By Faye Martins
Graduates of chair yoga teacher training programs have many opportunities in the corporate sector. If you’ve ever sat at a desk in front of a computer screen for hours on end, you know the aches and pains associated with an office job. By the time afternoon rolls around, many office workers are feeling lethargic, achy or even pain.
Sitting in a chair all day can cause the body to rebel. Thankfully, office workers can find relief by practicing a few easy yoga poses that can be performed right in an office chair – although getting up and taking a walk can also do wonders for a tired body.
Forward Neck Rolls
Sit with a straight spine, resting your feet firmly on the floor. Drop your chin down to your chest. Inhale as you roll your neck slowly to the right edge. Exhale as you do the opposite roll to the left edge. Slowly repeat a few times, creating a breathing pattern where you inhale to the right and exhale as you move to the left. Do not tilt the head back and roll the head backwards. This can compress the cervical spine and grind the cervical vertebrae.
Shoulder Shrugs
Release the tension in your neck and shoulders by pulling both shoulders up, getting them as close to your ears as possible. In one quick movement, allow your shoulders to drop back down to their original spot. Repeat several times. If desired, you can match the breath to the movement by inhaling as your shoulders come up and exhaling as you shrug them back down.
Wrist Circles
If you work at a computer keyboard all day, you no doubt feel it in your wrists. Release the tension by performing wrist circles. Make slow circles with each wrist, much like neck circles. Perform circles with both wrists at the same time or alternate. Make sure to alternate directions several times. Breathe in and out deeply and visualize the tension in your wrists leaving the body.
Twist
Make your back, spine and neck feel better with a simple twist to each side. Begin in a seated position, feet flat on the floor and spine straight. Twist the upper torso to one side, leading with the shoulder. Place the leading arm behind your hip or grasp the chair to intensify the twist. Take several deep breaths as you hold the twist on one side. Repeat on the other side.
Breathe
Sometimes all it takes is a few deep breaths to rejuvenate your body and mind. Sit with good posture. Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing the breath to fill the abdomen, chest and lungs until you can’t pull anymore air into your body. Hold the air for just a second, then slowly let it out through your nose, beginning with the lungs and chest and then the abdomen. Repeat several times.
Teacher Tips
Learn all you can about teaching yoga in a chair or take a chair yoga certification course. Many offices don’t have a recreation area, but you can easily have a yoga training session in the office area or a break room.
© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
To see our selection of Online Yoga instructor training courses, please visit the following link.
https://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/
Free report, newsletter, videos, podcasts, and e-Book: “Yoga in Practice.”
If you are a Yoga Teacher, studio owner, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!
Thank you very much for sharing this helpful guideline of office yoga exercise.
Office workers can find relief by practicing a few easy yoga poses that can be performed right in an office chair. Thanks for posting this good article.
Thank you for sharing. I’ll have to apply this.