Phase 1 · Arriving, and Learning That Nothing Is Compulsory

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

5 Minute Grounding Sequence

Five minutes, three positions, and no decisions. For a moment when the body will not settle.

This is the short one, and its only job is to be available. Five minutes, three positions, and the same order as the longer sessions so that nothing about it is new when you need it. It works on a floor, on a bed, or sitting on a chair with your feet down. There is nothing in it that requires you to feel calm first.

5 min · Level 1

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When it helps

Any moment the body has gone tight and there is no time for anything longer. Five minutes, anywhere. 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

Feeling your feet, your seat and your hands. That is most of it and it is more useful than it sounds.

Physical effect

One movement and one position lying down. Nothing that needs space or props.

Availability

Five minutes with no decisions. That is what makes it possible when a longer session is not.

Five minutes

Sit, move a little, lie down. The same three things, in the same order, every time.

Sukhasana

2 min

Easy Pose

Sit down wherever you are, on the floor or a chair. Feel your feet, then your seat, then your hands. Eyes open if you prefer.

Naming three places where your body meets something is the whole exercise. It does not require you to be calm.

Learn more about Sukhasana

Marjaryasana

1 min

Cat Pose

Round the back as you breathe out, on hands and knees or sitting. Small is fine.

One movement. Enough to have moved and not enough to be a project.

Learn more about Marjaryasana

Bitilasana

30 sec

Cow Pose

Chest forward as you breathe in, a few times. Or stay where you are.

The other direction, offered rather than required.

Learn more about Bitilasana

Apanasana

1 min

Knees to Chest Pose

On your back, knees towards the chest. Or sit and hug your own arms if lying down is not available.

Two versions again, and both count.

Learn more about Apanasana

Savasana

30 sec

Corpse Pose

Lie or sit still for half a minute, eyes however you like, then carry on with your day.

Half a minute, and it is over. Short endings are part of what makes a short practice repeatable.

Learn more about Savasana

Phase 1 · Weeks 1 to 3

This practice is part of a program

It belongs to Arriving, and Learning That Nothing Is Compulsory, the first 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.

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Integration

Whenever it is needed, throughout the eight weeks and afterwards. Using this instead of a longer session is a complete way to practise on a given day.

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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