Did you know you can boost your productivity and incorporate movement into your workday with Chair Yoga? Taking the time to tune into your breath and stretch your body can benefit your mind, body, health, and work!
Chair Yoga – in addition to being the perfect type of yoga to do while you’re at work – is a wonderful way to practice if you are new to yoga, have limited mobility, or if you are dealing with an injury.
The only equipment you need is a chair, which makes this practice ideal for office and corporate settings. Chair Yoga is especially great for sneaking in some physical activity into your workday.
Taking a break from work to improve your productivity seems counterintuitive. Most employees operate by the principle that “the more hours we put in, the better.” Yet quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality.
Chair Yoga is especially great for sneaking in some physical activity into your workday.
In fact, a University of Illinois study found that participants who took short breaks better retained information than those not offered breaks.
Take a mindfulness break with 5 Ways to Weave Mindful Moments Into Your Workday
In addition to boosting productivity, Chair Yoga offers an important window of physical activity. According to the CDC, getting an adequate amount of physical activity lowers your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.
Consider yoga at work a win-win: You get a break, a nice dose of health benefits, AND you can increase productivity.
Ready to Try Chair Yoga? Here Are 7 Poses You Can Practice at Work:
Be sure to sit at the edge of your seat for each Chair Yoga pose. This encourages optimal posture.
If you’re short on time, you can always practice any of these yoga poses individually. A super quick yoga break is better than none!
1. Cat and Cow Pose
This exercise is a wonderful way to mobilize the spine and ease back tension. Cat and Cow Pose calms the mind by linking breath with movement.
Let’s try it:
Sit up tall with your hands in your lap
Inhale: arch your spine, open your chest and lift your chin
Exhale: round your back and look down to your thighs
Repeat 4-6 rounds
2. Neck Stretch
Staring at your computer for hours can be, well, a pain in the neck! Free up neck tension with this feel-good stretch.
Let’s try it:
Tilt your head to the right by slowly moving your right ear towards your right shoulder
Place your right hand onto your left ear
Allow the weight of the arm to gently encourage the stretch to deepen
Take care to not pull forcefully on the head
Take 5-10 breaths and repeat on your other side
Check out the full article and 5 more chair yoga poses on YogiApproved!