Be Well
Chair lift
These yoga poses will straighten you out.
By Evelyn NeamanNowadays, furniture is looking thoroughly modern, but are these designs actually helping our backs? Headaches, neck pain and low back pain are plaguing the nation, and that’s partially because we spend an average of 3,000 hours a year sitting.
How do we fix this? Yoga gurus claim that you’re as young as your spine, so how about some Chair Yoga? Try squeezing in these quick and simple poses while on the couch watching TV, paying bills online or even sitting on the loo! These poses might not give you sculpted biceps and a six-pack, but they will help increase flexibility, reduce stress and restore your much-needed energy.
1. Cat Stretch on the Couch
Couches offer a firm surface to practice gentle backbends and forward bends like the yoga Cat Stretch. Start from a seated position and begin by lifting your chest as you inhale through your nose. As you exhale, round your back by bringing your navel to your spine, and lower your chin to your chest. Repeat this four or five times. The Cat Stretch increases lung capacity, helps with circulation, releases tension in the spine and clears your frazzled mind.
2. Twist on a Chair
Try to mimic what you look like in your home office at the end of the day. Chances are you’re holding your chin in your palm, your elbow is on the desk and your back looks like an overripe banana—all not good for your posture. Now sit up straight and try a chair twist. Place your right hand on your left thigh, breathe in, and as you exhale rotate your spine to the right. Hold the pose and take four deep breaths. Repeat the procedure on your left side. Twists are a great way to reenergize your mind and body and cleanse your internal organs.
3. Relax the Eyes, Relax the Body
Yogis have a sure cure for eye strain, whether it’s from too many hours at the monitor or from sensory overload. Rub your palms together quickly until you generate a lot of heat. Cup your palms over your eye sockets and let the heat from your hands penetrate right through to the back of your eyes. Bring a gentle smile to your face, take a few deep breaths through your nose and notice that when your eyes soften, your whole body relaxes.
EVELYN NEAMAN is the Director of Tikkun Yoga Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she has been teaching for 13 years. Try her upcoming Women’s Restorative Yoga Retreat on Cortes Island, B.C. (Aug. 10–15, 2008, hollyhock.ca) or her best-selling DVD Restorative Yoga: Healing Through Breath and Stillness (available at banyen.com).
How do we fix this? Yoga gurus claim that you’re as young as your spine, so how about some Chair Yoga? Try squeezing in these quick and simple poses while on the couch watching TV, paying bills online or even sitting on the loo! These poses might not give you sculpted biceps and a six-pack, but they will help increase flexibility, reduce stress and restore your much-needed energy.
1. Cat Stretch on the Couch
Couches offer a firm surface to practice gentle backbends and forward bends like the yoga Cat Stretch. Start from a seated position and begin by lifting your chest as you inhale through your nose. As you exhale, round your back by bringing your navel to your spine, and lower your chin to your chest. Repeat this four or five times. The Cat Stretch increases lung capacity, helps with circulation, releases tension in the spine and clears your frazzled mind.
2. Twist on a Chair
Try to mimic what you look like in your home office at the end of the day. Chances are you’re holding your chin in your palm, your elbow is on the desk and your back looks like an overripe banana—all not good for your posture. Now sit up straight and try a chair twist. Place your right hand on your left thigh, breathe in, and as you exhale rotate your spine to the right. Hold the pose and take four deep breaths. Repeat the procedure on your left side. Twists are a great way to reenergize your mind and body and cleanse your internal organs.
3. Relax the Eyes, Relax the Body
Yogis have a sure cure for eye strain, whether it’s from too many hours at the monitor or from sensory overload. Rub your palms together quickly until you generate a lot of heat. Cup your palms over your eye sockets and let the heat from your hands penetrate right through to the back of your eyes. Bring a gentle smile to your face, take a few deep breaths through your nose and notice that when your eyes soften, your whole body relaxes.
EVELYN NEAMAN is the Director of Tikkun Yoga Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she has been teaching for 13 years. Try her upcoming Women’s Restorative Yoga Retreat on Cortes Island, B.C. (Aug. 10–15, 2008, hollyhock.ca) or her best-selling DVD Restorative Yoga: Healing Through Breath and Stillness (available at banyen.com).
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