Office Yoga for Upper Back Tension
Ease Back and Shoulder Tightness With These Targeted Postures
Oct 23, 2008
After hours in your office chair, absorbed in a project, you snap out of your reverie and realize that your shoulders are tight and that your back is in pain.
The back pain and shoulder tension usually experienced with long periods at the computer have to do with tension in the muscles of the cervical and thoracic spine -- those that hold up your head and prevent you from slumping forward, face-down, onto your desk. To release these muscles, try a combination of yoga poses that includes gentle forward bends, backbends, side reaches, chest openers, and deep breathing.
If you don't work in a private space, your co-workers might wonder what you're up to, and may see fit to crack a joke when they see you taking a yoga break; but in the end, you'll feel a lot better, and they may be so moved by your ethereal glow and upright posture following this brief practice that they'll want to try it themselves!
- Dog/Cat: On hands and knees on the floor, bring your spine to a neutral position, looking down at your hands. Take a deep breath in and drop your belly down towards the floor as you look up towards the ceiling and push your tailbone upwards -- think of a dog ready to play. When you're ready to exhale, reverse the curve of your spine, arching your spine up to the ceiling and dropping your head and tail down -- think of an angry cat. Repeat this 5-8 times.
- Chair Dog/Cat: If you can't go on all fours in the middle of Cubicle Central, do this in your chair: push away from your desk, place both feet on the floor, and sit up straight with hands on thighs. To do dog, look up towards the ceiling and arch your back, pressing your hands into your thighs, inhaling; to do cat, curve your spine the other way, looking down at your legs and letting your elbows bend.
- Forward fold: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, then fold over from your hips, so that your back is more or less flat and your belly and ribs are lying along your thighs. (If your back is rounded, bend your knees further, until your belly and back are close to or on your thighs.) Clasp your elbows, each with the opposite hand, letting your arms and head hang completely loose - you may want to shake it "no" and nod it "yes" to make sure it releases all the way. Stay there for 5-8 full cycles of deep inhalation and exhalation. This is another exercise that can be done in your chair; just scoot back, plant both feet on the floor, spread your knees a little, and fold down over your thighs, letting your head hang.
- Long Lunges With Backbend: Stand with feet together, then step one foot behind you and descent into a lunge. Try to bend the front knee to 90 degrees (a right angle) and to straighten the back knee, sending energy out of the front knee and the back heel. (If this hurts, bend the back knee and rest it on the floor.) As you sink your hips towards the floor, raise your head, shoulders, and trunk up until it's perpendicular to the floor, bracing one or both hands on the front thigh. Hold a chair or wall for balance if needed. Hold for 5-8 breaths before switching sides.
- Spread-Leg Forward Fold with Hands Clasped Behind: Do the same pose as described above, but stand with your feet 2-3 feet apart. Before folding over, clasp your hands behind you with elbows straight. As you fold forward, let your arms fall away from your back towards the floor. Again, hold for 5-8 cycles of breath.
- Standing Cobra: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Do a few shoulder rolls to the back to prepare. Place the heels of your hands on your lower back and press your elbows towards each other, rolling shoulders back and down and pushing gently downward, lengthening your low back. Drop your chin towards your chest as far as it will go; stay there for 4-5 breath cycles.Then, lift your head and feel yourself growing taller. As you inhale, lift your sternum (the very center of your chest) towards the ceiling as you continue to roll shoulders back, press elbows towards each other, and press heels of hands down lower back to lengthen the lower spine. Keep your neck long and gaze up at the ceiling. Stay for 5-8 breath cycles.
- Reaches With Breath: Standing or sitting, reach one arm up past the ear on the same side. Look up at the ceiling past your arm, trying to keep your upper body as flat as possible - ribs, hips, head, and arm all stacked so that your upper half could be sandwiched between two panes of glass. Reach on the inhale, switch sides on the exhale, then reach to the other side on the next inhale. Repeat 8-10 times.
Once you've completed this sequence, keep these ergonomic tips in mind:
- Working at the computer for long hours brings the head and shoulders forward and tightens the hip flexors. Your muscles tighten against this stress. Counter this with a Post-it or computer-programmed reminder that reads, "Sit up tall on your sitting bones, lengthen the back of your neck, drop your chin, spread your upper back, and breathe!" You can also program in a reminder to do the yoga poses in this article once or twice each workday.
- Try sitting on a Swiss ball instead of an office chair, at least some of the time. This keeps your muscles active and allows you to gently bounce and rock as you work.
- To reduce tension in your shoulders, use a headset when on the phone.
- Even if it's just for a few minutes each hour, get up and move periodically throughout your workday. It will make a huge difference in your attention span, ability to focus, and level of calmness.
The copyright of the article Office Yoga for Upper Back Tension in Yoga Poses/Asanas is owned by Melissa L. Block. Permission to republish Office Yoga for Upper Back Tension in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
