Phase 1 · Active From the Start

Part of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Metabolic Syndrome

30 Minute Yoga Sequence for Metabolic Health

The first four weeks. Active from the start, because the gentle version of this has been tested and it did not work.

There is a study that saved everyone a lot of time here. It put restorative yoga, five reclining poses held for ten to fifteen minutes each, up against plain active stretching in people with metabolic syndrome, and followed them for a year. Six of the seven metabolic markers came out no different. Meanwhile the two trials with the strongest results used active Hatha practice and sun salutations. So this program is built out of effort rather than stillness, and that starts in week one.

30 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For the first four weeks, four times a week. Whatever time of day you will actually do it. Thirty minutes. A mat, a chair and two blocks. This works alongside changes to what you eat and any medication you take, not instead of them. Chairs and a wall are fair game in every pose here.

Metabolic effect

Standing work and back bends, which is the combination the effective trials used. Waist circumference is the marker that responds most reliably.

Physical effect

Legs, back and the middle of the body. Chair supported versions of everything, offered rather than earned.

Getting started

The dose is deliberately modest in these four weeks. Building the habit is worth more here than any single hard session.

Start

Four minutes of warming up. Short, because the work is the point of this session.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sit up, breathe evenly, and notice what today feels like before you decide how hard to go.

Two minutes, no more. The relaxing part of this program is at the end and it is not the part that does the work.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Hands and knees, rounding the back as you breathe out.

Wakes the middle of the body up before anything asks it for effort.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath. Eight rounds, at the speed of the breath.

The gentlest thing in the session, and a quick read on how the back feels today.

Learn more about Bitilasana

The work

Twenty minutes of actual effort. Bend your knees, use blocks, take the chair version. None of that reduces the effect.

Adhomukha Shvanasana

45 sec, twice

Downward-Facing Dog

Hands and feet down, hips back and up, knees as bent as you like.

The first whole body demand of the session, and a good bridge into standing.

Learn more about Adhomukha Shvanasana

Utkatasana

45 sec, twice

Chair Pose

Chair Pose, sitting back until the thighs are genuinely working. Hands on a chair back if you want them.

The largest muscles you have, under load. Two sets is a real dose and it should feel like one.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Utthita Parsvakonasana

45 sec each side

Extended Side Angle Pose

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

A long hold with both legs working. Length, not depth, is what makes this useful.

Learn more about Utthita Parsvakonasana

Down, and through the middle

Back bends and a twist, which is the pattern in the effective protocols.

Bhujangasana

30 sec, twice

High Cobra Pose

Face down, hands under the shoulders, low lift, breathing throughout.

The back of the body working while the front lengthens.

Learn more about Bhujangasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

45 sec, twice

Bridge Pose

On your back, hips lifting, feet pressing down.

The glutes and the backs of the legs, which is the other big muscle group worth loading.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Jathara Parivartanasana

1 min each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Knees in, then let them fall to one side. Shoulders stay down.

A twist with the floor holding everything, at the point where the work is done.

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana

Supta Kaptasana

45 sec each side

Reclining Pigeon Pose

Ankle across the opposite thigh, hands behind the back thigh.

The hips after all the standing.

Learn more about Supta Kaptasana

Savasana

4 min

Corpse Pose

Flat on your back, breathing normally.

Four minutes at the end. Enough to finish properly, and not the main event.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 4

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Active From the Start, the first phase of the 12 Week Yoga Program for Metabolic Syndrome. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Four times a week for the first four weeks. Measure your waist at the start, at week six and at week twelve, in the morning before eating. It is the marker most likely to move and the cheapest one to track.

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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