Best Yoga at Your Desk – 10 Convenient Office Yoga Poses

It doesn’t matter whether you are working from home or you are working from your office, sitting in front of a desk for 10+ hours takes a toll on your health. From stiffness around the neck to back pain, the list is long. But, have you ever tried doing yoga at your desk?

Yoga not just brings you some peace and tranquility, it also stretches your muscles. It provides with comfort and prevents the risks of stiffness and atrophy.

Doing a 5 minute yoga at your desk can predominantly cure a lot of the stiffness and pain. It relieves the tension around the muscles and enhances your productivity.

Here, we are going to discuss about some of the best yoga stretches that you can do at your desk.

Is doing Exercise at Desk Possible?

Yes, it is a completely sane thought.

Often, we don’t even realise that we are doing some of the yoga stretches at our desk. Neck rolls are one of the most common examples of that.

Not only do these desk yoga poses help relieve the stiffness, it also aligns your spine and prevents the onset of any chronic condition.

So, if you think that doing some yoga poses at your desk is not possible, think again.

Best Desk Yoga for Office Workers

In here, we are going to share a list of the best desk yoga exercises that you can do to relieve the pain and discomfort around your back, hip and shoulders.

1. Neck Rolls

How to do it?

• Start by opening your shoes and socks and being barefoot
• Once done, ground yourself to the floor and close your eyes
• Bring your chin down to your chest, ensuring that the lowermost point of the chin touches your chest
• Start by moving your neck in slow circles, moving the head towards the right first and then towards the left
• While doing this, ensure that your shoulders are in a relaxed state
• Repeat the above steps 5 times till you feel the neck and shoulders muscles stretched

Tips while doing

When doing this exercise, always make sure to avoid straining your neck. It is extremely important that you stretch your neck as much as your body permits. Overdoing this can put strain on the neck muscles and cause pain later.

Benefits of Doing

• It helps stretch the neck muscles
• Relieves around pain around the neck and shoulders
• It relaxes the mind and enhanced productivity

2. Seated Crescent Moon

How to do it?

• Start by opening your shoes and relaxing your body and muscles
• Lift your arms over your head and connect your palms with your fingers splayed out
• With the palms joined, lean your body towards one side, feeling the stretch around your shoulders and trunk of the body
• Take a deep breath and count to three while holding that position
• Repeat the same thing on the other side too
• Once you feel relaxed and your muscles stretched enough, return to the initial position

Tips while doing

When doing this exercise, always keep your arms over your head. In case you have any medical issues, especially one concerning your shoulders, avoid lifting your arms. You can simple stretch your body from side to side.

Benefits of doing

• It stretches the body from both sides
• Lengthens your spine
• It improves concentration

3. Wrist and Finger Stretch

How to do it?

• If you have typing work for the majority of the day, this can effectively reduce the strain on your fingers and wrist
• Start by entwining the fingers of one hand in the palm of the other hand
• Extend both the arms forward to stretch the arms and then pull the entwined fingers towards your chest
• Count to five and release your fingers again
• Do it with the other hand too

Tips while doing it

It is important that you do this exercise every two hours for relieving the strain on your wrist and fingers. This relieves the pain and the consistent discomfort. Additionally, don’t overdo the stretch. Do as much as it feels comfortable for you.

Benefit of doing

• It stretches the fingers and the wrist muscles
• Prevents stiffness
• It enhances the efficiency of the fingers

4. Chair Pigeon Pose

How to do it?

• Start by sitting on your chair, back straight and your feet planted on the ground
• Put your right leg over the left angle in a perpendicular position
• Ensure that you place the foot very gently and not pit any excess pressure on the other leg
• Move your body forwards and then backwards
• Do this consistently for 10 seconds and ensure you feel a slight stretch around the thighs
• Switch with the other leg once done

Tips while doing

In case you have issues with your knees, it is important that you either hold it for under 5 seconds or not do it at all. It can affect your knees for the worse if you overdo it.

Benefit of doing

• It stretches the lower back and thighs
• It restores balance

5. Seated Twist

 

 

How to do it?

• Start by sitting on your chair in front of the desk, keeping your back straight
• Once done, inhale and lift your arms above your head
• Simultaneously, twist your upper body towards the right, feeling a slight stretch on your sides
• You can hold the chair’s armrest for added support
• With every breath, stretch to one side and lengthen your spine
• Hold that pose for 20-30 seconds and then switch your side

Tips while doing

If you are doing to exercise, always ensure that you not overstretch or hold it for longer than what you can sustain. Holding the stretch for a longer period might result in pain and inflammation in the long run.

Benefit of doing

• It lengthens the spine
• Reduces complaints of lower back pain
• It improves efficiency and concentration

6. Sit and Stand Chair Pose

How to do it?

• This is a very beginner version of a squat
• Start by being seated on a chair, keeping your feet planted on the ground and your knees at a perpendicular angle
• Putting pressure on your glutes and heels, hold yourself up to a standing position, much like you would during a squat
• Again using your glutes and soles of your feet sit back down on the chair
• Repeat this for 5-10 times, depending on your threshold

Tips while doing

This can put a lot of strain on your knees and joints. In case you have weak bones or suffer from arthritis, this is not the best office yoga at your desk that you can do.

Benefits of doing

• Strengthens the hamstring and glutes
• It relieves complains of back pain
• It stretches the spine

7. Shoulder Opener Stretch

How to do it?

• If you are seated in front of the screen for an extended time period, your shoulders and back experience the most wrath
• For this, you need to push aside your chair and stand in from of your desk with your feet apart
• Stretch your body and hold the end of the desk and fold your body from the waist, mimicking a right angle
• Keep this position stretched as much as your body permits and you feel a slight strain through your shoulders and upper back
• Hold this position for 5 seconds and then return to the original position again

Tips while doing

This does require a bit of space, so you need to plan this accordingly. Additionally, it is also important that you prevent doing it with the whole office around because that can put you in an awkward situation.

Benefits of doing

• It stretches the shoulder muscles and upper back
• It relieves the stiffness around the back

8. Shoulder Rolls

How to do it?

• The process is pretty simple and relieves tension around the shoulders
• Start by sitting on the chair with the back touching the back rest and your arms placed on the armrest
• Once done, inhale and lift your shoulders towards your ears
• On exhaling, bring the shoulders down
• Continue doing this for a few seconds till you feel the shoulder muscles relaxed and less strained

Tips while doing

This is a very simple stretch and doesn’t impose and risk. But, one thing that you can be cautious about is to not put too much strain on the muscles. Go slow with the process.

Benefits of doing

• It stretches the shoulder and neck muscles
• Calms one’s mind and improves concentration
• It relieves pain in the upper back

9. Forward Fold

How to do it?

• Another exercise that works like magic is the forward fold
• Start by standing upright with your feet firmly planted on the ground
• Fold your body from the waist down, touching your feet with your hands
• Keep your body folded in half for a few seconds
• Return back to the initial position and do it again
• Do it for a few times till you feel relaxed

Tips while doing

Even this this is the best quick yoga at your desk, it is not for everyone. This is especially not for individuals who have a hard time with their bone health. Don’t stretch to a point where it hurts.

Benefits of doing

• It stretches the back muscles
• It relieves stiffness around the upper and lower back

10. Seated Back Bend Pose

How to do it?

• Start by sitting on your chair, placing your butt around the front end of the chair
• Keep your back straight all the while
• Lean your body forward and stretch your arms towards the back, entwining both your palms
• Keep the elbows straight while doing so
• Gradually pull your shoulder blades back and take deep breaths
• Once you are comfortable, relax your muscles and return to the original position

Tips while doing

Make sure that you twist your arms as much as feasible. The last thing you want is to strain your shoulders and cause inflammation. Hold the position for as long as it relaxes the stiffness and doesn’t impose any pain.

Benefits of doing

• It relieves the stiffness around the shoulders
• It relieves complaints of indigestion

When talking about the yoga at your desk, these are some of the best exercises you can indulge in. Always ensure that you don’t push your boundaries. At the end of the day, you want to relax the stiff muscles and tension. You don’t want to worsen the condition. This is the reason why it is better that you take your time with learning the exercises first. And, once you have mastered them, do them as per your capacity only.

People’s Questions

1. How does desk yoga help us?

Individuals with desk jobs have heightened risks of back pain and stiffness. It takes a gradual toll on your health, affecting your posture and building chronic diseases in you. Doing the best yoga at work helps relieve the stress, tension and the consistent pain that you experience while sitting on a chair for 10+ hours.

2. How many times a week should we do?

There is no upper or lower limit to doing the yoga stretches. At the end of the day, it depends on your comfort. If you are feeling strain and tension around your back and shoulder every day, you can spare 5 minutes every day. Doing this every day or every few hours is considered the best.

3. Is yoga at desk good for relieving laziness and instilling energy?

Yes, doing yoga stretches your muscles and reduces strain on the back and shoulders. This helps improve your concentration and at the same time, helps regain the lost energy. If you have been less productive at work, it is likely that these exercises can help reverse the impact of the same.

4. Can we do gym in morning and desk yoga at office?

Yes, it is completely okay for you to hit the gym for some good body workout in the morning and then doing desk yoga for 5 minutes at your desk. There is nothing contradicting the two.