How to reverse your desk posture in 6 yoga poses

Jackie Kinealy is a yoga teacher in St. Louis.

As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, you probably are not very good at sitting. 

When you have a desk job, your body is, for eight hours each day, being pulled downward by gravity, and most people fall into the path of least resistance by curling into a “C” shape—think head jutting forward, back hunched, chest collapsed, hip flexors tight. Your body grows weak where you want to be strong, and tight where you want to be open.

It’s a posture that causes headaches, prevents healthy breathing, inhibits digestion, compresses your internal organs, weakens your core, stresses your spine, creates muscular imbalance in your hips, and overall, creates that special feeling of being stressed and lethargic at the same time.

The good news is that you can correct the desk slump with these six simple yoga stretches, which increase circulation, boost energy, stretch the tight areas, and strengthen the weak ones. Get up every couple of hours to move your body and breathe deeply. It’s a simple but powerful change you can make in your daily routine to feel happier and healthier. You will be more focused at work and more energized for your life.

1. Neck Stretch. Sit or stand. Tilt your head so that your left ear goes toward your left shoulder. Place your left palm on the right side of your head. Stretch your right arm away from your body, like you are reaching for a water bottle just slightly behind you. Take a few deep breaths. Feel a stretch in the right side of your neck, upper back, and down your arm. Repeat on the other side.
2. Seated Cat/Cow. Scoot your chair back from your desk. Reach your arms straight out and hold on to the edge of your desk, hands placed slightly wider than shoulders. First, squeeze your shoulder blades towards your spine and lift your chin, breathing in. Then, widen your shoulder blades away from each other and tuck your chin, breathing out. Alternate between these two positions 10 times. Think about moving your mid and upper spine and shoulder blades.
3. Standing Hip Flexor Stretch. Careful with this one if you have a rolling chair! Stand up and face your chair from the side. Put one foot on the seat, your hands to your hips. Push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front hip of your standing leg. If you don’t feel anything, step farther away from the chair, increasing the diagonal slope of the back leg. Take at least three deep breaths on each side.
4. The Doorway Stretch. Stand in a doorway where you won’t be blocking traffic, a few inches behind the threshold. Take your arms out like a goal post, so that your forearms and palms rest on the frame. Keep your feet in place and lean forward to stretch the chest muscles. Stay for 1 to 2 minutes, breathing deeply.
5. Seated Bicycle. Scoot to the edge of your chair, your knees bent at 90 degrees. Place your fingertips behind your head like in a crunch. Breathe in. Breathe out as you turn your torso to the left as you lift your left knee and tap your right elbow to it. Breathe in and come back to the center. Switch sides. Continue until you feel a burn. You can also do this standing. Note: For a less-conspicuous ab exercise, simply hover your feet a couple of inches above the ground.
6. Chair Squat. Stand with your chair a couple of feet behind you, legs at hip distance and arms at your sides. Start to bend your knees, and reach your hips back, like you are slowly sitting down. As you lower, pull your belly button in toward your spine and float your arm parallel to the floor. Your knees should stay over your ankles. Keep lowering down, but before your seat meets the chair, press down through your legs to stand back up, lowering your arms to your sides. Repeat at least 10 times. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up.

Like the advice to drink plenty of water, this is something you know. You know stretching is good for you. The issue is remembering to do it and making a habit. Every day for 10 days, commit to performing this sequence at least once. Find a friend at work and make a stretch date. As you go, feel free to explore other movements that feel good for your body, and remember to breathe.

Small shifts in your daily routine ripple to create big lifestyle changes. If you want to feel healthy and well more of the time, start by incorporating movement that feels healthy and good. Through practice, you will develop great sensitivity, noticing which foods, habits, relationships, thoughts, and activities make you feel better, and which make you feel worse. Then you will have the motivation to make healthy choices because you know how good it feels.