7 Best Yoga Practices to Do at Your Desk

7 Best Yoga Practices to Do at Your Desk

Yoga For Anywhere

Working behind a desk for multiple hours, five days a week can cause stress and reduce productivity. You might also strain your lumbar spine and overstretch your upper to mid-back in the process. All of these lead to shoulder, low back, and neck pain that most of us feel after a hectic day at work. The good news is yoga can fix these problems. So, try these best practices at your work desk.

7 Yoga Poses You Can Do at a Desk

1. Chair Pigeon Pose

You might feel comfortable crossing your legs while seated, but this creates an imbalance in your hips. This is worsened when you cross more one side than the other. This imbalance can also affect your lower spine in the long run.

If you are fond of sitting this way, the simple chair pigeon pose can fix the imbalance that results when you cross your legs. So take some time off your desk and try this post for few minutes.

How to perform this pose

While you are sitting on the chair, place both feet on the floor and ensure they are flat. Cross the right leg over the left one at an angle of 90 degrees. Be sure that the weight at each of the sitting bones is equal and sit in an upright position.

While performing this yoga, you will feel a mild-to-moderate stretch on your right thigh, particularly the uppermost part. Perform this pose on both sides and hold at least five breaths before making a switch.

chair pigeon pose, desk yoga

Benefits of the chair pigeon pose to office life

The chair pigeon pose will help to open as well as stretch your glutes, psoas, hip flexors and outer hips. It also reduces or eliminates back pain.

2. Desk Chaturanga

Desk Chaturanga is one of the yoga poses you can perform at your work desk without drawing much attention to yourself. It involves a few pushups where your desk is used as the supporting platform. Desk Chaturanga is a strengthening movement kind of yoga that helps to work the muscles around the neck region.

How to perform this pose

Ensure your desk is sturdy before placing your weight on it. Make sure it can support you well without changing position. To begin, rest both hands on the desk and ensure they are about shoulder-width height on the edge of the desk. Place your feet firmly on the floor, but ensure you are standing partially on your toes. Inhale gently while bending your elbow to an angle of 90 degrees, and exhale as you move back to your original position. Repeat at least 10 times.

desk chaturanga, desk yoga

Benefits of Desk Chaturanga to office life

If you engage in lots of writing tasks, you will feel a bit of pain or discomfort in the muscle around your neck after a while. Your arms also handle most of the tasks for the day, so they get tired as well. Desk Chaturanga will help to relax the muscles around your neck and energize your arms at the same time.

3. Finger and wrist stretches

Your fingers, wrists, and hands feel the stress that desk work brings. These areas handle most of the tasks for the day, so the tension builds up in the muscles and tendons of these parts of the body. However, a pose that can increase blood flow to these regions will help to relieve this tension. So take few moments after each task to stretch your wrists and fingers.

How to perform this pose

While sitting at your desk, extend the fingertips of your right hand forward and place them in the palm of your left hand. Gently pull those fingers towards the back of your wrist to stretch the muscles a bit, but know your limit. Count to fifteen, then do the same to the left hand.

wrist and fingers stretch, desk yoga

Benefits of this pose to office life

This yoga will help to eliminate tension in the muscles and tendons in your hands and wrists. It will also help to lower the risk of you having carpal tunnel syndrome.

4. Desk Shoulder Opener

Desk shoulder opener is another pose that can relieve you from stress. You can also do it without distracting others in your office.

Stand up and move a few feet away from the desk, then place both hands on the desk. Lower your head a bit and place it between your arms. One of the benefits of the Desk Shoulder Opener is that it can help the shoulder to get back to alignment.

shoulder opener, desk yoga

5. Forward Fold

The Forward Fold is a simple pose that will get you back on track after a busy and stressful day at the office. You will feel the effect in your neck region and shoulders.

How to perform this pose

Stand upright and fold your body in half with your head facing the downward position. Stay in this position for 30 seconds and move side to side.

forward fold, desk yoga

The Forward Fold causes a reverse in blood flow that can boost your energy to take on the remaining office tasks for the day.

6. Seated backbend

While sitting down, you can perform the seated backend at your desk. Keep your spine straight and inhale. Spread your arms and reach for the ceiling slowly. Exhale gently and release your arms slowly to your sides. You can repeat this 8-10 times.

seated back bend, desk yoga

7. Desk Upward Dog Pose

This Desk Upward Dog Pose will help to open up your shoulders and chest. For individuals who spend hours sitting and working with a computer, it can fix the rounded upper back posture that may result.

How to perform this pose

Assume the same posture you did for Chaturanga. Keep your arms straight and gently lower your hips towards your desk. Your chin should be tilted upwards as you slide your shoulder gently down the back. Keep your chest stretched between your shoulders as well. And hold up to 10 breaths while performing the pose.

desk upward dog, desk yoga

Wrap-Up

You can perform these yoga poses at your desk without distracting or offending anyone. Use them to address the problems that result from the hours you spend sitting behind your desk five days a week.

Use yoga to have enough energy to continue with all your tasks for the rest of the day, and maintain good health.

Content Writer at My Homework Done
Sydney Whitman is an academic coach and combines her daily job with content writing for My Homework Done. She believes that educated youth is the only way to achieve peace and welfare in our world.Connect with her on Twitter or G+.
Sydney Whitman
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