| If you're a slave to your desk, clicking your mouse, | | | | the chair. Your head should be aligned directly over |
| staring at your computer screen, and sitting for long | | | | your spine and the crown of your head should be |
| periods of time, then you need some relief for the | | | | lifted. If you need more stability, you can hold onto the |
| tension and stress you're building up in your shoulders, | | | | side of the chair with your left hand. Inhale, then |
| neck and back. Most likely, when you get up to fill | | | | exhale and drop your right ear to the right shoulder. |
| your coffee cup, your back, neck and shoulders feel | | | | Be careful not to turn your head or lift your shoulder. |
| stiff and sore, and you'd rather take a walk around the | | | | Take several breaths and feel the stretch on the left |
| block and get some fresh air than head back to the | | | | side of your neck. For a deeper stretch, place your |
| same old desk to get more of the same old upper | | | | right hand over the left side of your head and gently |
| body discomfort. | | | | pull your neck away from the shoulders. Hold this |
| A little office yoga may be just what the doctor | | | | pose for five breaths. Repeat on the other side. This |
| ordered. Face it, sitting at your desk all day can get | | | | pose lengthens and stretches the neck, and creates |
| mighty uncomfortable, and there's nothing you'd rather | | | | space between the vertebrae in the cervical spine. |
| do than take to your yoga mat and do downward | | | | Chair Twist |
| facing dog in the middle of the day. But, while you're | | | | Sit on the edge of your chair, with your left side facing |
| stuck in an office that may not be an option, and so | | | | the back of the chair. Keep your knees and feet |
| you live with the pain and suffer along until you can do | | | | together. Place your hands on the back of the chair, |
| something about it. Sometimes waiting may be the | | | | elbows extending out to the side. Inhale, straighten |
| worst thing. You need to move around when you | | | | your spine, and twist toward the back of the chair |
| work at a desk all day to instill more balance in your | | | | from the bottom of your spine. Push with your left |
| workday and to ward off more serious health | | | | hand and pull with your right. Breathe deeply, then |
| problems. Here are some recommended office yoga | | | | release and switch sides. Twists are perfect for |
| poses that you can do right at your desk: | | | | unlocking tension from sitting for long periods, especially |
| Shoulder Rolls | | | | at a desk! |
| Sit upright in your chair and don’t slouch. Inhale, and | | | | Arm Stretch |
| lift your right shoulder to your ear. Exhale, and slowly | | | | Stand and clasp your hands behind you. If you can't |
| roll your shoulder around and back, dropping it away | | | | clasp your hands together, hold on to a scarf or a |
| from your ear. Repeat on the left shoulder. Do | | | | belt. Lift your arms as high as you can, and lift your |
| these three more times on both sides. Then, inhale | | | | sternum. Hold this pose for 30 to 45 seconds and |
| and lift both shoulders to the ears, hold, exhale and | | | | then relax. |
| release. | | | | Do these poses everyday and you'll feel a hundred |
| Neck Stretch | | | | percent better! |
| Sit upright without letting your back touch the back of | | | | |