yoga at work

Especially for those who are working desk jobs, most of you undoubtedly feel quite stiff as a result of being crunched over your desk, slouching, sitting uncomfortably. I used to have constant back pain from sitting in front of a computer all day, to the point of having to recline back in my seat, turning my monitor down to meet my gaze. Doing yoga daily has eased much of this discomfort, and I'm happy to say that I generally sit in a more presentable manner these days.

My posture has improved rapidly from doing yoga daily, making it easier for me to sit up straight. Still, I get antsy from sitting there with no movement whatsoever. My body enjoys stretching and twisting and pulling all kinds of maneuvers. Below are a few things I do to keep myself as active as possible while being sedentary (if you have any tips of your own, please comment and share):

• Lotus or half lotus is excellent for the hips and also helps me keep my back straight. My coworkers may think I'm a bit strange, but my body is grateful. Remember to switch out your legs!


• Especially after doing a version of lotus pose, I like to sit back on my knees, either on my toes or heels.


• Something else I enjoy is bending at the knee and swinging both feet behind me on either side of the thigh, while the feet reach out through the holes between the chair arms and back (provided that you have a chair conducive to this pose).


• Most important about the three poses above is the ability to keep your back straight, I have found. If one of them makes you more likely to sit up straight, that's the one to go for.


• I have a swivel chair at work, and I like to do an occasional twist. I keep my torso to face the computer monitor while I rotate the chair to the left and right with my hand, thus creating a twist.


• To build strength, I extend each of my legs one at a time and hold for five minutes each. The knee can either be bent or straight, depending on your needs.

Some of these may get you strange looks, but I find that it helps relieve some of the stress your body endures from being immobile for such a long period of time.

individual benefits from yoga postures

Also, there are general accepted benefits of the various poses. I don't think it's so clearcut, however. It would seem to be that this is, at least on some level, akin to dream analysis. There aren't clearcut symbols or definitions for what benefits what. It's helpful to read about a given pose and its generally-accepted benefits. However, on some level, there are many individual benefits that are unique to each individual. Knowing too much about anything confounds our own experience of whatever it may be. Before I obtain too much second-hand knowledge about yoga, I'd like to play around with the poses and intuit my own take on the poses' benefits for me personally.

For instance (and this is just a fleeting thought with no scientific backing whatsoever), let me go on a limb and say that simple inversions should be good for both short-lasting foul moods or long-lived depression. These are poses that don't require too much vigorous effort and that stretch the back while grounding you as your head reaches towards the ground. Downward-facing dog is an example of this. Also child's pose, forward fold, stretching your feet out upwards against a wall, and rabbit. My intuition is to hold poses longer with less intensity to ease negative feelings. Bringing your hands to your heart center, maybe in tree or tadasana, also helps to center you. Raising your hands to the sky is usually uplifting, and perhaps a mini back-bend would be satisfactory as well, with a dive forward to let it all go. Breath is especially vital. On the contrary, I don't think twists are as good for this. Same goes for high-intensity inversions such as headstands and handstands. This is based from my own experience, however. Others may feel differently, and that doesn't make anyone wrong in my book.