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

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When it helps

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.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sitting up, breathing evenly.

Two minutes to arrive.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Rounding the back on the out breath.

The middle of the body wakes up.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, eight rounds.

The other half of the same movement.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Standing and working

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

Adhomukha Shvanasana

45 sec, twice

Downward-Facing Dog

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

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

Learn more about Adhomukha Shvanasana

Utkatasana

45 sec, three times

Chair Pose

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.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Garudasana

45 sec each side

Eagle Pose

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.

Learn more about Garudasana

Utthita Parsvakonasana

1 min each side

Extended Side Angle Pose

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

A long loaded hold with both legs doing different jobs.

Learn more about Utthita Parsvakonasana

Parshvottanasana

45 sec each side

Pyramid Pose

Pyramid, hips level, hands on blocks.

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

Learn more about Parshvottanasana

Virabhadrasana 3

30 sec each side

Warrior III

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.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana 3

Malasana

1 min

Garland Pose

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.

Learn more about Malasana

The back of the body

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

Bhujangasana

30 sec, twice

High Cobra Pose

Face down, chest lifting, breath moving throughout.

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

Learn more about Bhujangasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

45 sec, three times

Bridge Pose

Hips lifted, feet pressing. Three sets.

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

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Jathara Parivartanasana

1 min each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Knees to one side, shoulders staying down.

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

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana

Supta Kaptasana

1 min each side

Reclining Pigeon Pose

Ankle across the opposite thigh.

The hips, after twenty-five minutes of standing.

Learn more about Supta Kaptasana

Settle

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

Viparita Karani

2 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall.

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

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Savasana

4 min

Corpse Pose

Flat, quiet, then get up slowly.

Four minutes to close it properly.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 2 · Weeks 5 to 9

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Full Volume, the second phase of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Metabolic Syndrome. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

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.

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

Every asana in this practice has a page of its own. You will find alignment cues, what the shape actually works on, and the energetics behind it.

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