If you’ve never done yoga, I know you’re thinking “how can stretching help my stress?” But without going on a rant, I will simply explain that yoga is so much more than stretching. In short, yoga means “to yoke” or unite the mind, body and spirit through breath, movement and meditation, which has some pretty cool effects on the body. Okay, that may have been a short rant… But, whether or not yoga is your thing, we can all agree that taking care of ourselves is one of the most important things that we can often forget.
As a yoga instructor, many people come to my class with the same complaints. And they are the same complaints I often have after sitting at my desk for eight hours. From back pain, to slumped shoulders, tight hamstrings, to wrist aches—staying stationary all day can do some serious damage on our bodies.
Do yourself a favor and take five minutes a day (they don’t even have to be consecutive) to try these simple, easy and fast yoga techniques to help you manage pain and stress in the work place.
*Please note yoga is NOT supposed to hurt—ever! Listen to your own body and only do what feels good to you. It is also important that if a pose has a left/right side, that you do both sides even if only one side is bothering you (and one side might feel completely different from the other). Listen to your body’s limitations. Serious ailments should be treated by a physician.
1. Three-Part Breath
“When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four!” This is a fun saying that our editor Keely’s daughter learned a few years ago from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood , but seriously, how true is that? Taking a few moments to center yourself before reacting can help you calm down when you’re angry or stressed. Dirga pranayama, or the three-part breath, combines intentional breathing with counting which has a calming and centering effect on the body and mind. So if you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or feel like you’re about to have an unnecessary blow-up, try this breathing technique.
First, sit up nice and tall, inhale deeply and exhale completely. Then imagine that your torso is a pitcher of water. Each inhale fills the pitcher of water (from bottom to top), and each exhale pours the pitcher of water (emptying from top bottom). Inhale to fill the base (belly), the middle (ribs), top (chest). Then, exhale to empty from the top (chest), middle (ribs), base (belly). Continue this to the count of three. Inhale: 1. (belly fills with air), 2. (ribs fill with air), 3. (chest fills with air). Exhale: 3. (chest deflates), 2. (ribs deflate), 1. (belly deflates). Continue this for at least four to five cycles.
2. Seated Cat/Cow
Cat/cow pose combines breathing and movement and it can help relieve stress, calm the body and improve posture after a long day of being hunched over. Starting in a seated position with a tall spine, both feet placed on the floor. First, inhale, and on your exhale round your back like an angry cat, bringing your chin toward your chest (cat pose). Then inhale, puff your chest forward, belly pushes forward and head tilts back (cow pose). Exhale cat, inhale cow. Continue this for a few rounds. To intensify, place your hands on your thighs for more leverage to really help you get into stretching out the nooks and crannies.
3. Forward Fold
Tight calves/hamstrings/hips, neck tension and anxiety can all be alleviated with this pose, partly because your head is below your heart. With that being said, if you get dizzy easily or have low blood pressure–exercise this pose with extreme caution.
This pose can be done seated or standing. If you’ve never practiced yoga before, I would suggest trying the seated position first. From a seated position, sit near the edge of your chair so that your upper body has enough room to drape toward the floor, place both feet on the floor. From a standing position, stand with your feet hip width distance (or as wide as comfortable), weight evening distributed in the feet, knees remain unlocked/slightly bent during the entire pose. Inhale, and as you exhale, bring your naval toward your spine and let your upper body fold toward the floor.
Arm options: let them hang toward the floor, grab opposite hands to opposite elbows making a box around your face. Or if you would like an added shoulder stretch, take a bind at the low back (bind should be created prior to folding). Nod “yes,” shake “no” to eliminate any tension your holding in your neck, letting your upper body weight completely hang. And continue to breathe. After a few breaths, slowly, one vertebrae at a time, come back to an upright position. (If you do get dizzy, make fist with your hands while returning to the upright position.)
4. Finger/wrist Stretch
Typing on a computer all day? Try this. Place one hand out in front of you, palm facing up. Pull the pinky finger down toward the floor, then ring finger, then middle finger, then pointer finger, then thumb, and then pull all of the fingers toward the floor. Then flip the hand, palm facing down and pull each finger toward your face, and then pull all of the fingers towards your face. Once finished, roll your wrist both directions. Place your hand on your desk, active like you’re pressing down on the desk. Keeping the pressing action, turn your wrist so that your fingers are now pointing to the left and press down your wrist and fingers with a circling motion to give yourself a mini massage. Turn fingers to face the right side and again give yourself a mini massage. Release and complete the series with the other hand.
5. Seated Twist
One yoga stereotype is that yogi’s twist themselves into a pretzels. Which isn’t completely false. While, we don’t “pretzel” ourselves–we do typically love twists because, well, they’re amazing. Twists decrease back pain, improve digestion and detox our bodies. Important thing to remember with twists is that we first lengthen the spine (reach the crown of your head toward the sky), and then we twist. Twisting with a crunchy/hunched torso doesn’t help anything. For a gentle twist, inhale your arms up toward the sky, exhale twisting toward the right, bringing your right hand to the back for your chair, and the left hand on the right arm of the chair (if the chair is armless, grab the edge of the chair right with your left hand). Use your inhales to get nice and tall, and exhale to twist a little more. Take three to four breaths. Slowly untwist and return to a neutral spine. Repeat on the opposite side. ]
6. Seated Pigeon
Emotional stress and sitting all day can make our hips tight! To relieve stress and open hips, try this variation of pigeon pose that can be done at your desk. Come near the edge of your seat, tall spine, keeping your left foot planted firmly on the ground, take your right foot and cross it over your left thigh, keeping the right foot active (or flexed). Inhale, and as you exhale, slowly bring your torso down toward your right shin, using right your hand to press the right knee toward the ground. Breathe. Slowly bring your upper body to a tall position, release the right foot down to the ground and “wind shield wiper” your knees from side to side (basically, shake it out). And, repeat on the other side.
Warning: We hold our emotion in our hips; opening hips can sometimes release emotions we are holding on to. (A hip opener has led to an unexpected cry for me before!)
7. Side Body Stretch
Sitting with poor posture can also have some negative effects on the digestive system, a side body stretch is a great way to create space in the digestive system that is sometimes “crunched” all day. For a side body stretch, start by sitting up nice and tall, feet on planted on the ground. Inhale your arms up toward the sky, and grab your left wrist with your right hand, gently pulling your arms toward the right for a side body stretch on the left. Really ground down through the left hip. Breathe into the left side body. Return to neutral spine, and repeat on opposite side.
