Phase 1 · Somewhere to Put the Day

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Chronic Stress

15 Minute Yoga Sequence to Reset a Stressful Day

The one for a Wednesday. Short enough that the busy weeks do not break the habit.

The trials behind this program used one ninety minute session a week. That is a lot to ask of a bad month, and what usually happens is that the whole thing stops. This is the insurance policy: fifteen minutes, mostly on the floor, with the same shape as the long version. It is also the session most people end up doing most often, which is fine.

15 min · Level 1

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When it helps

On a day that has been too much, or on any week where the long session is not going to happen. Fifteen minutes, a blanket and a wall. This is for the stress you feel, and that is what the research measures. Persistent low mood, sleeplessness that will not shift, or thoughts of harming yourself are a different matter and belong with a doctor.

Perceived stress

The same target as the long session, in the shortest form that still has an ending worth having.

Physical effect

The back and the hips, and one thing that opens the front of the body.

Keeping it

A session that survives a bad week is worth more than a better one that does not.

Fifteen minutes

Two of arriving, seven of moving, six of lying still.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sitting up. Nothing to do.

Two minutes before you start is what makes this a practice rather than an exercise break.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Hands and knees, rounding on the out breath.

The gentlest thing there is.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, eight rounds.

Movement at the speed of the breath.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1 min, twice

Bridge Pose

Hips lifted, or supported on a block if you would rather rest.

The one thing here with any effort in it, and it opens the front of the body.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Supta Kaptasana

1 min each side

Reclining Pigeon Pose

Ankle across the opposite thigh.

The hips, briefly, after a day of sitting.

Learn more about Supta Kaptasana

Viparita Karani

3 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall.

Three minutes with the legs up is the most efficient part of any short session.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Savasana

3 min

Corpse Pose

Flat, covered, done.

Three minutes rather than thirty seconds. Even in a short session the ending is the point.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 4

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Somewhere to Put the Day, the first phase of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Chronic Stress. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

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Integration

Whenever it is needed, throughout the twelve weeks and afterwards. If you find this is the only one you are doing, that is not a failure of the program.

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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Make it yours

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