You deserve a break when working at your desk. Chair yoga isn’t just for seniors! Posture is so important to work on a healthy spine and chair yoga can also release tension and help regulate your nervous system.
It really is this simple:
Find a chair (without arms, preferably). Block out 10 minutes to stretch your body and especially move your neck and work on your posture throughout your busy day. Set a daily reminder or timer if you need to. Take time to reset your nervous system and move a little.
- Start with Deep Breaths: Place a hand or two on your low belly. Breathe in for 3 seconds, Hold it for 3 seconds, then exhale for 3 seconds. Repeat 4x times.
2. Next up are Head + Neck Stretches: Up and Down, Look Side to Side, Tilt Side to Side, and Roll your head in circles. Keep breathing steady while you move.
3. Now add your Arms + Shoulders: Raise your arms up then float them down the side. Repeat 3x. Then bend your arms out to the side and articulate your fingers by making fists, opening and closing your fingers about 10x. Bring your hands together, clasp your fingers, and roll out your wrists in circles/figure 8’s. Then stretch the fingers in front of you, lift them up high, then release the fingers and carry your arms out to the side slowly.
4. Once your arms out out the side, make small circles frontwards a few times and then backwards. Connect your hands together and take another deep breath. Now it’s time for bigger circles– one shoulder at a time. Circle one arm back 3x, then cross that arm over across your body and gentle pull it with the opposite arm. Repeat on the other side.
5. Time to twist: Walk your feet over to the one side, sit up tall, and gently twist to the back of the chair looking either out front or to the back. Take deep inhales and exhales 4x. Repeat on the other side.
6. Now let’s add our legs for an open hip stretch and obliques. Place your hands by your ears and dip side to side, then extend one leg and stretch arms the opposite direction. Repeat on the other side, then walk your feet back in to the center, hip-width apart.
7. End with a Mini Flow: Each motion has a full inhale or exhale. Inhale arms up, Exhale bent to the side, Inhale arms back up, Exhale fold all the way down towards the floor, looking down. Stay down and take 3x deep full breaths in and out, then slowly roll up through your spine. Roll your shoulders to finish and repeat if desired.
That’s it! Now that you have hit the “reset” button for yourself, you are ready to tack on the rest of your day and get back to those emails and spreadsheets.
Happy practicing! XO Mallory