Yoga is an age-old practice that brings balance to the mind, body, and surrounding environment. It has continued its existence over a couple of millennia because it has been proven incredibly useful to anyone who practices it.

Yoga has been in practice long before modern scientific techniques were developed. Many researchers have tried to poke holes at the health benefits offered by the regular practice of yoga. But scientific evidence has proven the multi-faceted benefits offered by yoga.

Some of the key benefits of practicing yoga regularly are:

• Reduced stress. Constant stress has negative effects on the physical and mental capabilities. The main stress hormones are adrenaline and cortisol. Yoga helps to reduce cortisol levels significantly.

• Decrease back pain. Back pain is an ailment that plagues sedentary workers around the world. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), roughly 80% of the adult population will experience back pain. Research has proven the efficacy of yoga in reducing lower back pain.

• Stimulate brain. Cognitive ability and even IQ levels can drop as one age. Exercise in general has been a proven tool to stave off cognitive decline. Yoga can stimulate brain function and helps in improving mental ability, flexibility, and memory recall. An extensive study that looked into the benefits of yoga has concluded that yoga helps to improve brain function and even emotional well-being.

• Heart disease prevention. Heat disease is one of the leading causes of death. Yoga has shown significant strides in reducing the risk factors that increase the chances of getting heart disease. Yoga in combination with other aerobic exercises reduces cholesterol levels, a significant risk factor for heart disease.

• Depression alleviation. Depression affects millions of people every year. There is medication and counseling that help to manage depression. Yoga is also a powerful tool in managing depression. It also arises from the effect yoga has on the hormone cortisol. As mentioned earlier, cortisol is a stress hormone. Reducing it will improve mental well-being. Yoga also has shown its efficacy for people antidepressants has not had a positive effect.

Challenges office workers face to practice yoga

Yoga has a lot of benefits for anyone who regularly practices it. But despite that, there are a lot of challenges on the path, especially for regular office workers. Some of the major challenges are:

• Challenging. Yoga is physically rewarding. At the same time, you have to put in a significant amount of physical effort.

• Discipline. You need to have a consistent effort into the practice of yoga. Regular office workers might find it difficult to allocate a fixed time regularly for yoga.

• Space. Yoga requires some stretching, lying down flat, and various other postures that require adequate space. In congested urban apartments, it might be difficult to find adequate space to perform yogic poses.

All the different challenges can be overcome. Even in tight spaces like your work desk, you can practice some yoga.

5 simple yoga poses for office workers

There is a large number of yoga poses. The different poses also vary in difficulty. Some complex postures cannot be accomplished by novices without risking injury.

A variety of poses are simple, highly effective, and can be done in a small area. 5 simple yoga postures that can be done within the small space available at a workstation are given in the next sections.

1. Wide-legged forward bend

It is a very simple yoga pose. You might have been in this pose inadvertently many times over the course of a workday. Here is how to execute the pose:

• Stand up straight with feet apart. The feet have to be placed wide apart.

• Place your hands on your hip.

• Exhale. Bend forward from the hips keeping a straight spine.

• Hold yourself in the bend position for a couple of seconds.

• Move your hands towards your legs. Ideally, you should be able to rest your hand on the floor.

• Hold the pose for up to a minute according to your ability.

• Retract from the position to standing up straight.

Trying to bend the knee before bringing your hand down is a variation that has increased difficulty and can be tried on you have attained mastery of the simple posture.

2. Stork pose

This yoga pose tries to strengthen glutes and hamstrings. Here are the steps to complete the stork pose.

• Stand in front of your work desk, press your left feet on the floor.

• Lift your right leg with your right hand.

• Hold in the position for a while and take a couple of deep breaths.

• While inhaling extend your right foot down to the floor.

• In the next repetition, shift the legs.

You can hold on to your work desk for balance. Once you have mastered the basic pose, you can lift your left arm to attain the next level of difficulty.

3. Desk chaturanga pose

It requires quite a lot of space to conduct the chaturanga pose. It is also quite difficult. Desk chaturanga asana is a very effective variant of the classic chaturanga pose. It can be done in a very small space with a standing desk. Here are the steps involved.

• Stand straight in front of your standing desk with your arm to your side.

• Place hands shoulder-width apart on a sturdy standing desk. A standing desk frame like FlexiSpot EC1 is quite sturdy to bear the weight of a person.

• Move your legs back in such a manner that your body is at an inclination to the desk.

• Inhale and lower your body towards the desk till your elbows form a 90-degree angle.

• Exhale and press on the desk so that your torso reaches the initial position.

• Repeat the steps again till your muscles feel active.

You have to take special care to try is pose on a sturdy desk. Traditional desks are not height adjustable. Standing desks are a better option. It can have varying heights between 71 cm and 121 cm. It also has easy-to-use up and down buttons to adjust the height.

4. Desk upward dog

This will be an extension of the desk chaturanga pose. The initial couple of steps will be the same as chaturanga.

• Stand straight in front of your standing desk with your arm to your side.

• Place hands shoulder-width apart on a sturdy standing desk.

• Move your legs back in such a manner that your body is at an inclination to the desk.

• Lean your hips towards the desk and open up your face and chest upwards.

• Engage your legs and core. Hold the position for half a minute.

• Take a couple of deep breaths while holding the position.

• Move your body back to the original position.

5. Restorative pose

The traditional restorative pose is to lie flat on the ground and be at peace. You may not always find space to lie in that pose.

• Your feet have to be flat on the floor.

• Place your crossed arms on the desk.

• Place your forehead softly on the crossed arms.

• Breathe deeply till you feel rejuvenated.

• Retract from the pose and back to work.

As the name of the pose indicates, this pose can be used to restore energy. Using a standing desk frame like FlexiSpot EN1 can be used to create a custom desktop that will help to make restorative pose comfortable. It has a weight capacity of 70 kg. It is also packed with an all-in-one keypad with a memory function. Flexispot EN1 is an economical option for a standing desk. Another advantage with the desk is that it can be easily fitted to tight spaces. You also have the ability to add a custom desktop that suits your taste and requirements. It is one of the most flexible standing desks available on the market.

To Conclude

Yoga is an effective tool to stay healthy and rejuvenate your body and mind. It can be done even between your workday to feel refreshed.

Many of the yoga poses require a large area to practice and stretch. But adding slight twists to the yoga postures can make it workable in tight spaces. This is particularly helpful when you work in an office cubicle or even working from your apartment.

The five yoga poses explained in detail work with the various muscle groups of the body. Following the exact breathing pattern will blow fresh life into your workday. Adding a standing to your yoga routine will bring about additional flexibility in executing yoga poses in tight spaces. FlexiSpot standing desk frames are proven to be sturdy and have a wide variety of features that work well for your professional setting. It can also be used as a complementary tool while performing yoga.