Are you an office worker who needs to sit for long periods of time? For those who work a 9-to-5 job, the office has become a place where they need to sit and work for long periods of time every day. After sitting at a desk for a long time, facing computers and documents, have you ever paid attention to your body and mind? Working for long periods of time can easily lead to physical stiffness and accumulation of stress, and even affect mood and concentration. At this time, office yoga is definitely your best friend! This article designs simple chair yoga exercises for office workers who need to sit for long periods of time. They only need to sit on a chair to stretch and relax. Furthermore, yoga breathing techniques can help you to think clearly and work more efficiently!
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Why do office workers need to do yoga?

Health is the most important capital in our lives, and yoga practice can help you relax and strengthen your body appropriately. Therefore, it is not only office workers, but also recommended that everyone can try yoga and let yoga help you build a better body. A healthy life will help your physical and mental health to a certain extent. Through different exercises such as asana, pranayama and meditation, it can help you establish physical and mental balance, increase body flexibility and improve concentration. and reduce stress. Here are a few benefits why office workers need to do yoga:

Office Yoga Benefits

1. Relieve work stress:
   Office work is often accompanied by negative emotions such as competition, anxiety, and pressure. The practice of yoga can help us relax our body and mind, stabilize our emotions through some meditation and breathing techniques, and we can also face any challenges we encounter through further learning of mindful thinking!
   
2. Improve posture and flexibility:
   Sitting for a long time may lead to poor body posture and tight muscles. Especially when the posture is incorrect and the shoulders are rounded, it may cause your pelvis to tilt backward and the back of your hips and legs to tighten. Problems such as tightness and shoulder swelling. Through yoga asana practice, you can increase the flexibility and softness of the body, improve poor posture, and reduce the burden on the body caused by sitting for a long time.
   
3. Improve concentration and efficiency:
   Yoga breathing exercises and meditation exercises can help improve concentration and efficiency. These exercises can also help you put down stress and reduce inner anxiety. Try to focus your awareness on the present moment, feel the calmness brought to you by breathing and meditation, reduce the interference of distracting thoughts, and improve work efficiency.

5 Office Yoga Method

1.Fire breathing method Kapalabhati

First, let’s practice Breath of Fire (English: Breath of Fire; Sanskrit: Kapalabhati). Fire Breathing is the basic breathing method in Kundalini Yoga. It can train the abdomen through rapid and continuous inhalation and exhalation cycles. Deep muscles and focus awareness, keeping body and mind focused as one. Fire Breathing can help the body improve blood circulation, increase energy, clear thoughts, refresh the mind, and possibly burn belly fat. However, fire breathing method is different from our normal breathing method, so we need to practice it moderately. It is recommended to practice it on an empty stomach and avoid practicing it after meals or before going to bed. If you have symptoms such as asthma, hyperventilation, or during pregnancy or menstrual period, Please do not practice during this period.

Sit cross-legged, relax your body and close your eyes. First exhale from your mouth and at the same time actively contract your abdomen inwards. When you are ready, enter the practice, inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose, take a deep breath to expand the abdomen, then exhale several times, contract the abdomen each time you exhale, and finally exhale completely to relax. Try to gradually increase the number of exhalations. Practice for about 1-3 minutes. At the end, take a deep breath and then exhale completely to relax. Complete the exercise.

Please pay attention to keep your breathing steady during the process, and you can focus on the ajna chakra. Slowly adjust to your new breathing rhythm and notice how your body feels. If you feel any discomfort during the process, please stop practicing immediately.

2.Spinal Relaxation: Seated Cat-Cow Pose

Everyone is familiar with the cat-cow pose on the mat, but it can also be used in chair yoga. By sitting in the cat-cow pose, you can warm up your body and move your muscles and bones, and at the same time, let your pelvis drive your spine to relax and lengthen your back.

Before starting the movement, let the body stand upright and the pelvis return to the normal position; first come to the cat pose exercise, slightly curl the abdomen to tilt the pelvis slightly backward, arch the back backward, chest downward, and the neck and head also hang down naturally; Then raise your head, let your chest face forward, and drive your back to gradually tilt your pelvis forward, reaching the Cow Pose position. Flow slowly through the two poses to create great flexibility and allow the body to gradually relax.

3.Relax your shoulders: stretch your arms back

Stretching your arms backwards can stretch your shoulders backwards through the movement of your arms. It can improve and relax people with rounded shoulders, a hunched back, or tight chest muscles.

You can start by doing it slightly forward to give your arms room to stretch back. When you are ready, keep your shoulders steady without shrugging, place your arms behind your back, and clasp your hands or make fists. When you inhale, stretch your body and bend your body forward slightly; when you exhale, lift your arms upward and rotate your shoulders externally. Feel the stretch in your arms, shoulders, and back.

4.Relax your arms: stretch your arms upward

Stretching your hands upward is not just about stretching your arms. By raising your hands correctly, you can practice scapula depression, spine extension, and at the same time stretch your arm muscles.

Before raising your hands, adjust your sitting position and return your body to an upright position. Then extend the arms upward from the front, while stabilizing the shoulder armor, keeping the shoulders down, and tightening the back. In this position, not only can the arms and spine be stretched, but the back muscles can also be strengthened through the correct movement of raising hands, making the posture more beautiful. Stand tall!

5.Spinal Twists: Seated Twist Prayer Pose

Finally, twisting postures are added to help increase the flexibility of the spine. It can also massage the abdominal internal organs and help digestion through twisting movements.

First, sit firmly on a chair, tighten your core, and bend your hips to bring your body into a forward bend. Then place your right elbow on the outside of your left thigh, and gently push your knees with your elbow to maintain resistance; then let your right hand and left hand meet, clasp your hands in front of your chest, and maintain even breathing. When finished, switch sides and repeat the same action.

The above are office yoga exercises. In our busy life, spending some time doing yoga can help us relax and change our physical state. The editor here reminds practitioners that when performing these simple chair yoga exercises in the office, they need to always pay attention to their breathing and body feelings; and according to their own abilities and practice, practitioners who are familiar with the postures can also close their eyes and realize Flow with your feelings, come to a state of dynamic meditation, and let yoga become your daily moment of healing and relaxation!