Phase 1 · Arriving, and Learning That Nothing Is Compulsory

Part of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Stress Related Body Tension

25 Minute Yoga Sequence for Body Tension and Grounding

The first three weeks. Everything on the floor, every instruction an invitation, and the same order every time.

A body that has been braced for a long time does not unbrace because somebody tells it to. What seems to help is a practice where nothing is compulsory, where you can tell how it feels rather than how it looks, and where the same things happen in the same order so there are no surprises. That is the shape of this session. It is also, more or less, the shape of the practice in the trial that produced the clearest results in this field.

25 min · Level 1

← Back to the full program

When it helps

For the first three weeks, two or three times a week. Any time of day. Twenty-five minutes. A blanket, two cushions and a wall. Every instruction here is an invitation. Nothing is compulsory, your eyes can stay open throughout, and stopping at any point is a complete way to do this. It is a practice for everyday body tension, not a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, and it does not replace trauma-focused therapy.

Noticing

The aim is not flexibility or strength. It is being able to tell what is happening in your body, which is a skill and not a feeling.

Physical effect

The back, hips and shoulders, in positions that never ask you to hold yourself up.

Predictability

The same beginning, middle and end every time. That is deliberate rather than unimaginative.

Beginning

The same six minutes at the start of every session in this program. You will know exactly what is coming.

Sukhasana

3 min

Easy Pose

Sit however is comfortable, on a cushion or against a wall. Eyes open or closed, whichever you prefer, and you can change your mind. You might notice where your body is touching the floor.

Feeling where you are in contact with the ground is the first thing, and it is available whether or not anything else today is.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Dandasana

2 min

Staff Pose

If it suits you, straighten the legs out in front. Or keep them bent. Notice the difference between the two rather than deciding which is correct.

Two options with no right answer. That is the point of putting this second rather than something more interesting.

Learn more about Dandasana

Middle

Movement, at whatever size suits you. Small counts as much as large here.

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

On hands and knees if that works, or seated with hands on the thighs. You might round the back as you breathe out.

The first movement, offered in two versions because kneeling does not suit everybody.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

And the other direction, chest forward as you breathe in. Move between them at whatever speed you like, or stay still.

The speed is yours. That sounds like a small thing and it is most of what makes this different from an ordinary class.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Bharadvajasana 1

1 min each side

Bharadvaja's Twist

A gentle turn, sitting down. As far or as little as you want. You might stay quite small and get more out of it.

A twist gives attention somewhere to go. How far you turn has nothing to do with how useful it is.

Learn more about Bharadvajasana 1

Janu Shirsana

2 min each side

Head-to-Knee Forward Bend

One leg out, one foot in, folding forward onto a cushion if that suits. Head resting or head up, both work.

Two minutes is long. If that is too long today, come up whenever you like and the session carries on.

Learn more about Janu Shirsana

Supta Hasta Padangusthasana

1 min each side

Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

On your back, a strap or a belt around one foot, knee bent as much as you want.

The last position that asks for anything at all.

Learn more about Supta Hasta Padangusthasana

End

The same ending every session. Seven minutes, and you can leave at any point without it being a problem.

Viparita Karani

4 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall, if that suits. If it does not, lie with your knees bent and feet on the floor instead. Both are the pose.

Two versions offered as equals. Whichever one lets you stay is the right one.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Apanasana

1 min

Knees to Chest Pose

Knees towards the chest, arms wherever they want to be.

Something small and closed, on the way to the end.

Learn more about Apanasana

Savasana

3 min

Corpse Pose

Lying down, covered if you like. Eyes open is completely fine here, and for some people it is better.

Three minutes, and the eyes open option is not a lesser version. It is simply the version that works for more people than anyone tends to say.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 3

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Arriving, and Learning That Nothing Is Compulsory, the first phase of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Stress Related Body Tension. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Two or three times a week for the first three weeks. If a position does not suit you on a given day, leave it out and stay where you are. That is not skipping, it is the practice working the way it is meant to.

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.

View profile →

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.

Open the Asana Lab

Make it yours

Keep this practice in your library, print it for the mat, or build your own sequence from all 108 asanas.

Create a free account

All sequences

← Back to overview