Phase 2 · Concentrate, Then Stop

Part of the 4 Week Yoga Program for Focus and Attention

10 Minute Yoga Sequence for the Middle of a Working Day

Ten minutes without a mat. Everything here works in ordinary clothes next to a desk.

This sits between the three minute break and the full session: long enough to change something, short enough to fit in a lunch break, and possible in the clothes you are already wearing. It has the counting, the movement and one balance pose, which is the minimum set that makes it a focus session rather than a stretch.

10 min · Level 1

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When it helps

In the middle of a working day, or on any day the longer session will not happen. Ten minutes, no mat needed, a wall or a desk to hold. This trains attention and gives you a way to break up screen time. It does not reduce how much you use your devices, and it is not a treatment for ADHD.

Attention

Two minutes of counting and one balance pose. Small, but it is the same mechanism as the long session.

Physical effect

Out of the chair, spine moving, legs working briefly.

Practicality

No mat, no changing, no floor. That removes most of the reasons a midday practice does not happen.

Ten minutes, no mat

Sitting, standing, one balance pose, done.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sit back in your chair or on the floor. Count out breaths to ten, then start again.

Two minutes of counting is the smallest dose of the attention exercise that still counts.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Dandasana

1 min

Staff Pose

Sit tall, legs out in front or feet flat on the floor. Lengthen upwards and keep breathing.

Sitting properly for a minute is harder than it sounds after two hours of not doing it.

Learn more about Dandasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

On hands and knees if there is floor, or seated with hands on the thighs, rounding the back on the out breath.

The spine moves. The seated version does the job when the floor is not an option.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Tadasana

1 min

Mountain Pose

Stand tall, eyes on a point across the room rather than on a screen.

Looking at something far away is part of the break, not a detail.

Learn more about Tadasana

Uttanasana

1 min

Standing Forward Bend

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

The opposite of a chair, for a minute.

Learn more about Uttanasana

Utkatasana

45 sec, twice

Chair Pose

Chair Pose, two sets. Hold the desk if you want.

Enough effort that the balance pose afterwards is a real question.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Vrkasana

45 sec each side

Tree Pose

Tree, one hand on the desk. Eyes on one point.

The attention exercise in its shortest useful form, and the reason this is not just a stretch break.

Learn more about Vrkasana

Savasana

1 min

Corpse Pose

Sit or lie down for a minute, then back to work.

One minute of nothing before returning. Short, but it marks the end.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 2 · Weeks 3 to 4

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Concentrate, Then Stop, the second phase of the 4 Week Yoga Program for Focus and Attention. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Whenever it fits, throughout the four weeks and afterwards. On a day with no time at all, do the three minute version instead.

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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