Desk job? Here's some help for you.

This morning I had the pleasure of joining Heather Anderson on Global Morning News for a new yoga series.  We have planned for 4 interviews, spaced 2 weeks apart.  Today's segment was about how to prevent back pain for those who work in desk jobs.

Before embarking on any preventative therapy, please consult your doctor, especially if you are experiencing any back pain.


Sitting Down

Notice how you sit down.  Most often, we sit down with a tucked pelvis, curving the tailbone under us resulting in flexion through the low back.  Sitting this way encourages poor posture habits, puts strain on the low back and will create shortened hamstring muscles.

Instead - try the Gokhale method of "stack sitting".




Hip Opener - Seated Pigeon

Desk jobs can create tightness in the hips, which, over time can contribute to back pain.   One of my favorite hip stretches is a seated pigeon.   This can be done sitting in any chair.  First, sit down using the stack sitting method, then scoot forward to the edge of the chair.  Cross one ankle over the knee with the supporting foot grounding firmly on the floor.  Lift your tailbone to find a stretch, or begin to fold forward in order to find a greater stretch.  Hold for 5/10 breaths and move to the other side.

video of seated pigeon - yoga glo

Cat/Cow

We often practice cat/cow in class.  This is a great way to feel movement in the hips and along the spine.  It is also a great core strength exercise if you are maintaining core awareness throughout the movement.



Salabhasana - Locust Pose

The last posture we talked about was, salabhasana or locust pose.  Some people refer to this pose as "Superman".   This posture is a supine back bend, so it is nice to warm up with some shoulder stretching and lunges first.   For this pose, you would move to your belly and then engaging the muscles along the spine lift your head and chest away from the floor with the shoulders relaxing down the back.  Feel length in the back of your neck gazing down at a spot on the floor just forward of your mat.   If you are feeling good here, you can opt to lift the hands away from the floor.  I prefer to have my palms facing down allowing some strength to move into the triceps.   From here you may also lift your feet away from the floor watching not to over engage your glutes.   Pressing your pubic bone into the floor, and rolling the thighs in will create space in the low back and keep the glutes soft.   Lifting your belly away from the floor will engage abdominals and protect the spine.

If you have a desk job, it is important to make sure that you are aware of how your job is affecting your posture.  Take movement breaks as often as you are able - visit Yoga Mala on your lunch break or check to see if your office offers noon hour yoga classes.   You can also check into alternatives to the traditional seated desk such as a standing desk or a treadmill desk.   

My next visit to Global Morning news will be in two weeks (January 29th) when we will talk about downtime, relaxing and meditation.   

Some yoga classes you could try: 

Yin (Emma)

Yoga Mala 

Fridays 12:05pm

Basics (me)

Yoga Mala

Saturdays 2:00pm

Flow (Johanna)

Yoga Mala

Wednesdays 9:30am 

Come to Yoga Mala's open house on Saturday January 20th!  There are two free classes running on that day, and new student one month unlimited passes will be on sale for $35.  A great way to start a yoga practice or check out my new home studio.   I will be there that day to show you around.   

Namaste.