10 Office Yoga Poses to Try at Your Desk

By Bori Bernat

You don’t do any physical activities when you’re working in an office all day. Sitting at your desk for eight-plus hours a day isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s also bad for your health. Doing an easy yoga routine in the office is a great way to improve your health and mood while you’re working. Also, with so many people today working from home offices, it's gotten much easier to take a yoga break and start a new exercise routine, since you are already home alone.

Benefits of office yoga

Doing yoga at the office isn’t just about physical health. Yoga has a lot of wonderful benefits that connect the mind with the body. Here are a few reasons why you should practice yoga in the office every day:

You deserve a break. Getting up to do yoga in the office gives you a few minutes of a well-deserved break. Not just a break from sitting, but also from work.

Refresh your brain. Stretching is good for your blood flow. A little bit of office yoga can revitalize and refresh you.

Yoga improves your mental health. Yoga isn’t just a physical activity; it’s a chance to reflect and meditate. It’s been proven to improve mental health.

Improved productivity. A little active break can raise your mood and productivity. When you finish an office yoga routine, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to conquer your work.

Prevents burnout. Burnout is real. Feeling like you’re buried in work can get to you. An office yoga routine gives you a moment to look at the big picture and prevent burnout before it happens.

Best of all, yoga benefits are easy to achieve. Even a short 10-minute yoga routine is all it takes.

10 yoga poses you can do in the office

Don’t be embarrassed to try these yoga poses in your office, and repeat a combination of the ones you enjoy. You can do most of them sitting down, and then who knows? Maybe you’ll motivate your colleagues to join in.

1. Stretch

The first thing you can do is stretch your hands above your head. Put your palms together and continue to stretch your arms up high. The straighter your back is, the better. Even if you’re sitting down, this pose will help move your shoulders and give you a nice starting posture.

2. Side stretch

With your arms straight above your hand and palms touching, lean to the right with your upper body. Don’t lean forward or backward with your shoulder. Imagine you’re stuck between two panes of glass. Let your arms and hands follow the curve of your body.

When you have held this office yoga pose for a couple of breaths, straighten up, and repeat on your left side. This is a great exercise to do sitting down or standing up. At a yoga studio, the name of this pose is crescent moon.

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3. Seated twist

Straighten your back and carefully turn your shoulders; make sure your hips don’t turn with you. You can even support your yoga twist by holding your desk or your leg. Hold for a couple of breaths and repeat to the other side

When you twist your upper body like this, it’s important to do it slowly. Sudden movements and bad posture can lead to serious yoga injuries.

4. Seated figure four pose

This is a great way to stretch your legs while staying seated. Place one foot over your other knee at a 90-degree angle. Slowly lean forward as long as you can. Keep you back as straight as you can when you’re leaning forward. When you feel the need to bend your back, stop. You’ve reached your limit.

Hold for a couple of seconds at your limit. When you’re done, straighten back up, and switch legs. Repeat the same movement to the other side.

5. Seated cat and cow

The traditional cat and cow pose in yoga is extremely beneficial. It’s great for stretching your spine and the muscles of your back. The only downside to this yoga pose in the office is that you need to be on your hands and your knees.

Luckily, you can adjust the cat and cow pose so you can do it in your office chair. Just stay seated, and follow the same movements you would at a yoga studio.

Put your hands on your head. Round your spine as you inhale. This is the cat pose. As you exhale, gradually pull your shoulders back. Open your lungs and your chest to curve your spine backward. This is the cow pose.

Move your spine along with the rhythm of your breathing, slowly and carefully at every movement.

6. Chair pose

Surprisingly, the chair pose is the first yoga pose on this list where you actually need to get out of your chair, but only slightly.

Lift your body off the chair, but don’t stand up completely. Hold your thighs at a 45-degree angle from your chair. Bring your arms above your head and stretch with a straight back. Holding this pose for a couple of breaths can be hard on your thigh muscles, but so worth it.

7. Forward bend

With your legs straight, try to bend forward with your upper body. It doesn’t matter if you can touch your toes or not. This position will give your legs a good stretch and send some blood flow to your brain.

8. Desk upward facing dog

Stand away from your desk and then lean forward to grab the edge of the desk. Bring your hips closer to the desk, while leaving your feet planted where they were. You can look up when you have completed this pose.

This office yoga pose opens your chest and shoulders. It also improves your posture. Just make sure your desk isn’t wobbly and can hold your weight.

9. Stork pose

Stand straight up and bring your right knee up to your chest; you can hold your knee in place with your hand. You’ll be standing on one foot just like a stork. You will need a bit of balance to hold this pose.

10. Desk plank pose

No, you don’t need to climb on your desk to do a full plank. Standing away from your desk, lean against it with your arms and back straight. Unlike the desk upward facing dog, the desk plank pose doesn’t bend your back.

Engage your arm muscles while you hold your desk plank pose. This is a little bit easier than a real plank, but it’s still a great exercise when you’re stuck at a desk all day.

Finish your office yoga with meditation

At a yoga studio, every yoga class ends with meditation. It isn’t just a welcome rest after a yoga practice, it's a chance to reflect on the yoga routine, work, or life’s big questions.

When you’re practicing yoga in your office, feel free to add a meditation session to the end. Even a few minutes of quiet reflection with your eyes closed can help you organize your thoughts and your breathing. Just make sure your colleagues don’t think you’re sleeping!

Hopefully, at the end of a quick office yoga routine, you’ll have a renewed sense of productivity and can continue your work with a refreshed mind.

About the Author

Post by: Bori Bernat

Bori Bernat's a freelance business writer and a yoga enthusiast. She enjoys staying active, even though her 9-to-5 job ties her to the desk most days.

Connect with me on LinkedIn.