Yoga in your Office: 5 Poses to get you started!
Can I do yoga in my office? Yes, of course!
We all know that too much sitting isn’t good for you. Dr. James A. Levine from the Mayo Clinic wrote about a recent study that found adults who spend more than 4 hours seated (in a car, at a desk, on a couch – whatever) are at a “125 percent increased risk of events associated with cardiovascular disease” (Levine, 2015). Holy cow! That amount of sedentary time is not hard to achieve – so what are you going to do about it? How bout some office yoga!
If you are lucky enough to have an employer who brings Yoga Balance, Inc. into your office (YAY!), this is a way to glean the yogic benefits EVERY day of the week. If your employer doesn’t yet have us come in (hint, hint *send me the contact info and I will convince them* hint, hint), these are ways to achieve that yoga bliss without access to a class at work.
Seated Cat/Cow - the best way to energize your afternoon
Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of water, tip your hips forward far enough that the water in the imaginary bowl sloshes out on the floor in front of you. Then round your spine and allow the “water” to slosh out behind you. Alternate between the exaggerated back bend of the hips tipped forward and the rounded spine of the hips tipped backward. You can flip flop between these two poses quickly or slowly – whatever feels right and whips up your energy!
Shoulder Opener using a desk – great tension reliever
Scoot your chair far enough from the desk that you can stretch your arms out and only touch the desk with your palms. Fold at your waist, letting your weight carefully open your shoulders. Be sure to let go of your neck here for an awesome neck stretch as well.
Standing Quad Stretch – tightness in the thigh is linked to low back pain
Stand up and bend right knee, catching the right ankle in the right hand. To intensify the stretch, kick into your hand. This will intensify the stretch in the quad and give you a shoulder opener as well. You can also add balance into the mix by lifting your left hand to the sky. Balance is awesome in this case because it will help strengthen your core (which includes more than just your washboard abs). Repeat on opposite side.
Standing Lateral Stretch – decompress your smooshed vertebrae by pulling them apart
Stand up and place your feet two fists distance from one another. Bend your knees slightly and reach your arms above your head. Pretend you are swinging from the monkey bars and put your upper arm bone snugly in your shoulder socket. Grab your right wrist with your left hand. Put more weight into your right foot and then stretch up and over toward your left side. ***Do not crunch into your left side in the stretch. Keep both sides long to maximize the stretch and minimize the smooshing of your organs (smooshed organs = bad). Come back through center, find the stretch in the middle and then repeat on the opposite side.
Forward Fold – Further decompress the spine and let the tension out of your neck
With the same foot placement as the lateral stretch, bend at the hips, bend your knees (a lot) and allow your belly to meet your thighs. Release any grip in your neck and let your arms hang. To add variety, you can switch up your arms by grabbing opposite elbows, holding onto the backs of your heels, or interlacing you fingers and bringing them to the base of your neck (this adds some weight to the stretch so be careful not to overstretch).
The way to get the most out of these is to hold each for 15-20 breathes. Don't have that much time? Any kind of movement to break up your day will help you be healthier and stay happier.
Happy Office Yoga Lovies