I work as a Financial Analyst. That means I sit at a desk all day and look at a computer screen. I work on spreadsheets and so often find myself leaning forward and leaning with my chin to see what I’m doing. I let go of my core and I crunch the back of my neck. My shoulders rise and chin juts out. My right arm is raised and lives on my mouse. I use a trackball which helps my shoulder but I do an awful lot of clicking and scrolling with my right forefinger. Then I lean back and slouch in my chair when I want to get a wide-shot of the amazingly complicated spreadsheet I’ve just created.
As you can likely imagine, my body gets pretty uncomfortable in a fairly short period of time. I feel the need to stretch and twist and yawn and refresh my brain on a pretty regular basis. Luckily, yoga doesn’t have to be practiced on a mat in a studio; luckily, I can practice yoga at my desk--and my co-workers might not even know I’m doing it!
Here are a few things I do during the day...
Desk Dandasana
Place your hands on the armrests of your chair and stick your legs out straight. I happen to have a shelf under my desk upon which I can rest my heels as I engage my feet and point my toes to the ceiling. If you don’t have one of those, you can always try to find a box to use as a footrest. And if you still can’t find anything, it’s OK, you only need your legs out for a few seconds. Tuck your chin and stretch the back of the neck long. Take a deep breath into the sides of your neck and drawn your navel into your spine. Hold the pose and breathe 3 full breaths...
Upright Cat and Cow
Place your feet on the floor and your hands on your armrests. Scoot forward in your chair so that your shins are as close to 90 degrees to the floor as you can easily manage. Press down with your hands and take the gaze to the ceiling--but try not to jut the chin out. Inhale as your body opens--heart coming forward and hips rolling forward and down. As you exhale, move your hands to the front of your desk and push yourself back (you’re likely in a rolling-chair so you’ll scoot back) until your arms and legs are straight. Take the gaze to your navel and as you push your hips away from your hands, feel the breath filling the space between your ribs. Hold the pose while the inhalation works its way through your whole body. Repeat a few times (3 to 5 is ideal) and be sure to yoke your breath with your body. Remember: if you’re moving, you should be breathing.
Swivel-chair Twists
Sitting on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor, place your right hand on the right armrest of your chair. Inhale and sit up straight and tall. As you exhale, slide your left hand down the outside edge of your right knee, palm facing in. Turn your head to the right and maybe even look back over your right shoulder a little. You can use your right hand for a bit of opposing pressure but this isn’t supposed to be a yanking and pulling twist; we’re unwinding the body here so go easy. With each inhale, fall out of the pose just a touch and exhale a bit deeper into it. Do this for 3-5 breaths. Bring everything back together and do it to the left.
Arms Overheard Stretch
Sit up straight and tall. Interlace your fingers and, as you inhale, take them overhead with you palms facing up. Take the gaze up if you like or you can look down. If you look down, try looking up to the right, coming up under your arm. That gives me a nice stretch in my neck and shoulder area. If you do it to the right, do it to the left. Inhale as you look up and exhale and you return to neutral or a downward-facing gaze.
Spreadsheet Neck Stretch
I heard about this in a class once... Create a page that has text running to the right, from top to bottom, from left to right, and from bottom to top. When your neck gets stiff from sitting and staring at your monitor, take a break and read it. As you move your head, be sure to ground both hips into your seat and try to keep your shoulders level. Not only will your head get a chance to pause, but your neck will get a nice stretch as well!
Here's the one I use:
Formula Calculation Meditation
While you’re waiting for your formulas to calculate or your Pivot Tables to refresh, why not close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Sometimes I like to say a few
Enjoy, Spreadsheet in good health, and Namasté
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