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Yoga off the mat: at your desk
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The beauty of yoga as a way to balance all aspects of your mental and physical health is that you really don’t need any equipment nor do you need to designate separate time to practice. In fact, some would say that the very purpose of yoga is that it can be taken off the mat and integrated into your everyday life.
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If you are reading this online article, you are probably sitting by your computer, perhaps even at a desk. So, here are four yogic practices to implement everyday, or more than once a day, while you work at your desk.
These physical practices, called Asanas, can help to alleviate the dreaded carpal tunnel, chronic lower back pain and potentially impending hunched shoulders. Besides better body health, these exercises open up your airways to deepen your breath, which effortlessly aids in refocusing you in the middle of a stressful (or invigorating) work day.
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Stop. Don’t move. Now, notice how you are sitting. How straight is your spine? Where are your legs and feet? Are your shoulders hunched?Let’s straighten up.
(1) First, place both feet on the floor, making a straight line as best you can from your hip to your knee, then bending your knees at a 90(degree) angle. Your left foot should be just about directly under your left knee, and the same for your right side. It is okay if your knees are a little higher or lower than your hips, but not by much. Adjust your chair height if need be. High heels, ladies? Consider kicking them off for flat sandals once in awhile at your desk. If your feet are dangling, find a creative way to allow your feet to remain flat. A couple of books can do the trick!
WHY do this? What’s the purpose?
If you sit 5 days a week and up to 40 hours with your legs crossed, you could begin to develop lower back pain from the imbalance created on your hips and pressure on the Sciatic nerve, leading to potential sciatica pain that shoots down your leg into your feet. Also, sitting comfortably flat footed can even help to open up the diaphragm for better, deeper breathing.
(2) Let’s lengthen that spine and adjust the shoulders. As you sit flatfooted now, knees comfortably bent, imagine your tailbone is dropping straight into your chair. Then, one by one lengthen the spine, vertebrae after vertebrae, one sitting on top of the other. Pretend like your cubicle neighbor is standing above you, with a little string tied to the center of the crown of your head. She is now gently pulling up on that spot, which just may create greater length in your cervical spine (the top most part at your neck). Two more key points: As you lengthen up, drop your shoulders away from your ears, creating space at your neck. Then, allow your oblique muscles (on the side of your body) to hold you up, creating more space between the bottom of your ribs and your hips.
WHY do this? What’s the purpose?
The more you engage your obliques, the less pressure you put on your lower back and the less you rely on your shoulders to hold you up. The stronger your side muscles and abdominals are, the easier and easier it will get to sit and stand with perfect posture. One more reason (if you need another): the more comfortable you are sitting with a straight spine, the more open your lungs can be to pull in longer and deeper inhales. Deeper inhales = more oxygen to your brain = more productive work, for one…
(3) It seems that so many people tend to complain about tight shoulders. They seem to creep up around our ears more and more every year. Besides remembering to drop your shoulders from your ears and draw the bottom tips of your shoulder blades down your back, try this at your desk. Spine long and straight, feet flat: while you take a deep inhale- press your palms into the underneath of your desk AS you continue to drop your shoulders away from your ears. Exhale, release. Repeat three times…an hour.
WHY do this? What’s the purpose?
This practice reminds the muscles around your upper back, neck and shoulders (the trapezius) to hold the shoulders DOWN away from your neck. Once again, more room in your neck and throat area means more room to breathe.
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(4) Wrist Health: To thwart impending damage to the ligaments of your wrists and fingers (your carpals), be sure of two things during your work day. ONE: your wrists should be lower than your elbows and in a pretty straight line while typing. Heighten your chair (and the books under your feet) to fix this problem. TWO: when you are not typing (even if you are just reading a 30 second email), drop your arms at your sides, and shake out your wrists, stretch them up to the sky. OR try this: Place the backs of both of your hands together and press, holding the wrists in gentle forced flexion for three deep inhales and three long exhales. (If you feel sharp pain, cease this activity and gently roll out or shake your wrists.)
WHY do this? What’s the purpose?
We overstress our wrists working in this computer age. Doing any of these activities can simply relax your wrists, translating to loosening up your shoulders and once again, aiding in remembering to breathe.
We overstress our wrists working in this computer age. Doing any of these activities can simply relax your wrists, translating to loosening up your shoulders and once again, aiding in remembering to breathe.
USE THIS QUICK OVERVIEW to refer to at least ONCE or TWICE a day at your desk:
- Sit with feet directly under your knees, flat on the floor.
- Lengthen your spine, dropping your shoulders and creating more room to breathe.
- Press your palms into the underneath of your desk, reprogramming your shoulders to relax on exhale.
- Press the back of your hands together and shake out your wrists often while at the computer.
- Breathe. Remember to stop every once in a while to take 3 long inhales, complemented with 3 deep exhales. (I have written “3 Breaths” on a sticky note, posted to my desk.) It will increase your productivity, lower your stress and remind you that you are alive and getting healthier with every conscious breath!
How are these exercises related to yoga? Yoga is really about being conscious of your body, its patterns, and focusing on healing and maintaining your whole body health.
Enjoy your work day, knowing that you are working on more than just the job at hand, but of your health with every inhale and every lengthening of your spine.
More Yoga at your desk to come! For now, find a way to creatively modify the twisting pose of Marichyasana III at your desk!
Thanks to John R. for the inspiration for this article. What do YOU want to know more about? Email me at natarajayoga@gmail.com for suggestions and questions.
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