#Office yoga stretches free#

Step your feet back until your feet are directly under your hips. The movement: Place your hands shoulder-width apart or wider at the edge or your desk. ItвЂ™s important to properly return to an upright seated position вЂ“ roll up very slowly starting at your tailbone and realigning one vertebra at a time until your head is the last thing to lift.Д«enefits: The forward bending motion opens up tight hips and can help prevent spinal compression. Once fully bent over, allow your arms to be heavy and let them dangle in front or behind your calves to stretch your upper back. Curl your chin gently toward your chest and lean forward, rolling down with the spine as far as possible. The movement: Sit comfortably in your chair with equal weight placed in your hips and legs. Repeat this 5-10 times in each direction.Д«enefits: This stretch opens up your upper chest and back while helping relieve shoulder tension. Slowly circle your elbows back over your head making a circle so that your elbows meet again in front of the body. Then bring your elbows together in front of your body. The movement: Extend your arms out to the side and place your hands on your shoulders. Slumped shoulders and poor posture can lead to neck and back pain. Exhale and release the shoulder blades back and down the spine.Д«enefits: This movement can help prevent curved posture due to slouching. Hold your breath and the stretch for 10 seconds.

The movement: Inhale while raising your shoulders up to your ears. Text neck is most often caused by spending too much time looking at a phone screen but can also occur if youвЂ™re staring at a computer screen throughout the day. Repeat this movement five times going right and five times going left.Д«enefits: Stretching out your neck can proactively prevent text neck, a condition in which your neck is strained from holding your head forward and downward. Start with your right ear to your right shoulder, then move your head so your chin is pointing toward your chest and finish with your left ear to your left shoulder.

The movement: Move your head in a circular motion, creating half circles with your neck. Try doing them every two hours while at work. These stretches increase blood flow to these areas. Hold for 5-10 breaths.Д«enefits: Typing all day can build up tension in your fingers, hands and wrists. Stretch three: Place your hands on your desk, palms facing up and fingers toward you, and place gentle pressure to stretch your wrists and forearms. Stretch two: Quickly spread your fingers and re-close your fits, repeating this 5-10 times. Draw 5-10 circles inward and outward using your wrists. Stretch one: Extend your arms to the side or over your head. Practicing these desk yoga stretches will get your blood pumping and stretch out any tight muscles. Try doing some of them when you are taking your mandatory computer breaks! There are many simple yoga stretches you can do at your desk to reinvigorate your tired muscles and help your body recover from the effects of sitting too long.

Stretch! Besides stretching your legs by standing, you can also add other types of regular stretching to your day.

Your goal should be to stand at least once every hour while youвЂ™re working at your desk.

#Office yoga stretches free#

And there are several free smartphone apps and desktop apps that can remind you to take a quick break from the computer to move. Stand up! Most fitness trackers and smartwatches can be programmed with an alarm that sounds when youвЂ™ve been sedentary for too long, suggesting you stand up and move.If you often find yourself exhausted and achy after a long office day, why not make a new plan for tomorrow? Movement, even with only mild exertion, can have a helpful impact on lessening the effects of sitting. Some studies have even suggested that вЂњ sitting is the new smoking.вЂќ While that claim might seem exaggerated, according to the Mayo Clinic, an analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity did have a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking. The negative effect of sitting for long periods has come to be known as sitting disease. While it might not seem like a big deal, researchers have found that too much sitting can have extremely damaging health effects. The average American spends 12 hours sitting each day, with about nine of those hours spent working at a computer. Has your day ever passed so quickly that you blink and itвЂ™s already 5 p.m.? You log out of your computer, grab your belongings and stand up from your desk only to be assaulted by stiffness, back pain and shoulder tension.