Working at your office slouching at the desk for eight hours or more can seriously harm your health and body. From tight hips and shoulders to severe neck pain and acute back pain, continuous work without breaks will take a toll on your health.
Leaving the office for a workout break is not feasible but it is possible to practice certain yogasanas while sitting at your work space to relieve stress, increase energy and give the body a much needed boost from lack of movement. Following are a few of the work-friendly seated yoga poses you can do at your desk to keep your body fit and healthy.
- Desk Shoulder Opener
Considered to be one of the best yoga poses to release tight shoulders at work, try this yoga pose to ease tension caused from sitting too long at a desk. Move the chair away from your desk and stretch your arms straight. Drop your shoulder in between your arms and breathe till you feel relaxed and free from tension.
- Seated Cat-Cow Stretch
Seated cat and cow pose helps in stretching your upper body to feel relaxed and cleared from the tightness of muscles. Sit comfortably on a chair and keep your hands on the knees and feet flat on the floor. Inhale deeply and stretch your back backwards and look up at the ceiling. Exhale and stretch your back forward while dropping your head to form a slouching pose. Repeat this 3-5 times.
- Forward Fold
Forward fold or forward bend can be practiced either by standing or sitting. While standing, bend forward and let your belly touch thighs, letting gravity take over. Keep your knees bended and breathe deeply to release tension. Stay in this pose for 20 seconds and repeat this till you feel relaxed.
Seated forward bend can be done by pushing your chair away from the desk while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bring your arms behind the lower back of your body, keeping the back straight and interlock your fingers behind your back. Bend forward from your waist bringing hands over your back. Rest your chest on the thighs, relax your neck and release.
- Ankle to Knee
Sit up straight, lean slightly forward and bring your right knee up to your chest and hold with your hands. Feel the stretch, flex the right foot and drop the knee by rotating the thigh outward from your hips. Place your ankle on the left knee and slightly press your right knee down. This stretches your hips, ankles and relaxes your feet.
- Seated Spinal Twist
Considered to be the simplest poses yet effective one, seated spinal twist relieves back pain, opens up the chest and loosens hip joints. Sit at the edge of the chair and place your feet flat on the floor. Hold the back of the chair with both your hands and twist your waist to the right side towards the back of the chair. Hold and come back to the original position. Repeat this exercise for 4-6 times.
- Open Chest Stretch
Stretching your chest is considered to be one of the best exercises as it loosens up the muscles and chest after hunching forward at the desk for a long time. Sit at the edge of a chair, inhale and bring your fingers locked behind your back. Exhale as you look up and start lean backwards (only the upper part of the spine must bend and not your lower back) to feel your chest and shoulders stretching. Repeat this pose for 3-5 times until you feel the neck and shoulder muscles relaxed.
- Shoulder Rolls
Shoulder rolls help in relieving upper back or should tension caused due to less or no movement from sitting continuously. Sit in a chair by placing your feet flat on the floor. Inhale and start lifting your right shoulder to the right ear and slowly exhale by rolling your shoulder to its previous position. Repeat the same for your left shoulder and by inhaling lift both the shoulders to your ears and as you exhale release them. Repeat this pose for 5-8 times.
