yoga at the desk, on the train, in the car, and everywhere else!

September is National Yoga Month and we’re excited to bring you weekly emails that feature all things yoga! What if you can’t make it to a class? What if you don’t think yoga is for you? This week and next, read on for great ideas for how to do Yoga all day, every day!

In a perfect world, we would all have the foresight to plan our work lives in advance and have the energy to check off all “to do’s”, dot all i’s and cross all t’s with time to spare. We would, in utopic heaven, have the luxury of arranging our schedules to allow for large gaps of uninterrupted time for ourselves; time for hour-and-a-half yoga classes, restorative meditation sessions and reflective walks in nature.

Unfortunately, for most of us, scheduling is tight, trains are late, work runs long and our self-nurturing time is spent in other ways. Most Americans in the workforce simply do not have THE TIME. Instead, the average American works 46 hours a week (38% of employed Americans work 50 hours!)

Working weekends has become normal and even when the body is at home, the brain can still linger in the office. If this sounds a little too familiar, do not fret. There are plenty of simple, small Yogic practices to balance the body, reboot the brain and soothe the mind right from the comfort of your office chair.

stand up for your life
Start your day off right. If you take public transportation with standing room, take advantage of this time and stand up! Hold on tight, find some grounding stability in your feet, engage the navel towards the spine and draw the crown of the head away from the hips and relax the shoulders.

Be mindful on your commute. If you drive, send the back of your driver’s seat forward, find the length in your spine, lift your chest and engage the core. Try parking a little further away to get the blood moving in the legs before your workday starts.

move it
I know, I know, you’re at a desk. How are you supposed to move? Studies show that we sit down for up to 15 hours a day. That’s almost all of our waking hours! To combat the problems exacerbated by the work day (chronic back pain, heart disease and some cancers have been linked to sitting), try setting a quiet alarm once per hour and take 5 minutes away from your desk.

Go for a walk around the office and get a drink of water or go for a short walking break. This allows for blood flow and lets the large muscle groups of the legs engage, stretch and move. Let one or two of these mini-adventures be outside, if possible. Breath in the outdoor air, look up at the sky, take in the view.

Join me next week for more Yoga all day, every day ideas!

Be Well,
Megan Tefft
deliver me wellness
NYC yoga team