3 Yoga Tips to Help Office Dwellers
We all work at computers, all day long, myself included. I work as a public school teacher and a yoga teacher, so I’m very familiar with what 8 hours at a computer can do to the body and how yoga can help. Here are 3 ways that yoga can get us out of our rolly chairs and into a better, more comfortable body.
Jacked-up Spines
Imagine what your body does after sitting for 7-10 hours. Your upper back starts to flex. Your shoulders slump over a keyboard. Sink. Slouch. Slump.
Before I found yoga, I worked as a research analyst for a background check company and my body slowly began to turn into a question mark. My upper back rounded so much that I began to experience nagging neck and shoulder pain. That’s because I didn’t give my body the chance to open up in the front and become an exclamation point (hehe).
Do this at your desk
Victory Arms- Sit tall. Take your arms out to a V shape, as if you just landed off the gymnastics bar. Lean back and lift your sternum upwards. You can use the back of your chair to support the upper back (between the shoulder blades). Hold and breath.
Painful Low Back
Sitting all day tends to remove the natural curve we all should have in our low backs (all people have more or less curves in their spine, having a lot to do with decades of use). Sitting also doesn’t require that we engage or trunk because the chair supports us, which leads to weak core muscles which leads to weakened support for the low spine. This can be fixed. Trust me.
Do this at your desk
Leg lifts- Don’t freak out. Sit at the edge of your seat so that the back isn’t supported by the back of your chair. Keep typing. That’s fine. Sit with a tall spine. Straighten your legs out in front of you and lift them to hold for 5 seconds, one at a time. This will strengthen your core, lengthen your back, and freak out your coworkers. You might sweat a bit, but you can do this slowly throughout the day.
Forward fold- Just stand up. Bend your knees. Fold down, hands towards toes. Don’t worry about touching your toes; that might put too much strain on your back. Just hang heavy. You can hold onto your elbows or place your forearms on your thighs. The goal here is to let the spine lengthen out with gravity. We sit and stand all day, compressing our vertebrate. This will give them some space with the aid of gravity.
Fix your Hips
We are a nation plagued by tight hamstrings and hip flexors. It’s because we are sitting at our breakfast table, car, office, car, kitchen table, couch, toilet. The 90 degree angle of your leg shortens the hip flexor (front side of your hip) and the hamstring (from your butt to the back of your knee).
Next to your desk
Do a lunge, ya weirdo- Stand up tall. Step your right foot 2-3 feet behind you and push your right hip towards the ground while lifting your chest up. You can take your hands all the way to the ground or stay standing.
Forward fold- Like I said early, the forward fold is great for your spine, but it also lengthens the hamstrings. If you’re super tight, keep the knees bent, but the more you straighten the legs (keep your back flat!) the more you’ll get into the hamstrings.