Desktop Yoga: Use it or lose it

Our yoga expert offers some simple tips to make yoga a part of your daily working lives in this 'India Global Business' exclusive.Exercise at the work place is an interesting subject because obviously one should be working when at the desk as opposed to doing lunges, hanging off the desk performing tricep exercises, stretching, bending and conducting all manner of cubical calisthenics. It's just not very normal, is it Humans, like all other animals, are simply not designed to sit around all day, movement is a very important key to maintaining proper function and is associated with good health and greater life expectancy. I often tell my patients that they had better move it, or lose it! Being slumped and static can drain your energy and sap enthusiasm. Studies have shown that poor posture at work can make you cynical and depressive, none of these qualities give you a competitive or progressive edge.Over the years, I have tailored exercises for my patients to help off-set their postural problems whilst at work. When we sit and stare at computer screens all day, we adopt a slouched spinal posture which compresses the cartilage and connective tissue in the spine. These tissues give the elastic recoil and shock absorbing qualities to our joints, which over time become degraded resulting in reduced function and eventually pain.There are literally hundreds of exercises that you can do whilst at work that won't inconvenience you beyond a point, some of these are discreet enough that you could even get away with doing them without people knowing that you're actually exercising away.I'm going to walk you through a routine that consists of five exercises:

1. Let's start with sitting towards the edge of your seat. Sit straight with your spine erect and feet flat on the floor. Cross your right leg over your left and gradually twist your torso to the left rotating each vertebra one by one until you reach the top of the shoulders and the base of the head. You can use your right elbow to increase the twist by pushing it into the inside of the right knee and tightening the twist.Now finally turn the head as far over the left shoulder as is possible and breathe deeply holding the breath in-between in and out breathes for as long as is possible. Observe the stretch as your lungs fill with air and the relaxation and release of tension as you breathe out. Repeat this three-five times to one side before doing the same on the other side and finish by relaxing the hands on your thighs with the palms facing upwards.Following this, gently rotate your shoulders in broad but even circles in the forwards direction. Rotate them approx. five times before changing to the opposite direction.

2. Now take your hands above your head and interlace the fingers with the palms facing towards the ceiling. Before reaching the full stretch of straightened arms above the head, drop your chin towards your chest and then fully stretch the arms.Feel the build-up of tension in the arms and shoulders as well as the upper back as the restrictions to the upper spine become apparent through tension, stiffness and quite possibly pain. Soften the arms and extend the head back arching the neck as you look up towards the ceiling, and straightening the arms again, pushing the palms up towards the ceiling. Repeat according to your needs and when you're done shake your hands and arms off and relax.These next exercises are Sri Sri Ravi Shankar specials and fit nicely into the routine here as the exercises move from muscles to myofascial release.

3. Raise both of your arms out to 90 degrees ensuring the palm of the right hand is facing out to the right, away from the right hand side of the body, and the left hand palm is stretched out towards the left. Turn your head towards the right hand and push the heel of the hand out further away from you, feeling the stretch and possibly the pain running deep through the arm into the shoulder and neck.Continue to stretch and straighten the fingers making them point up towards to the ceiling all the while increasing the stretch in the arm. Relax when you feel complete and turn your head to face the left side and repeat the stretch by again pushing the heel of the hand away from you. Repeat the stretch on both sides until you feel a balance or 'evenness' in the neck and shoulders. Once again rotate the shoulders and shrug them off as necessary.

4. Interlace your fingers behind your head and have your elbows point out to form a straight line with your arms from elbow to elbow, left to right. Maintain this position and begin to rotate your eye balls within the confines of their sockets clockwise for three to five rounds and then anti-clockwise for three to five rounds.Whilst doing this, take your attention to the back of your head and soften the interlaced fingers without losing the position. Without much effort, simply observe any feelings or sensations in the back of the head whilst the eyes are rotating clockwise and anti-clockwise. Once you have completed this you may take a few moments to relax the hands on the thighs with the palms of the hands facing upward.

5. Staring at computer screens and or reading documents creates a great deal of strain on not only the eyes but also the musculature of the face. It takes up to 70 muscles in the face to create a frown or a penetrating look of concentration, but only four muscles to smile! In this next exercise we will keep a gentle smile on our face (even if you have to fake it until you make it). Using our thumb and index finger, we will gently massage the eyebrows, a combination of straightening them and massaging them rubbing the sides of our head and temporal regions gently moving the scalp on the bones of the cranium moving back and forth from the eyebrows to the temples.When you feel ready take your thumbs and place them under the occiput of the skull, this is the area at the back of the head near the neck where the very top vertebra is. Resting your fingers on the cranium begin to massage the scalp apply suitable pressure to invigorate and stimulate. When you feel complete, simply rest the hands back on your thighs and just observe any sensations in the head and whatever changes you feel in the body and mind.You are now ready to get to work, refreshed and ready for the next challenge. Sri Sri calls this Desktop Yoga, but make no mistake the impact is greatly significant.