Yoga Positions at Office
If you learn to sit well it's a very beneficial factor because you are providing your body with sufficient relaxation. When you sit properly your pelvis is centered and the spine is erect and the pelvis supports the entire weight of the body.
You will now discover simple yoga positions that can be practiced at home or in office in a sitting position. These yoga positions are just perfect to provide complete relaxation to your body.
Our body is designed such that we need to sit on our sitting bones. These are located at the lower edge of the pelvis and these bones have curved ridges. When you sit correctly the pelvis supports the entire weight of the upper body including the head, neck and spine. During this process the pelvis is in a central upright position. In this posture the spine can lift up and lengthen without collapsing. At this juncture entire spine is protected because the pressure on the lower region of the spine i.e., five lumbar vertebrae are reduced.
Though the above mentioned is the correct position, most of us are used to slumping around. This is very unhealthy. This leads to a lot of problems in almost all systems of our body. When we slump our spine doesn’t get the required support because the pelvis tilts backwards as a result we collapse backwards into our chair. This position aides poor circulation of blood which leads to irritation, muscular aches and pains, fatigue, lack of concentration, constipation etc. In this position there is a constriction in the lung, which hinders and restricts breathing. Further, there is pressure on the vertebrae and the abdominal organs are squashed restricting their regular functions. Serious problems like sacroiliac and sciatic conditions, lumbago and slipped disc come into existence, when the vertebrae cannot take more pressure than required.
Many of us are unaware of the feeling of sitting on sitting bones. It is better to start trying it from home front. Avoid soft padded office chairs and cushions and surfaces that are squashy. At home you will probably find a wooden stool or a firm wooden chair. Once you learn sitting on this at home you can try it in office. Your correct sitting yoga position should be assumed in the below manner.
Occupy front part of your chair. Your feet should be parallel and about hip width apart and firmly flat on the floor. Knees should be a little lower than your hips and about hip width apart. In this position your pelvis is in an upright position and is centrally balanced.
You can feel your sitting bones when you move your hands under your buttocks and move your fingers to search for two rounded little protuberances.
Now, sit correctly on your sitting bones and tilt your trunk forwards and backwards. Note that pressure on your hands decreases and increases accordingly. The correct position, to balance the upper body on the sitting bone is where there is maximum pressure.
In this yoga position your pelvis is in upright, central position. Now, you will be able to lift up from pelvis as your lower spine i.e., lumbar is nearer to the vertical.
Your work surface
Since desks are not provided with height adjustments having a height adjustable chair is a boon. The height of your work surface should be such that your shoulders can be kept low and back. After adjusting this check the angle of your eyes with relation to your work surface.
When you work on a sloping surface there is a perfect right relationship between the vision and the work. While working on a horizontal surface we slouch forward to find a comfy angle and distance relationship with work, which allows you to work without curving your upper back or lowering your head. Even “ writing slopes” which are mould Perspex lectern type stand are good. They are affordable and worth trying. Due to their transparent surface one can easily spot shuffled papers and they have designer drawing board look. Copyholder is also used widely. These are supported stand and help by holding your work upright so that you can have a straight look, which in turn reduces the strain on your neck, shoulders muscles and spine & provides with much needed relaxation.
If enough space for a copyholder is not available then don’t keep the work to be copied in one fixed position as this may lead to spine and neck problems. The solution for this particular problem is to keep changing the position of the work, alternately so that you need not keep looking in a fixed direction. In the beginning this will look a little difficult and unnatural because you are habituated to working in one fixed direction. But keep following the directions as you can later reap the fruits of your efforts.
Lighting
Sufficient and proper light is needed to protect eyes from being damaged. But due to cost factor a number of establishments are using fluorescent tubes as they are cheaper and provide basic illumination. Some people can adjust to this. But if you cannot, then spend some money to purchase desk lamps, which provide direct and soft light. This costs you hardly anything when compared to your comfort and the desired relaxation needed for your eyes.
Follow these simple yoga positions at home or at work and you will reap the benefits for a long time.
