Many Americans face lifetime sentences of desk-ridden jobs, which only exacerbates the ever-growing problem of back pain caused by inactivity. Check out the tips below to add some “Office Yoga” to your 8-5 routine.
Taking breaks at work with yoga is seen as one of the most effective ways for employees to relieve stress and even become refreshed and refocused. The Chair Cat-Cow Stretch involves a deep-breathing exercise of inhales and exhales from your chair. When you inhale, you should arch your back, look up, push your belly forward and shoulders backward. To exhale, you should round your spine, bring your shoulders forward, and look downward to get into the cat position. You can continue moving between cow and cat inhalations and exhalations for five breaths. This can help reduce stress-related back pain.
Lower back pain and hamstring tightness from sitting for too long can lead to the development of sciatica. This pain radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve, branching from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg, according to the Mayo Clinic. This condition usually affects one side of the body. The Seated Double Hamstring pose can stretch out the hamstring and lower back, improve circulation, and ease leg tightness. This pose requires you to sit near the edge of the chair and place your feet on the floor. Then, take a towel around the balls of your feet, lengthen your back, and lift your sternum from the hip crease and lean forward. Remember, only go as far forward as you can with your back and knees straight to prevent muscle strains.
This article originally posted on MedicalDaily.com.
