Ditch the Stress – Without Leaving Your Desk

It’s 8:55 AM on Monday morning.

You rush into the office, spilling the last sip of your coffee on your shirt.

Your phone pings – alerting you to 26 unread emails (only half of them requiring you to put out a fire).

Your trusty Google calendar sends a message to remind you that your conference call starts in T-minus 2 minutes.

Every fiber of your being wants to run back out the door, jump in your car, drive home, crawl back under the covers and just try again tomorrow.

But you don’t – or at least you won’t seriously contemplate it anymore – because of your yogi pocket protectors: five surprisingly simple techniques for curbing your stress that you can practice right at your desk.

Here there are!

Pranayama Breathing

What to do: Start by sitting in a chair with your feet firmly on the floor, your hands resting on your knees, close your eyes, take a deep breath in. Let the breath fill your belly, moving up your body  expanding into your ribs, and rising into your chest. As you exhale, soften and release the breath completely. Repeat for 5 breaths.

How it helps: Your pranayama breathing relieves stress by allowing you to calm your mind and body.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose)

What to do: Take one leg and fold it towards your body, do the same with the opposite leg, then lower both legs onto your seat. Ensure your ankles are aligned and go about your day.

How it helps: You’ll start to feel more grounded in this pose. Like Pranayama Breathing, Sukhasana allows you to calm your mind.

Seated Cat-Cow Pose 

What to do: Inhale and raise your arms in front of you, interlocking your fingers, and stretch outward while shining your heart forward with your gaze up. Exhale, keep your arms extended in front of you with your hands interlocked and start rounding your back. Repeat this movement for 5 breaths.

How it helps: Cat-Cow pose allows you to focus your mind. Noticing a trend? Concurrently, this pose creates balance within your body.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) 

What to do: Standing in Tadasana, take a deep inhale, and hinge at the hip. Bending your knees deeply, reach for your shins, toes, or the floor and exhale. Stay in this pose for 5 breaths. This is the only pose that you aren’t able to do at your chair, so you might get a few side-eyes but it’s well worth it.

How it helps: Uttanasana is an inversion! Like all inversions, you’re stimulating your nervous system and promoting blood flow.

That’s it! Five tools for mixing mindfulness into the madness of a manic Monday (or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…)

If you find yourself still hanging by a thread, book a yoga class right after work. Don’t just SAY you’ll go; head online and BOOK. THAT. CLASS. Commit to self-care in a safe space, surrounded by like-minded beings. You’ll rise up from savasana feeling refreshed and renewed, with a fresh mind and some new perspective.

Namaslay!

[box] A true believer of mixing business and pleasure, Ashley Feller is always looking for a new way to incorporate yoga into her workdays as a Digital Marketer. Though passionate about all things digital, you can find Ashley digitally disconnecting when taking yoga classes, relaxing on the beach, or visiting one of NJ’s amazing wineries. LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyfeller Twitter – https://twitter.com/@ash_feller Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ash_feller/[/box]