3 yoga poses you can totally do at work to improve posture, relieve neck and back pain and find some calm
When I worked in a corporate setting, I kept a community yoga mat in our open plan office. It was a mat left over from a health and wellbeing activity that my team had facilitated… instead of it living on a shelf in the store room awaiting an inevitable clean out day in years to come, I nabbed it…it was a slightly disturbing shade of bright pink. At first it was really just a selfish addition to the office space, I didn’t really think anyone else would be all that interested in my ‘boho, hippie, and kinda earthy’ (actual quotes from my work mates) ways but then my team got curious. They came to the mat, then other people from other teams started wandering in and I found myself facilitating private mini yoga sessions from time to time. You might not be able to shimmy up a community yoga mat at your workplace, but never fear, there are still some easy and accessible yoga moves you can totally do at work…even without a bright pink community yoga mat.
Some reasons you might want to get your yoga on at work include: relieving back and neck pain; decreasing stress helping you to calm the F down after those long and arduous meetings, you know the ones, where decisions are NOT made, where there is ALWAYS that one person who will not stop adding new things to the agenda and the morning tea biscuits look a little suspiciously like they are past the use by date; yoga poses and breath work practices can help change and improve your posture; helps to prevent and recover from burnout plus it is a fun and healthy way to connect with team mates, helping to build great team culture. You can also tell your execs that you’ll most likely be more productive with a regular at work yoga practice. The benefits from a little (or a lot) of yoga inspired, mindful movement and breathing can be carried with you throughout your work day and beyond.
Here you’ll find 3 yoga poses (asana) below that you can totally do in your workplace, regardless of where you work, wether or not you have practiced yoga before and despite not having a community pink yoga mat in your office space.
ONE
THE POSE: Seated cat cow [Sanskrit: Upavistha Bitilasana Marjaryasana]
GREAT FOR: This little flow has loads of benefits. It improves posture, strengthens and stretches the spine and the muscles in the back of the body, supports gastric health by stimulating the digestive organs, releases tension in the back, torso and neck, relieves stress and calms the mind. Seated cat cow can be practiced whilst seated at your desk or cross legged on the ground. It is a simple pose great for relieving tension through the whole of the back and neck and bringing a bit of energy back into your body. Good to do if you are feeling sluggish after a big morning tea (a good one , where it ended on time and the morning tea biscuits were delish).
HOW: Start by sitting as far back in your chair, gently lift up through the spine from the pelvis and rest your hands on your knees or tops of your thighs. Take a full belly breath in and slowly breath out. On your next inhale tilt your tailbone back so you create a slight curve in your mid spine as you lift your gaze up to the ceiling; on the exhale, reverse the action tilting the tailbone forward, using the naval to draw the abdominal muscles in towards the spine (which will also help expel the breath) as you draw your chin to your chest and let the shoulders round.
Repeat 5x or more depending on how you are feeling
VARIATION: Don’t have a chair, you can do this seated on the ground with your legs crossed instead or pop onto your hands and knees and try out the full expression of the cat/cow pose.
WATCH OUT FOR: If you have neck problems, be sure to only lift your gaze as much as is comfortable for you. Felling pain or pinching? Back off from the pose.
HOT TIP: Move slow and let the breath begin before the movement starts and see if you can elongate both your inhale and exhale as you go.
TWO
THE POSE: Standing forward fold
GREAT FOR: Calming the central nervous system reducing stress and activating the vagus nerve thus switching on the parasympathetic (rest and digest functions) nervous system. This pose helps to lengthen the spine spine, creating space between the vertebrae and improving spinal fluid circulation. Gently lengthens and releases tension from the back of the neck this is especially fabulous if you have been sitting long hours.
HOW: If you have been sitting for a long time begin by standing slowly and bring some movement into the body, take a stretch in any way that feels good. Inhale to raise arms above your head so the palms touch then exhale releasing the hands through heart centre as you bend the knees and allow the torso to fall over the legs. Allow the hands to drip down to the floor and the top of the head to track in the direction of the floor. Stay for 3 deep belly breaths and then repeat up to 5 times.
VARIATION: You can experiment with straightening the legs and seeing if you can allow your torso to come closer to the legs if you are wanting a little more but if you are wanting a less intense stretch you can bend the knees even more. Option to take a rag doll pose from this position by bringing opposite hands to hold onto opposite elbows and add a gentle sway by bending one knee and then the other - this creates a nice massage sensation through the low and mid back. Seated forward fold with a cushion under the knees can be practiced instead as a variation of the standing pose.
WATCH OUT FOR: if your hamstrings are super tight keep the knees deeply bent. If you have low blood pressure move very slowly or switch to a child’s pose. Avoid if you have any major spinal, hip or knee injuries.
HOT TIP: Allow your chin to drop to your chest as you fold forward and as you rise visualise the vertebrae stacking slowly with the head being the last to lift. Also don’t feel the knees should be straightened, keep them bent as much as you like.
Three
THE POSE: Eagle Arms (and legs if you feel like it!) [Sanskrit: Sukhasana Garuda Arms]
GREAT FOR: This pose is great in that it can be practiced standing, sitting at your desk, waiting line at the supermarket, sitting on the floor….whenever you feel you need a quick and effective release. Eagle arms opens the upper back, deltoids and shoulders reducing upper neck and back pain and stiffness. This pose also relieves muscle tension and tension headaches and builds flexibility in the biceps, triceps and elbows. This is a great antidote to that hunchback feeling you get from spending long hours at a computer and can help you to feel re-energised.
HOW: Regardless of wether you are standing, sitting in an office chair or sitting on the ground with your legs crossed, start by bringing awareness to the position of the spine. Switch on the abdominal muscles by drawing the navel in towards the spine, visualise yourself growing taller from the base of the spine and tuck your chin in just slightly to elongate the back of the neck. Reach both arms out to the sides, arms parallel to the ground, like you are about to do a star jump, then cross your left arms underneath the right, twisting the elbows around one another until your palms come to touch or the fingers of the left hand are resting on the palm of the right, allow your shoulders to relax as much as you can and if you are wanting a little more reach the arms up towards the sky. Hold for 3-5 breaths then unravel and extend the arms in opposite directions then repeat by bringing the right arm under the left.
VARIATION: For so many of us the neck, shoulders and upper back are very tight so if you find this to be too strong, start by brining the right arm across the front of the body and using the left to help draw the arm in closer to the body, and repeat on the other side. Overtime this will allow you to find more space and flexibility and you can come back to having a play with this pose anytime.
WATCH OUT FOR: Holding the breath. because this pose involves compression through the chest and rib space we may have a tendency to hold the breath, if you catch yourself holding the breath, consciously bring your awareness back to the breath. Avoid if you have a rotator cuff injury
HOT TIP: If you are sitting n the ground pop a folded blanket, cushion or bolster (if you happen to have one laying around in the workplace) under your hips to elevate your hips above the knees, if you are sitting in your office chair, scoot your pelvis to the the edge of your chair to help you grow tall through the spine…be careful to check that your office chair is equiped to handle the weight of your body on the front of the chair though, I know some office chairs can be a bit dodgy, so test it first before you move into the pose. To take the practice of this pose to the next level, try closing your eyes (only if that feels safe for you) and slowing down your breath, this will help you relax into the pose even more and create a sense of calm in the body and mind. Ok that was more than one hot tip but I love this pose and I’d love for you to love it too :)
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