Phase 2 · Standing, and Finding You Are Fine

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Anxiety and Worry

35 Minute Yoga Sequence for Anxiety and Steadiness

Weeks five to eight. Standing poses come in, which is about the body feeling capable rather than about fitness.

The second phase adds standing work, and the reason is not strength. In the trials, part of how yoga seemed to work for anxiety was a change in how people related to their own bodies and their own thoughts, and standing in a pose that takes a bit of effort and finding that you can do it is a fairly direct route to that. The breathing still comes first, and the ending is still long.

35 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For weeks five to eight, three times a week, with the five minute sequence whenever it is needed. Thirty-five minutes. A cushion, a block and a wall. This supports self regulation. It is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder and it does not replace therapy: in the largest trial, cognitive behavioural therapy did better than yoga and kept its advantage six months later.

Self regulation

The same two breathing techniques, now on a body that has just done something.

Physical effect

Legs, shoulders and the whole back of the body, at an effort level where the breath stays even.

Confidence

Finding out that you can hold a pose that asks something of you does more for a nervous system than being told to relax.

Breathing first, still

Five minutes seated before anything moves. This never changes.

Sukhasana

5 min

Easy Pose

Alternate nostril breathing for three minutes, humming bee breath for two.

Both calming rather than stimulating. Fast forced techniques are not part of this program.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Rounding on the out breath.

The bridge between sitting and standing.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath. Eight rounds.

Movement at the speed of the breath, one more time before it gets harder.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Standing, and steady

Fifteen minutes upright. If your breathing changes, the pose is too much and you come out. That is the only rule here.

Tadasana

2 min

Mountain Pose

Feet hip width, standing tall, weight even. Two minutes of doing nothing but standing.

Standing still on purpose is harder than it sounds and it is a reasonable first test of whether the breathing survives being upright.

Learn more about Tadasana

Parshva Tadasana

45 sec each side

Mountain Pose with Side Bend

One arm overhead, leaning gently to the side.

The ribs open, and the breath has more room in it.

Learn more about Parshva Tadasana

Uttanasana

1 min

Standing Forward Bend

Fold forward with soft knees, head heavy. Come up slowly.

A minute with the head below the heart, which most people find settling for reasons nobody has fully explained.

Learn more about Uttanasana

Trikonasana

45 sec each side

Triangle Pose

Triangle, hand on a block, both legs straight.

Wide, long and open. A pose you can breathe in easily while it still asks for something.

Learn more about Trikonasana

Virabhadrasana II

45 sec each side

Warrior II

Warrior II, front knee bent as far as the breathing allows.

The breathing is the gauge. Bent knee and even breath beats deep knee and short breath.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana II

Utkatasana

45 sec, twice

Chair Pose

Chair Pose, twice. Come out when the breathing changes.

Real effort, deliberately, and then finding out you are fine. That is the point of this phase.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Down, and long

Twelve minutes on the floor. The proportion is deliberate.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1 min, twice

Bridge Pose

On your back, hips lifting, feet pressing.

The last of the work, and it opens the front of the body after the standing.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Jathara Parivartanasana

1 min each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Knees drawn in, falling to one side, shoulders staying down.

A twist with the floor doing everything.

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana

Viparita Karani

4 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall, humming breath for the first minute if you like.

Four minutes after standing work is a different experience from four minutes cold.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Savasana

5 min

Corpse Pose

Flat, warm, timer set.

Five minutes. The wandering is expected.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 2 · Weeks 5 to 8

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Standing, and Finding You Are Fine, the second phase of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Anxiety and Worry. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Three times a week for weeks five to eight. If a standing pose makes the breathing go short and fast, come out of it and go back to the breathing. That is not a setback, it is the practice doing exactly what it is for.

The teacher behind this sequence

Gründer & Autor

Manish Rana

Gründer von Asanaverse.de. Manish schreibt über Yoga, Ayurveda und Meditation und verdankt seine tiefe Verbindung zum Yoga seinen indischen Wurzeln. Mit über 1000 Stunden Yoga Alliance Teacher Training gibt er sein Wissen an die Community weiter.

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Go deeper into the poses

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