8 Yoga Poses You Can Do in Your Desk Chair

Are you Tied up in your hectic office routine? Unable to attend your gym classes? If yes, then you’re in big trouble.

It has been proven that sitting for prolonged time periods is harmful to your mental and physical health. Too much sitting can make your muscle stiff and can make you prone to disease lower back pain, obesity, carpal tunnel, etc.

What’s the solution?

Including yoga in your daily life can make visible changes in your posture and help in counteracting the effects of too much sitting. In this article, we will be going to learn about the easy yoga poses which you can practice even in your desk chair.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

1- Wrist and Finger Stretch

This is the simplest yoga you can do in your desk chair without moving your body. This yoga exercise can help in releasing the tension in your fingers and wrists joints that has been build up in your joints with all the desk work. It is also helpful in preventing carpal tunnel syndrome.

Steps to do Wrist and Finger Stretch

• Spread your arms to your sides or overhead, and make a circular movement through the wrist joints.
• Do this  5 to 10 times, to release tension in your wrist.
• Now, position your hands on your desk in such a way that your palm’s face is up and your fingers are towards you.
• Put gentle pressure by stretching each of your arms out.
• Gently bend wrist inward and then outward.
• Do this pose on each side for 30 to 60 seconds.

Try to do this yoga exercise after every 2 hours while you are doing your desk work.

2- Seated Crescent Moon Pose

This is another simple yoga exercise that can be easily practiced while sitting in your desk chair. Seated crescent moon pose can help in releasing the stress in your body sides and also stretches the muscles of your shoulder and neck.

Steps to do Crescent Moon Pose

• Sit straight without leaning on your chair’s back and raise your arms over your head.
• Stretch your fingers and then lean to your right. Maintain this pose for 30 to 40 seconds.
• Then repeat the same step towards the left side of your body.
• Returns back to your normal position.

3- Chair Pigeon Pose

This yoga is excellentfor those people whose hip muscles got stiff due to prolonged periods of sitting in the same position. It stretches the hamstrings and also corrects the imbalances in the lower spine.

Steps to do Chair Pigeon Pose

• Sit straight on your chair and keep your both feet flat on the ground.
• Bring the ankle of your right leg on the knee of your left.
• Keep your foot flex, as not to put any pressure on the knee.
• Maintain this pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
• Do the same for your other leg.

4- Seated Twisted Pose

This yoga pose is beneficial for relaxing your spine and back. It helps in reducing the shoulder pain by stretching them and realizing tension in them.

Steps to do Seated Twisted Pose

• Sit on the chair with your back straight, keeping your feet together.
• Twist from one side of your lower spine. Extend the stretch by spreading your arms towards the opposite side.
• Inhale and exhale deeply and maintain this position for 10 to 15 breaths.
• Return to normal position and relax
• Do the same with the other side of your body.

5- Sit and Stand Chair Pose

This chair yoga pose is considered one of the most energizing yoga exercises that can be done on a chair. It helps in activating the glutes and hamstrings that become inactive due to prolonged sitting. This exercise helps in toning legs and muscles in your abdomen and the back. It is useful for building stamina and strengthening the core.

Steps to do Sit and Stand Chair Pose

• Sit straight on a chair, with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the ground.
• Inhale and stand up without the support of your arm.
• Now take a few deep breaths.
• After this, down on the chair again in a way that your back is not leaning against the chair.
• Do these steps 5 to 10 times.

6- Seated Forward Bend

It is one of the easiest yoga exercises that can be done while sitting on your desk chair. It is helpful in alleviating the pain and discomfort in the hips area and also releases the stress in your back, neck, and shoulders.

Steps to do Seated Forward Bend

• Sit in an upright position on a chair and inhale deeply
• Slowly exhale while bending downwards.
• Rest your head and neck on your knees.
• Stay in that position for 2 to 3 seconds
• Repeat the whole cycle 8 to 10 times.

7- Hamstring stretch  

This simple yoga pose is excellent in improving flexibility and releasing stress in leg muscles.

Steps to do Hamstring Stretch

• To do this exercise, you will need two chairs.
• Take two chairs and place them in a face-to-face position.
• Sit on one chair with you back up straight while putting the heel of your one leg on the other chair
• Take a deep breath in and try to bend forward as much as you can
• Stay in this position for 5 to 10 breaths
• Return to the original position and repeat the same steps with your other legs.

8-Cow Face Arms

This chair yoga pose is helpful in improving your body postures. It increases your core strength and releases the stress of the muscles of the arms, chest, hips, and upper back

Steps to do Cow face Arms

• Sit straight without leaning you back on the chair
• Lift your one arm and bring it behind your back
• Now bring your other arm behind your back and clasp the fingers of your both hands together.
• Hold this pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
• Switch the position of arms and do the above steps again.

Wrapping Up

Yoga may seem like stretching and flexing, but the advantages of yoga will surprise you. All of the above-mentioned yoga poses are easy to do and help you in increasing your daily functioning by making you active. For best result repeat them 2 to 3 times a day.