Phase 3 · The Movements Named, and the Test Again

Part of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Everyday Mobility

30 Minute Yoga Sequence for the Movements of an Ordinary Day

The last two weeks and afterwards. The five movements, and the same test you did in week one.

The last two weeks name what each thing is for. Getting out of a car, reaching into a high cupboard, putting on a jacket, checking the blind spot, picking something off the floor. Nothing new is introduced. What changes is that you should be able to feel where each pose has gone, and at the end of week eight you time the sit to stand again and compare it with week one.

30 min · Level 2

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When it helps

For weeks seven and eight, twice a week, and afterwards for as long as you like. Thirty minutes. A chair and a wall. A chair or a wall within reach for the standing balance work, always. This program is about everyday movement rather than fall prevention: balance scores improve in the research, and the two largest trials found more falls in the yoga group rather than fewer. If you have osteoporosis, keep forward bends coming from the hips and skip deep twists.

Getting up

Eight slow sit to stands, and the timed test at the end of week eight against your week one number.

Reaching

Overhead and behind, in the shapes that putting on a coat and reaching a top shelf actually use.

Turning

Trunk rotation standing and seated. The shoulder check, practised on purpose.

The five movements

Twenty minutes standing. Each position here names the everyday movement it belongs to.

Tadasana

2 min

Mountain Pose

Feet hip width, weight even, standing tall. Then walk slowly across the room and back, noticing your step length.

Walking. Gait speed is one of the two outcomes this research measures most and it responds to how you stand.

Learn more about Tadasana

Parshva Tadasana

1 min each side

Mountain Pose with Side Bend

Reaching up and over to one side. This is the top shelf, and the far side of the car boot.

Reaching sideways while steady. It is the movement people give up first and notice last.

Learn more about Parshva Tadasana

Virabhadrasana II

90 sec each side

Warrior II

Wide stance, front knee bent, arms out and long. This is the stride you want when crossing a road.

Step length and hip stability, held long enough that the legs have to hold it.

Learn more about Virabhadrasana II

Vrkasana

30 sec each side

Tree Pose

Fingertips on a wall, foot on the ankle or calf. This is standing on one leg to put a sock on.

Single leg standing, which is what getting dressed while upright actually is.

Learn more about Vrkasana

Garudasana

30 sec each side

Eagle Pose

Arms crossed and wrapped, knees soft, a hand on the wall if you want one. This is putting on a coat, or reaching behind you for a seatbelt.

The shoulders and upper back, in the direction that clothes require. It is also a balance pose, so keep the wall close.

Learn more about Garudasana

Utkatasana

1 min, eight times

Chair Pose

Eight slow sit to stands. At the end of week eight, time five of them and compare it to the number you wrote down in week one.

The measurement. This is the outcome the research improves most reliably, and it is the one you can check yourself.

Learn more about Utkatasana

Uttanasana

2 min

Standing Forward Bend

Knees soft, folding from the hips, hands to the shins or a chair. This is picking something off the floor.

Bending from the hip. It is worth the two minutes because the alternative is bending from the lower back.

Learn more about Uttanasana

On the floor

Ten minutes down low, and the way back up.

Marjaryasana

2 min

Cat Pose

Hands and knees, rounding on the out breath.

The spine after twenty minutes standing.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

2 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath.

And extension, which is the half that keeps you upright.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Parivrtta Sukhasana

90 sec each side

Revolved Easy Pose

Sitting, turning to one side, hand on the opposite knee. This is the shoulder check when reversing.

Rotation, seated and unhurried. Turning from the trunk rather than swinging the hip is the whole instruction.

Learn more about Parivrtta Sukhasana

Finishing

Four minutes, and the way up onto your feet.

Apanasana

2 min

Knees to Chest Pose

Knees towards the chest.

On the way out.

Learn more about Apanasana

Savasana

2 min

Corpse Pose

Flat for two minutes. Roll to your side, push up to sitting, stand with a hand on the chair.

Getting off the floor, one more time. By week eight it should feel like nothing, which is the result.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 3 · Weeks 7 to 8

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to The Movements Named, and the Test Again, the third phase of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Everyday Mobility. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Twice a week for weeks seven and eight, then keep it twice a week for as long as it is useful, with the ten minute sequence in between. Two sessions a week is the dose that showed effects in this research. One was not.

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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