Yoga for Office Workers with Back Pain

By Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Therapeutic forms of Yoga have been around for thousands of years. Among the many ailments of humankind is back pain. Long before the personal computer was invented, people suffered with pain in their backs. Albeit, the usual source of our ancestor’s pains and aches were often related to manual labor.

From within Hatha Yoga, many therapeutic styles have sprung up. One of the most common ailments Yoga teachers observe, in students today, is pain that originates from the spine or the muscles surrounding the spine. Therapeutic Yoga techniques can be practiced as a form of prevention or as a remedy to chronic pain.

A physically, active lifestyle is beneficial to anyone who spends excessive time sitting. When we spend time sitting – during our commute, at our desk, operating a laptop, and watching television when we get home, we then need to spend time on good posture all day long.

In fact, we have to sleep in good posture with the best possible alignment. This requires the use of pillows, a firm mattress, and knowledge of proper skeletal alignment. However, most people are advised, by their family doctor or chiropractor, to practice Yoga or adopt an exercise routine which is beneficial to skeletal alignment. This may involve any form of exercise, which stimulates your body and mind or by attending Yoga classes.

During work hours, it would be advisable to drink a fair amount of water. Sometimes, the act of hydrating can create more fluids throughout the body. As the body sits still, the vertebrae tend to squeeze moisture out of the discs. With that said, it may be wise to lower your coffee intake during working hours. This is not a mandate to give up coffee completely, but to be moderate in your consumption.

If your office permits, it might be good to sit on a stability ball while you are at your desk, part of the day. This gives relief to the lumbar region, sacrum, pelvis, and hips. It is only natural to gently rock in circular and linear movements, as you are doing your office work, while sitting on the stability ball. To receive proper instruction, on how to use a stability ball, you may want to attend a specialized Yoga or Pilates workshop.

If you spend an hour of constant sitting, you should get up for at least five minutes and walk or practice Yoga postures. You could easily practice lunges, balancing poses, forward bends, back bends, lateral bends, or twists from standing or seated positions.

If you add small five minute segments of Yoga movement to your daily routine, your back pain will be reduced or eliminated.

© Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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Office Yoga: Poses to do at your desk

If you’re a slave to your desk, clicking your mouse, staring at your computer screen, and sitting for long periods of time, then you need some relief for the tension and stress you’re building up in your shoulders, neck and back.  Most likely, when you get up to fill your coffee cup, your back, neck and shoulders feel stiff and sore, and you’d rather take a walk around the block and get some fresh air than head back to the same old desk to get more of the same old upper body discomfort.

Doing yoga poses at your desk can help.  Sitting at your desk all day can get mighty uncomfortable, and there’s nothing you’d rather do than take to your yoga mat in the middle of the day. But, if you’re stuck in an office, that may not be an option.  But, you need to move around a little (well, I like to move around a lot!) to instill more balance in your workday and to ward off more serious health problems. Here are some yoga poses that you can do at your desk:

Shoulder Rolls

Sit upright in your chair. Inhale, and lift your right shoulder to your ear.  Exhale, and slowly roll your shoulder around and back, dropping it away from your ear.  Repeat on the left shoulder.  Do these three more times on both sides.  Then, inhale and lift both shoulders to the ears, hold, exhale and release.  Ahhhh.

Neck Stretch

Sit upright without letting your back touch the back of the chair. Your head should be aligned directly over your spine and the crown of your head should be lifted. If you need more stability, you can hold onto the side of the chair with your left hand.  Inhale, then exhale and drop your right ear to the right shoulder.  Be careful not to turn your head or lift your shoulder.  Take several breaths and feel the stretch on the left side of your neck.  For a deeper stretch, place your right hand over the left side of your head and gently pull your neck away from the shoulders.  Hold this pose for five breaths. Repeat on the other side.  This pose lengthens and stretches the neck, and creates space between the vertebrae in the cervical spine.

Chair Twist

Sit on the edge of your chair, with your left side facing the back of the chair. Keep your knees and feet together.  Place your hands on the back of the chair, elbows extending out to the side.  Inhale, straighten your spine, and twist toward the back of the chair from the bottom of your spine. Push with your left hand and pull with your right.  Breathe deeply, then release and switch sides.  Twists are perfect for unlocking tension from sitting for long periods, especially at a desk!

Arm Stretch

Stand and clasp your hands behind you.  If you can’t clasp your hands together, hold on to a scarf or a belt.  Lift your arms as high as you can, and lift your sternum.  Hold this pose for 30 to 45 seconds and then relax.

If you’d like to get a good book about desk yoga, may I suggest “Office Yoga, Simple Stretches for Busy People,” by Darrin Zeer.  It’s the perfect companion for those days when yoga at your desk will just have to do until you can get to your mat!

Namaste!