Office Yoga
A lot of you may have a typical desk job where you’re sitting down for hours and hours at a time.
Being on your butt for 8 hours can really take a toll on the body. Your legs and your back are the areas that suffer the most and you feel this suffering the second you decide to stand up.
It doesn’t take much for your muscles to get stiff. Sometimes you need to do what you can to make sure your body stays loose.
Mar 10, 2016 Yes, yoga at the office—we dare you to try it! Based on my burgeoning understanding of Katonah Yoga, an alignment-based yoga system developed by Nevine Michaan in New York City and Bedford Hills, NY, here are a few postures to help you get through each day a little happier and healthier. Sitting at a desk for hours on end places unnecessary strain on the lumbar spine, overstretches the mid to upper back, and shortens the chest and hips—leading to neck, shoulder, and low back pain. Try this simple office yoga sequence when you cannot get to your favorite class. Seated Crescent Moon Pose. Om Office Yoga keeps our team healthy and focused, while also building community across different departments in our company. It's also a great benefit to attract top talent!' — Jono Millin, Founder at Drone Deploy. 14 Minute Office Break Yoga! Carve out time for yourself to stretch it out, create space, connect with your breath, focus your mind, and replenish your body. No yoga mat or stretchy pants required.
However, sometimes you may not be allowed to leave your desk. This is when you have to get a little creative with keeping yourself loose. Staying loose is important when it comes to your work. It could make you much more productive and cause you to be a greater asset at your job.
Office Yoga
There is only so much you can do in your chair to loosen you up.
You don’t even need to be that flexible to get through the following workout. The more flexible you are, the easier some of the stretches could be.
The stretches below are made for limited space, since it’s assumed you have a very limited amount of space at your desk. All you need is enough space to stretch your arms and legs fully from the comfort of your seat.
Remember, all of the stretches will be done from a seated position.
Forward Bend
In traditional yoga, a forward bend would put a lot of focus on your hamstrings. A forward fold in a seated position is going to really give your lower back a good stretch.
You want to extend you arms high into the air and slowly come down as low as you can. You want to make sure that your back gets as deep a stretch as possible.
If you don’t feel the stretch in your lower back, come back up and start over because you are doing something wrong.
Spinal Twist
Sticking with you back, a spinal twist is going to allow most of your back to get a good stretch.
The twisting is going to stretch your lower to mid back.
When performing this stretch, you want to move slowly into it. If you move too quickly, you are putting yourself at risk for injury. An injury at work, especially one that you do sitting down, is going to be tough to explain to your boss.
So, make sure you ease into the stretch and to twist to both sides. Don’t only stretch one side, you’ll be able to feel a massive difference.
Side Stretch
The side stretch does exactly what it sounds like. It stretches your side.
You need to try and get all areas of your body covered when stretching, especially in your chair.
Reaching one arm into the air as high as you can, start to slowly lean to the opposite side and bend as far as you can.
Giving your entire side the best stretch possible will make you feel just as loose as the back stretches you have just done.
Knee Hug
Knee hugs are great for loosening up your legs.
Yes, it will also contribute to loosening your lower back, but you should be able to feel in your hamstrings as well.
This is a simple stretch that doesn’t require much effort. All you need to do is wrap your hands around one knee and pull that knee towards your chest.
Leg Lifts
This is not only great for engaging your legs, but it will engage your lower abs as well.
The thing that will give you the most out of this stretch is keeping your leg/legs as straight as possible throughout the movement. When you force your legs to stay straight, you will be engaging your muscles in a more efficient manner and will allow them to stretch and strengthen simultaneously.
Sun Pose
The video below is perfect for the sun pose.
Doing this right before you get back to working will greatly relax you. If you’ve been having a rough time at work and need to settle down and relax your mind, this is what you should do.
Office Yoga Yoga
You’ll be placed in a much better state of mind and be a more prodcutive worker.