3 yoga poses that you can do from your desk or home office
WHAT if we told you that you can reap many of the awesome benefits of vigorous exercise without even breaking a sweat? Well, you absolutely can!
For a discipline that comes with so many physical and psychological health benefits, yoga is rather unpopular in the western world. The ancient Indian practice has evolved over thousands of years, and today has many variations (schools), but its core benefits remain the same. Yoga typically involves calm meditation, assuming different poses that stretch, strengthen and relieve different areas of the body, and deep breathing.
A little yoga can be especially useful after sitting at a desk for hours at a time. You might not have the time, energy or change of clothes to hit the gym every time you need a breather, but you can definitely boost your productivity by whipping out a few quick yoga poses at your desk to get your head and body back in the game. Here are three that you can try right now:
Sitting mountain pose (seated Tadasana)
The mountain pose, or Tadasana, is a standing home pose for yogists. The seated version has been adapted to help you centre yourself while remaining seated. It provides a great stretch for the upper body. Here are the instructions, as adapted from yogauonline.com:
•Sit at the edge of your chair. Bend both knees and place your feet on the floor with your ankles directly under your knees. Firmly root your feet into the ground. Feel your toes and centre your heel, pressing into the floor with equal weight. Press your sitting bones into the seat of your chair. This is called rooting down.
•Rock your pelvis forward and back a few times, then settle into a neutral place right in the middle. In neutral, the front rim of the pelvis will neither be tipping forward nor back. Also, find a neutral position of the spine — maintaining a natural inward curve at the lower back, a slight outward curve at the middle and upper back, and again an inward curve at the neck.
• Finally, bring your head into neutral by moving it directly above your spine with your chin parallel to the ground, the crown of your head rising toward the sky, and your gaze toward the horizon line.
Seated twist
The seated twist pose improves spinal flexibility and relieves tension in the spine. It is also believed to aid in digestion and increase blood flow to vital organs in the abdomen. The steps continue from the seated Tadasana on yogauonline.com:
• From the sitting mountain pose, root down into the chair, while simultaneously lifting up through the crown of your head towards the sky. Move your right hand across your body and hold the outside of your left thigh. Place your left hand on the back of your chair. Inhale as you lengthen your spine; exhale and gently rotate to the left.
• Your head can either follow the direction of the twist or, if that causes tension in your neck, turn your head a little less and find a position that feels comfortable for your neck. Stay for several breaths. Repeat to the left.
Seated backbend
Backbends in yoga primarily help to alleviate back and neck pains, improve posture, and increase oxygen levels in the trunk. The instructions for this simple seated backbend were adapted from the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health ( kripalu.org).
• Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your spine tall. Root down through your seat while lifting up through your chest and the top of your head, keeping your shoulders and belly relaxed. Take your arms behind your back and interlace your hands.
• On an inhalation, lengthen your arms and press your knuckles toward the floor. Lift up through the centre of your chest so your upper spine arches. Let your shoulders release away from the ears and press down through your seat.
• Take five to ten deep breaths. Keep your awareness in your chest as you breathe deeply. Release and take a moment to absorb the effects of the pose.
