If you are an office worker, you spend most of your day seated. As we all know, a sedentary lifestyle can cause back and neck pain, chronic muscle tightness, aching in shoulders, and even dizziness and headaches. Yoga can help you get rid of office syndrome and improve your posture. Here are 5 easy and effective poses that you can do during or after work to revive and relieve any tension in your body.
1. Sitting Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
This is a great pose to stretch out your legs and lower back. Simply sit up on the floor, stretch your legs forward, draw your belly in, and bend your upper body towards your legs, reaching the crown of your head towards your feet. Try to grab your toes, ankles, or shins with your hand. Make sure that you stay in your comfort zone, by bending just a far as you possibly can. Do not forget to focus on your breathing while holding this pose for as long as you want to (1 to 3 minutes are recommendable to get the best effect).
2. Eagle Arms (Garudasana)
Eagle arms help stretch your arms, shoulders, and upper back. Start this pose standing up tall or sitting in a cross-legged position. Inhale and extend your arms out at your sides, creating a T-shape. Exhale and swing your right arm underneath the left, pressing your forearms together, while keeping your elbows parallel to the floor and your shoulders. Press your palms together or grab the opposite wrist. Now lift the elbows slightly and melt your shoulders down the back. Hold this pose for three rounds of breath.
3. Cobra (Bhujangasana)
If you suffer from back pain, then cobra pose is great to release all the tension. It is best if you have a mat to do this pose because you have to lie down on your stomach. Spread your hands wide on the floor just under your shoulders, inhale, and push your upper body up until your arms are straight. Melt your shoulders away from your ears down the back and hold your head high. Stay in this pose for at least three breaths and then slowly return to the floor.
If this feels like too much tension, you can also do baby cobra: Only lift your upper body as fas you can while breathing in and hold your hands up in line with your shoulders, holding the elbows close to your body. Stay here for three breaths and release back to the floor.
4. Down-ward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Savanasana)
This classic yoga pose is great to release any tension in your back and shoulders. Get on all fours, with your hands spread out slightly before your shoulders and your knees directly below your hips. Inhale, tuck your toes, exhale, and lift your knees from the floor. Keep your knees flighty bent, and lengthen your tail bone away from the back of your pelvis, pressing it lightly toward the pubis. Lift your sitting bones towards the ceiling and hold this pose. If you want to, you can walk out your dog by placing your right and left heel alternately on the floor. Stay here for a couple of breaths, then slowly release your knees back to the floor.
5. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
A great pose to do right after down-ward facing dog is child’s pose. It stretches your lower back and opens the hips, ankles, side body, neck, and arms. It is a very grounding pose, that can help release stress while inviting inner calmness. Get into tabletop pose (hands under your shoulders, knees under your hips), then spread your knees as wide as you can (or as your mat is), bring the big toes together, and move your hips back towards the heels. Your arms spread out before you and your face is placed towards the floor. Stay in this position for five breaths, then move back into tabletop position.
6. Savasana
This is probably the simplest and most relaxing pose. It reduces fatigue, headaches, and eases anxiety, stress, and even depression. Simply lie down on your back, placing your legs apart. Melt your body completely into the floor, breathe slowly, and relax for as long as you need to. You will get into a meditative state and feel more relaxed and calm after Savasana pose. That is why most yoga practices end with it.
Bonus Tip:
Asides from a regular yoga practice, you should also try to receive a relaxing massage at least once a week. Especially Thai massage can help release office syndrome. However, after a long day at work, taking a ride to a spa can seem like too much effort. Luckily there is mobile massage, that you can take at the comfort of your own home or condo.
A great massage-on-demand service in Thailand is RLAX mobile massage. They offer you an easy-to-use app and website to book an appointment with knowledgeable massage therapists. You don’t have to prepare anything, as they will bring all the equipment needed. Besides classic massages, they even have a tailored Office Syndrome relief massage, that you can benefit from. In addition to yoga, massage is surely very effective for office syndrome and your overall health.
