Long periods of immobility cause a significant amount of stress to the spine, neck, shoulders, legs, and eyes.
Ahead of International Day of Yoga, June 21, Metrolife spoke to yoga teachers for quick tips for individuals dealing with long work hours, extended commutes and stress.
Long periods of immobility cause a significant amount of stress to the spine, neck, shoulders, legs, and eyes. Founder of Athayog Living Yoga Academy, Sharath Basavaraju, explains that “different yoga asanas are nothing but different spinal positions”. The human spine can move in about five different ways. Standing up from your chair and twisting the spine in these five directions every hour is highly beneficial for the body, says Absolute Yoga founder and yoga teacher Trupti Rathi.
Long work hours
Instructors recommend a combination of forward bends (uthanasana, ardha uthanasana and parsva uthanasana), back bends (bhujangasana, purvottanasana, and matsyasana), lateral bends (trikonasana, tiryaka tadasana) and twists (kati chakrasana, bharadwajasana). These asanas can be modified to an office setting, using a desk, chair and wall as props. Besides these, Trupti recommends performing the inversion vipreeta karni at home, every day for five minutes. The pose allows for increased blood flow toward the heart and head, helps relax the legs and feet, and induces better quality sleep.
Stress relief
For those struggling with work- or family-related stress, financial stress, situational stress, or anxiety disorders, cyclic meditation and breathing techniques are recommended. Basavaraju notes that nadi shuddhi pranayama and Bhramari pranayama can be performed at any time of the day. “Quickly do (these) for a few rounds, to get (yourself) back on your feet again,” he explains.
Abhishek Tripathi, the contemporary yoga lead at SAMA: The Calm Mind Studio, emphasises the importance of physically stepping away from the work setting to achieve holistic wellness. “Movement is medicine,” he explains, emphasising the physical and mental clarity that can be achieved by simply taking a walk from your desk every couple of hours. To help ground oneself in stressful situations, he recommends focusing closely and consciously on one’s breathing.
