Sitting at a desk for long hours throughout the week can lead to stress, reduced productivity, and discomfort in the lumbar spine, upper and mid-back. This often results in shoulder, lower back, and neck pain after a busy day at work. However, incorporating some yoga practices into your work routine can help alleviate these issues.
Often, we feel most comfortable crossing our legs while seated, but this can cause an imbalance in the hips, especially if you tend to favor one side. This imbalance can negatively affect your lower spine over time. To counter this, you can try the chair pigeon pose.
Here’s how:
– Sit on your chair with both feet flat on the floor.
– Cross your right leg over your left at a 90-degree angle.
– Ensure equal weight distribution on both sitting bones and sit upright.
– You’ll feel a mild to moderate stretch in your right thigh.
– Hold this position for five breaths, then switch sides.
**Benefits of the chair pigeon pose:**
This pose helps stretch and open your glutes, psoas, hip flexors, and outer hips. It also helps in reducing back pain.
Next, you can try Desk Chaturanga. It’s a discreet yoga pose that strengthens muscles around your neck. Make sure your desk is sturdy enough to support your weight:
– Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the desk edge.
– Stand on your toes, with feet flat on the floor.
– Inhale and bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle, then exhale while returning to the starting position.
– Repeat ten times.
**Benefits of Desk Chaturanga:**
It relaxes neck muscles and energizes your arms, reducing discomfort from extended writing tasks.
To relieve stress in your hands, wrists, and fingers, take a moment after each task to stretch these areas:
– Extend the fingertips of your right hand forward.
– Place them in your left palm and gently pull them back towards your wrist.
– Hold for a count of fifteen, then switch hands.
**Benefits of this pose:**
It reduces tension in the muscles and tendons of your hands and wrists, lowering the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Another helpful pose is the Desk Shoulder Opener:
– Stand a few feet away from your desk and place your hands on it.
– Lower your head between your arms.
– This helps realign your shoulders.
For a quick energy boost after a hectic day, try the Forward Fold:
– Stand upright and fold your body in half, letting your head hang down.
– Hold this position for 30 seconds, moving side to side.
**Benefits of the Forward Fold:**
This pose reverses blood flow, giving you an energy boost to tackle the rest of your tasks.
While seated, you can also try the seated backbend:
– Sit with a straight spine and inhale.
– Raise your arms and reach for the ceiling.
– Exhale and slowly lower your arms to your sides.
– Repeat 8-10 times.
You can also perform the Desk Upward Dog Pose to open up your shoulders and chest:
– Using the posture from Chaturanga, keep your arms straight and lower your hips towards the desk.
– Tilt your chin upwards, slide your shoulders down your back, and stretch your chest between your shoulders.
– Hold for up to 10 breaths.
Incorporate these yoga poses into your daily routine to help manage the stress and physical strain that comes from sitting at a desk for hours. With these exercises, you’ll have more energy to complete your tasks and maintain good health.
