Phase 2 · Standing, Without Speeding Up

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Healthy Blood Pressure

35 Minute Yoga Sequence for Blood Pressure and Circulation

Weeks five to nine. Standing poses come in, held at a pace where the breath never speeds up.

This is the longest session in the program, and the one that adds standing work. The rule that runs through it is simple: if the breathing changes, the pose is too much. Standing poses here are held long and worked gently rather than pushed, which is how they appeared in the trials this is built on. The eight minute breathing block still comes first.

35 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For weeks five to nine, three times a week, with the ten minute session on the other days. Thirty-five minutes. A cushion, a wall and a blanket. This is an addition to your medical care and any blood pressure medication, not a replacement for either. Do not hold your breath at any point, and leave out full inversions such as headstand and shoulderstand.

Breath

Eight minutes of alternate nostril breathing, then a steady even breath maintained through everything that follows.

Physical effect

Standing poses for the legs and the whole body, at an effort level where you could still hold a conversation.

Pace

If your breathing speeds up or you find yourself holding it, come out. That is the only intensity gauge this program uses.

The breathing, first

Eight minutes seated. Longer than in phase one, because by now the rhythm comes easily.

Sukhasana

8 min

Easy Pose

Alternate nostril breathing for six minutes, then two minutes of simply breathing in for five and out for five without the hands.

The last two minutes are the version you can do anywhere. That matters more than the technique.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Dandasana

1 min

Staff Pose

Sitting tall, legs long, ordinary breathing.

A pause before standing up.

Learn more about Dandasana

Standing, and unhurried

Six standing positions. Hold each one long and work it gently. If the breath changes, come out.

Tadasana

1 min

Mountain Pose

Feet hip width, standing tall, breathing evenly.

The reference position. Everything after this should feel like it, only with more going on.

Learn more about Tadasana

Parshva Tadasana

45 sec each side

Mountain Pose with Side Bend

One arm overhead, a gentle lean to the side.

Opens the ribs standing up, and costs nothing.

Learn more about Parshva Tadasana

Uttanasana

1 min

Standing Forward Bend

Fold forward with soft knees, head heavy. Come up slowly, one vertebra at a time.

Coming up slowly matters. Standing up fast from a forward fold makes most people light headed, and that is worth avoiding here.

Learn more about Uttanasana

Trikonasana

45 sec each side

Triangle Pose

Triangle, hand on a block or the shin. Keep the breath even.

A long, wide, quiet pose. There is no version of this that needs to be strenuous.

Learn more about Trikonasana

Virabhadrasana II

45 sec each side

Warrior II

Warrior II, front knee bent as far as it can go while the breathing stays the same.

The legs do real work here. The breathing is the gauge for how much.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana II

Utthita Parsvakonasana

45 sec each side

Extended Side Angle Pose

Side Angle, forearm on the thigh rather than reaching for the floor.

The most demanding standing pose in the session, kept modest on purpose.

Learn more about Utthita Parsvakonasana

Down, and settle

Ten minutes on the floor to finish.

Bhujangasana

30 sec, twice

High Cobra Pose

Face down, low lift, breathing throughout.

Cobra was one of the two most common poses across the effective programmes in this research. Low is enough.

Learn more about Bhujangasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

45 sec, twice

Bridge Pose

On your back, hips lifting a little, breath even.

The last active thing in the session.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Viparita Karani

4 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall.

Four minutes here after standing work is the best part of the session for most people.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Savasana

5 min

Corpse Pose

Flat, quiet, nothing to do.

Five minutes, every time.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 2 · Weeks 5 to 9

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Standing, Without Speeding Up, the second phase of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Healthy Blood Pressure. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Three times a week for weeks five to nine. If a standing pose makes you feel light headed or your ears pound, come down and rest, and leave that pose out next time.

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

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