Yoga at Your Work Desk

Do you suffer from tight shoulders, back pain and sore neck from sitting at your desk all day?  Sitting at a desk for hours on end places unnecessary strain on the lumbar spine, over stretches 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 start to feel the tension building in the neck, shoulders and back. No need for a mat, or even leaving the comfort of your office space. You can simply stand next to your office chair and perform this short and simple flow to relieve stress and tension in no time.

Yoga Sequence:

1. Stand tall and inhale your arms out, around and up gazing past your finger tips-Mountain pose
2. Interlace your fingers and exhale your arms straight out in front of you, curling your spine
3. Keeping the bind, inhale send the arms high
4. Exhale, release the hands and interlace your fingers behind your back
5. Inhale, move your arms toward straight, opening up the chest and shoulders gazing up toward the sky
6. Exhale fold forward with bind back behind you-keep a nice bend in the knees
7. Inhale, release the hands lift the body halfway sliding the hands up the shins
8. Exhale fold in sit the hips back
9. Inhale to chair pose
10. Exhale come back to standing with hands at heart center

Repeat the sequence 3-5 times taking deep steady breathes in through the nose and out through the nose as you move through the postures.

If you can set aside just a few minutes during your workday to take some deep breaths, clear your mind, and stretch your tight muscles with these yoga poses, your body will thank you, and you can move through your day healthier, happier, and more stress-free.

Namaste Office Yogis!

Emily