Work can usually demand a lot of a person’s time and attention. The responsibilities it entails are often prioritized over others aspects of one’s life.
This, in turn, leads to using being busy at work as a common excuse to skip other activities. One of the said activities is frequent exercise.
Exercise itself takes a bit of energy to pull off. It takes focus and determination to stick a routine and, not to forget, the physical effort your body has to exert while performing it.
“Finding a way of combining these two activities, working and exercising, is great if one plans to kill two birds with a stone.”
Listed here are some hip-opening yoga poses you can perform while working over on your laptop. This way you can gain the benefits of exercise while still being productive at work.
Half Lotus Pose
Half Lotus is a sitting position wherein one foot is placed rested on the opposite thigh.
The sole of the resting foot should be facing upward, and the heel must be close to the abdomen.
Centre your torso above the hips, and your back should be straightened and at rest. Sitting in this position cultivates strength in the lower spine due to it being unsupported.
Continue the average pace of breathing and relax your body. Try to alternate leg positions from time to time to shift the weight and evenly spread it.
To further deepen the hip opening, hinging the upper body forward is suggested.
This stance also allows organs to be held in better position without external support. Half lotus also gently opens your hips and stretches the inside of your upper legs. It also stretches your ankles and knees.
The pose also develops good posture by keeping the spine straight. It also helps in maintaining joint and ligament flexibility.
Though easy as it may seem, this pose puts a strain on those who aren’t flexible enough.
If you are going to do yoga poses for the first time, this pose is not readily recommended. You can try the comfortable seated pose instead, where the same principles apply except for the foot being rested above the hips.
Once you get comfortable enough and feel that your lower joints are flexible enough, you may proceed and try the half lotus position.
Tarasana
Next pose after the half lotus is the Tarasana or Seated Star Pose.
In this pose, the legs are bent at the knee with a 90-degree angle with both soles facing each other all the while breathing at a reasonable pace and relaxing your body.
This pose is said to improve concentration and further opens the hips. The seated star pose more also builds upon the half lotus pose to deepen the hip opening. To additionally increase this effect, try putting your soles closer that they could touch each other and lean slowly and slightly forward as with the half lotus pose.
Tarasana stretches the inner thighs, groins, and knees. It also improves general blood circulation and gives relief from mild depression, anxiety and fatigue. It also contributes to soothing menstrual discomfort and sciatica on women.
Tarasana is said to be therapeutic for flat feet, high blood pressure, asthma and infertility. It also stimulates abdominal organs, prostate, bladder and kidneys and the regular practice of this pose up to late pregnancy is said to help in easier child delivery.
Doing the Tarasana pose also requires a decent amount of flexibility. If you are experiencing strain on your legs or discomfort on any part of your body, especially the upper legs and lower back, it is advised not to push on with it.
You can also adjust the distance between the soles of your feet to suit your comfort level.
Read also: How to Live Your Life in Fierce Alignment: Interview with Spiritual Mindset Coach Kehla
Pigeon Pose
This pose involves sliding one leg onto the back while gently allowing the thigh of your leg to rest in front.
Position your upper body leaning forward towards the resting thigh while placing your elbows as floor support. Continue maintaining the normal pace of breathing as much as possible and let your body relax as you settle into this new position.
Do not forget to alternately switch between legs to produce the desired result evenly.
Aside from opening up the hip joint, the primary benefit of this pose is lengthening the hip flexor. This pose also stretches the thighs, gluteal and piriformis muscles
. It also helps in extending the groin and psoas muscle. Other side benefits include helping with urinary disorders, stimulation of internal organs, and increase in hip flexibility and improvement of posture, alignment and overall suppleness.
It is also celebrated in relieving lower back pain and stiffness.
The pigeon pose is recommended for increasing hip flexibility which in turn helps one in performing other yoga poses. As always, it is advised to take this pose slowly to avoid pain and discomfort from suddenly switching poses.
Half Hero Pose
Maintain the resting thigh position in the pigeon pose and then slowly pull the other stretched leg forward and create a triangular sitting position by placing the stretched thigh towards the sole of the rested feet.
Bend the knee outside the triangle in a 45-90-degree angle. Make sure to switch leg positions in intervals to ensure that both legs are stretched equally and maintain a regular pace of breathing and calmly relax your body as you sink in into this position.
This pose requires a lot of knee strength and is not recommended for those who have knee problems.
The half hero pose physically benefits the ankles, thighs and knees. It increases their flexibility through stretching them.
This pose also helps in developing the arches of the feet to become stronger and is useful for relieving flat feet. Posture also benefits from this position and relaxes the legs altogether.
Other benefits include improved blood circulation, improved digestion and gas relief. Older women also benefit from this stance as it helps in relieving several symptoms of menopause.
Half hero pose also reduces the swelling of legs on pregnant women. It is also therapeutic for high blood pressure and asthma and improves meditation generally.
Doing two remarkably different activities at the same time might seem too impossible but working on your laptop and executing yoga poses at the same time is entirely achievable. Though it takes constant practice to get used to, incorporating yoga into your work routine could prove to be very beneficial in the long run.
Having a relax and peaceful disposition while doing your job-related activities will surely improving your working productivity and will reflect positively on you as a person. You can achieve this while keeping a fit and healthy body at the same time through yoga.
About The Author
Isabel Speckman is a North Carolina-based freelance writer and work-from-home mother of two. Check her work at Ritely. In her 10 years as a professional writer, she’s worked in proposal management, grant writing, and content creation. Personally, she’s passionate about teaching her family how to stay safe, secure and action-ready in the event of a disaster or emergency.