How to Do Yoga in the Workplace
Yoga is a popular form of exercise to relieve stress, aches and pains, increase energy and improve the quality of life. For those who work busy schedules, work at a desk or have jobs with physical demands, yoga becomes even more important to protect the body and the mind. If you can't seem to find the time outside of work, there are several ways to do yoga in the workplace.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Learn the yogic breath. Breathing is one of the most important aspects of yoga and can be used to relieve stress and increase energy at any time, even at work. Take a moment to sit or stand with your back straight and inhale deeply through your nose, filling your abdominal cavity. Exhale slowly through your mouth, expelling all of the air from your lungs and repeat for at least 2 minutes.
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2
Use extremely simple yoga postures to help stretch the body while at work. Sit or stand with your back straight and inhale your arms overhead until your palms touch. Exhale and release all of your stress and tension. As you exhale, reach up a bit further and feel the stretch through your back, ribs and shoulders.
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3
Add a forward bend by first inhaling your arms overhead and then exhaling as you lower your body down. Keep your spine straight and arms reaching out, leaning over as far as you can without bending the knees. This pose can be performed while seated as well, just remember to keep your back straight and neck relaxed.
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4
Sit or stand and intertwine your hands behind your back. Inhale and straighten your spine. As you exhale, lift your hands together behind you, but do not allow your spine to curve. Inhale into the stretch and exhale as you lower your hands.
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5
Hold your hands tightly under the seat of a chair and sit with your spine tall. Inhale and lift your body up strong. As you exhale, drop your head to one shoulder. Inhale into the stretch and then exhale as you lift your head and repeat on the opposite side.
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1
Tips & Warnings
These are just a few examples of how you can do yoga at work. For best results, get a yoga book or tape and study the poses. With time, you will be able to adapt a number of yoga poses for use in the workplace.
