Yoga poses you can do in your office chair
I am sitting at my desk stuck there and the tension is building up. My shoulders are crawling up to my ears, my back is startling, and my head is beginning to get loose. Sound familiar? Years I had believed that I needed to field through the 3 PM doldrums. However, I then found out about a secret weapon: yoga that you can practice in an office chair.
This is not about bending into complicated and pretzel-like positions. This is regarding such basic, efficient stretches that get rid of stress, improve circulation, and re-establish my concentration without having to move out of my office chair. After less than five minutes, my body did not feel tired and sore anymore, but rather refreshed and clear in my head. I am going to reveal to you the easy routine that changed my working day.
Why My Desk Had Turned My Yoga Studio.
I would believe that I had to lie on a fancy mat and all an hour to enjoy the fruits of yoga. I was wrong. It is a fact that our bodies are not made to sit too long. It makes tight our hips, softens our glutes, flattens our backs and makes our necks stiff as stone.
A few strategic yoga poses in my chair in the office are the answer to all of that. In my case, the advantages cannot be denied:
Has the effect of relieving physical tension: Tension in my neck, shoulders, and back will be released right away.
Enhances Cognitive acuity: Makes the blood flow and makes me overcome brain fog.
Gives me a boost of energy: It gives me a lift that a fourth cup of coffee does.
Improves Posture: Reminds my body of what it feels like to be in good position.
My 5 Minutes Office Chair Yoga Practice.
And my pre-flow trick, which is quick: Sit tall. Think of a rope that draws your head and your crown to the ceiling. Lay your feet with flat feet. One deep breathing in and long sighing out. Okay, you’re ready.
1. Cat-Cow in a Seated Position to Warm Over the Spinal Cords.
I can always rely on this to wake up my spine. It will be a small massage to my whole back.
The Method I Use: Have your hands on your knees. Inhale, bend your back, forward your chest and slightly look into the sky (Cow Pose). Breathing out, curve your spine, roll your chin to the chest and suck in the belly button (Cat Pose).
My Why: It engages all my spine, it helps to relieve lower back stiffness, and helps me move along with my breathing.
2. Seated Crescent Moon Side Body Release.
I do it when I am feeling squashed and shut. This is a great beautiful expansiveness that it produces.
How I Do It: Tilt your fingers and bang your palms together behind the ceiling. Keep your hips grounded. Breathing, lean forward to the right, straining on the left. Take some breaths, get back to center and do the same on the left.
My Why: It gives me a stretch of my tight intercostal muscles (between the ribs), enhances lateral breathing and simply makes me feel taller.
3. Shoulder- Eagle Sitting.
As soon as my shoulders start to hunch, it is my quick solution. It produces profound relaxation to the upper back muscles.
How I Do It: Keep your arms straight out to the sides. Pass your right arm behind your left. Flex your elbows and place your palms (or the backs of your hands) in contact (or press against each other). Pull your elbows slightly and pull your hands out of your face. Breath in a couple of times and alternate arms (left under right).
My Why: It opens my eyes to an amazing amount of tension in my shoulders and upper back to fight the most feared computer hunch.
4. Thread the Needle in a Sit-up Position Spinal Twist.
Twists are cleansing and excellent to the spinal condition. This one is so good after hours of inactivity.
How I Do It: Sit tall and inhale. On your breath out, bend your body to the right. Put your left hand on your right knee and your right hand on your hind of your chair or your hip. Breath–breath, inhale, inhale, until you feel like twisting, then exhale, exhale. Repeat on the other side.
My Why: It causes tension to be released, enhances spinal rotation and activates my digestive system.
5. Seated Pigeon Pose of Tight Hips.
The major casualties of sedentary lifestyle are our hips. This pose is a game-changer.
How I Do It: Sit tall. Cross-right ankle on top of the knee on your left. Make sure that your right ankle is in place. And, when you have a stretch in the right hip and the glute, keep here. To further intensify, hinge forward, gently, in front of your hips, and keep your spine straight.
My Reason: It stretches my incredibly tight hips that straight off take the strain off my lower back.
6. Stretches of Wrist and Fingers in Case of Keyboard Fatigue.
My hands and wrists are beaten to death as a writer. This mere stretch is contenting them.
How I do it: Extend your right arm with palm facing and with downward pointing fingers. Tend to lift the fingers with the left hand back into your body. Now, bend the palm and flatten it towards yourself and pull the fingers down. Lastly, put your fist and then spread your fingers. Repeat on the left hand.
My Why: It helps avoid rigidity and the burden of typing and using the mouse.
7. Seated Forward Bend to Ultimate Calm.
This pose is my final pose in the mini-session as I am trying to relax my nervous system and perform a gentle passive stretch to my back.
How I Do It: Sit up on the edge of your chair. Have a long spine, bend forward with the hips on a hinge, and place the hands either on the floor or the shins. Let your head hang heavy.
My Why: It undoes my whole back, unwinds my mind and is a just the right reset to take before I get back to work.