twist with the floor supporting everything, once the work is done.

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Liegende TaubeSupta Kaptasana
14
1 min each side

Liegende Taube

Ankle across the opposite thigh.

The hips, after twenty-five minutes of standing.

Mehr über Supta Kaptasana erfahren

Settle

Six minutes, and no more. The rest is the finish, not the treatment.

Das Siegel der UmkehrViparita Karani
15
2 min

Das Siegel der Umkehr

Legs up the wall.

Two minutes that feel like a reward after that much standing.

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TotenstellungSavasana
16
4 min

Totenstellung

Flat, quiet, then get up slowly.

Four minutes to close it properly.

Mehr über Savasana erfahren

Integration

Four or five times a week for weeks five to nine. Take the chair version of anything standing whenever you want it: the load in your legs is what matters, not whether you are holding yourself up unaided.