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Sitting at your desk for up a large part of your day can cause all sorts of aches and pains and can reduce productivity and focus. Yoga is a great way to give your body a sense of equilibrium and relieve it from pain and stress. So doesn’t it seem ironic that the times we are most stressed and most in need of yoga are likely to be the times that we are more chained to the desk than ever?

In the image gallery you'll find a sequence of nine poses and stretches that can be done from the safety of your desk without drawing too much attention to yourself.  All you’ll need is a chair and a few minutes. If possible, close the door to your office or find an empty meeting room you can use for some privacy; but if this is not possible, none of these are going to draw too much attention to yourself if you do work in an open plan environment.

Start all of the exercises seated with your bottom positioned towards the front of your chair.  Instead of sinking into the back of your chair, lengthen through your spine as much as you can and feel the pelvic floor engage.  Place your feet flat on the floor and press through them evenly. Before you start take five deep breaths in and out of the nose. Try to fill the ribcage with breath and make sure all the breath leaves the body with each exhale – so that every inhale is a fresh new breath with no stale air in the lungs.

1. Neck stretch. As you inhale, reach your left arm up and around your head, covering your right ear with your left hand. As you exhale, gently draw your head over to the left and extend your right arm out to the side. Hold for five full breaths. Repeat on the other side. Click for more photos

Yoga at your desk

1. Neck stretch. As you inhale, reach your left arm up and around your head, covering your right ear with your left hand. As you exhale, gently draw your head over to the left and extend your right arm out to the side. Hold for five full breaths. Repeat on the other side.

  • 1. Neck stretch. As you inhale, reach your left arm up and around your head, covering your right ear with your left hand. As you exhale, gently draw your head over to the left and extend your right arm out to the side. Hold for five full breaths. Repeat on the other side.
  • 2. Side stretch (crescent moon). Inhale as you reach your arms above your head and take hold of your right wrist with your left hand. Position your right hand so that the palm faces the ceiling and stretch your palm as high up as possible. As you exhale, use your left arm to draw your right arm up and over to the left, creating a stretch down the right side of the body. Hold for five deep breaths and then repeat on the other side.
  • 3. Upper back stretch (cat stretch). Reach your arms in front of you, interlace your fingers and push your palms forward. As you do that, tuck your chin in to your chest, and push the space between your shoulder blades as far back as you can. Hold for five breaths.
  • 4. Chest opener (cow stretch). Interlace your fingers behind your body and push them as far behind you as possible. At the same time push your chest forward and lift your heart centre. You can either tilt your chin upwards by about 3cm or if that is uncomfortable tuck the chin into the chest. Hold for five breaths.
  • 5. Forward bend. Lean the body forward over the legs, trying to lay your chest down on your thighs. Reach your hands behind the body, interlace your fingers and start to move your arms up away from your bottom, trying to move the arms behind the head. Hold for 5 breaths.
  • 6. Hip stretch (pigeon stretch). Keep your left foot firmly planted on the ground, lift your right leg and rest your right ankle on the top of your left knee or thigh. If this is enough of a stretch hold there, otherwise reach your left arm around the outside of your left calf muscle, and weave your right arm through your thighs so you can interlace your fingers around your left shin. Start to draw your body down towards your legs. Hold for five breaths. Repeat on other side.
  • 7. Eagle Arms. Bend your right arm and position the elbow in front of your heart. Take your left arm underneath your right and wrap your forearms around each other as you try to touch palms. If you cannot touch your palms, then touch your right wrist with your left palm. Keep your fingertips pointing straight up so that your forearms are vertical and start to lift your elbows towards the ceiling. You can either look to the fingertips or tuck the chin to the chest. Hold for 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
  • 8. Seated twist. Turn yourself to the side so you are facing the side of the chair, as your inhale, lengthen your body to the crown of the head; as you exhale, twist to your right and rest your hands on the back of the chair. Make sure you keep lengthening the spine upwards as you twist and don’t sink into your lower back. Hold for five breaths. Repeat on left side.
  • 9. Three-part breathing. Sitting at your chair, close your eyes and exhale fully. Take your hands on to your stomach, to the area on and below your belly button. Take a deep inhale and try to expand the area under your hands. As you exhale, contract the area under your hands and make sure you have pushed all the air out. Next, take your hands a little higher up on to the ribcage. As you inhale, try to inhale into and expand the area under your hands. As you exhale, feel that same area contract. Next, take one or both hands on to your chest with the fingers touching the collarbone. As you inhale, breathe into the chest, trying to expand the area under your hands. As you exhale, feel the chest fall. Finally, do them both together, first inhaling into the lower abdomen, then the ribcage followed by the chest. As you exhale, contract the lower abdomen, then the ribcage followed by the chest. Repeat 3-5 times.

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Nadia Rihani is the director and teacher at Yoga Village in Sydney’s Potts Point. Prior to working as a Yoga Teacher Nadia worked in the corporate world where she came up with creative ideas to incorporate a bit of yoga in to her work life.  www.yogavillage.com.au