Phase 3 · The Version That Carries On

Part of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Stress Related Body Tension

20 Minute Yoga Sequence to Keep

The last two weeks and afterwards, because the long term difference in this research came from the practice that continued.

The most useful finding in this whole area comes from a follow up eighteen months after a trial ended. What predicted who was still doing better was not which group they had been in. It was how often they had kept practising. That is an unusual and quite freeing result: the specific programme matters less than whether anything carries on. So the last two weeks are about arriving at a version short enough that it does.

20 min · Level 1

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When it helps

For weeks seven and eight, and then whenever it suits, for as long as you like. Twenty minutes, a blanket, a cushion and a wall. Every instruction here is an invitation. Nothing is compulsory, your eyes can stay open throughout, and stopping at any point is a complete way to do this. It is a practice for everyday body tension, not a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, and it does not replace trauma-focused therapy.

Noticing

The same skill, in the shortest form that still has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Physical effect

One movement, one twist, one hip lift and the ending.

Continuing

In the only long term follow up in this field, continuing was what predicted who was still doing better. Not the programme.

Beginning

Still the same. That is why it is easy to come back to.

Sukhasana

3 min

Easy Pose

Sitting, eyes as you like, noticing where you meet the floor.

Familiar, and familiar is the point.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Rounding on the out breath.

The movement you have done in every session.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

1 min

Cow Pose

Chest forward on the in breath, your speed.

And its other half.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Middle

Three things, and any of them can be left out.

Bharadvajasana 1

1 min each side

Bharadvaja's Twist

A gentle seated turn.

The one that most people keep.

Learn more about Bharadvajasana 1

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

1 min, twice

Bridge Pose

Hips lifting a little, or resting on a block.

Effort or no effort, depending on the day.

Learn more about Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Jathara Parivartanasana

1 min each side

Reclining Belly Twist

Knees to one side, cushion underneath.

A twist with nothing to hold.

Learn more about Jathara Parivartanasana

End

Six minutes, the same as always.

Viparita Karani

3 min

Legs Up the Wall

Legs up the wall, or knees bent on the floor.

Whichever version lets you stay.

Learn more about Viparita Karani

Apanasana

1 min

Knees to Chest Pose

Knees towards the chest.

On the way out.

Learn more about Apanasana

Savasana

2 min

Corpse Pose

Lying down, eyes however you like, and then get up when you are ready.

Two minutes, and the session has ended the same way it always has.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 3 · Weeks 7 to 8

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to The Version That Carries On, the third phase of the 8 Week Yoga Program for Stress Related Body Tension. The program says how often to practise it, what comes before and after, and when to move on.

See the whole program →

Integration

Two or three times a week for as long as you like, with the five minute one whenever it is needed. If it slips for a fortnight, start again at whatever size is available. There is no falling behind in this one.

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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Make it yours

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