Asanaverse

Phase 3 · The Toolkit

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Anxiety and Worry

25 Minute Yoga Sequence for Everyday Anxiety

The last four weeks and the one to keep, because in the trials the gains faded when the practice stopped.

There is one finding in this research that decides how the program ends. In the largest trial, yoga clearly beat the control condition at twelve weeks, and by six months that advantage had faded, while the therapy group held theirs. The most likely reason is simply that people stopped practising. So the last four weeks are about arriving at a session short enough that you would still do it in March, with the breathing and the standing work both still in it.

25 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For weeks nine to twelve, and then two or three times a week for as long as you like. Twenty-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 breathing, kept at full length, because it is the part that travels off the mat.

Physical effect

Two standing poses, a bridge, a twist, and a long ending.

Durability

The gains in these trials faded when practice stopped. What you keep matters more than what you did.

Short and complete

The breathing keeps its full length. Everything else gets shorter.

Easy PoseSukhasana
01
4 min

Easy Pose

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

Four minutes rather than six, and it is the last thing that would ever get cut.

Learn more about Sukhasana
Cat PoseMarjaryasana
02
1 min

Cat Pose

Rounding on the out breath.

The warm up, in its entirety.

Learn more about Marjaryasana
Cow PoseBitilasana
03
1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, eight rounds.

And the other direction.

Learn more about Bitilasana
Triangle PoseTrikonasana
04
45 sec each side

Triangle Pose

Triangle with a block, both legs straight.

One long open standing pose, so the body has done something.

Learn more about Trikonasana
Chair PoseUtkatasana
05
45 sec, twice

Chair Pose

Chair Pose, twice, coming out if the breathing changes.

A bit of effort, on purpose, and then the discovery that it was fine.

Learn more about Utkatasana
Bridge PoseSetu Bandha Sarvangasana
06
1 min, twice

Bridge Pose

Hips lifted, feet pressing.

The front of the body opens and the work is done.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Reclining Belly TwistJathara Parivartanasana
07
1 min each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Knees to one side, shoulders down.

A twist with nothing in it.

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana
Legs Up the WallViparita Karani
08
3 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall.

Three minutes, and the session is basically over.

Learn more about Viparita Karani
Knees to Chest PoseApanasana
09
2 min

Knees to Chest Pose

Knees drawn towards the chest, arms loose.

A small closed shape on the way to lying flat. Nearly everyone keeps this one.

Learn more about Apanasana
Corpse PoseSavasana
10
4 min

Corpse Pose

Flat, covered, timer set.

Four minutes out of twenty-five. Even in the short version the ending is protected.

Learn more about Savasana

Integration

Two or three times a week indefinitely, with the five minute sequence whenever a moment needs it. If everything else falls away, keep the breathing. It is the part that works in a car park.