Open in App
  • Local
  • Headlines
  • Election
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Real Estate
  • Newsletter
  • New York Post

    Add this 5-minute routine to your day for better energy, concentration and sleep

    By Reda Wigle,

    2024-09-03

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4cVJW6_0vJ5MsH300

    Chair yoga has a geriatric reputation, but experts say these minimal movements can dramatically improve your overall health at any age.

    Tight muscles make daily life more difficult, and sedentary jobs exacerbate the challenges. While we inevitably lose flexibility as we age , we can take steps (or stretches, rather) to slow down the process.

    Chair yoga aims to add flexibility and mobility from the seated position, making it a counterbalance to desk sitting.

    While most people assume you can’t get a good workout sitting down, experts say otherwise.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2frJEc_0vJ5MsH300
    Yoga in the workplace has been shown to decrease stress and increase productivity. DimaBerlin – stock.adobe.com

    Stacie Dooreck, a certified yoga instructor based in Larkspur, California, has taught chair yoga at companies throughout the Bay Area.

    “It’s safe for all ages and can be very gentle,” she told CNN . “It also helps with flexibility, posture — people in offices are usually hunched over at their desks — and combats repetitive stress injuries, like carpal tunnel syndrome.”

    The therapeutic benefits of yoga are well established; regular practice is associated with improved sleep, decreased blood pressure, and less chronic pain.

    Star sweat: Can astrology help you get the body you were born for?

    In terms of om at the office, a 2012 study from the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that employees who participated in both yoga and mindfulness programs at work reported feeling less stressed during their 9-to-5 hours by the study’s end than those who didn’t participate in the programs.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4DT3wf_0vJ5MsH300
    Yoga is associated with improved sleep and less chronic pain. wavebreak3 – stock.adobe.com

    Further research has revealed practicing mindfulness in the workplace via yoga and other techniques can be an effective buffer against anxiety, stress and burnout .

    Yoga, whether in a chair or on a mat, has been found to benefit both mind and body. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who participated in yoga and breathing classes twice a week reported decreased symptoms of depression and increased productivity.

    While chair yoga is getting a rebrand as an all-ages endeavor, The Post reported that yoga may be the key to thriving in old age, as this 98-year-old yoga teacher shows.

    How to start chair yoga
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4HZk7j_0vJ5MsH300
    Just five minutes a day of chair yoga can dramatically improve your well-being. Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com

    Dooreck assures that the benefits of chair yoga can be felt in as little as five minutes a day.

    “Five minutes of chair yoga a day is better than doing it once a week for an hour,” she said. “You want to create a habit. Once you do five minutes, people often want to do more because they feel better.”

    Meet the NYC yogi who legally has to live in his St. Marks studio

    She recommends beginners engage in the following poses, taking care to take deep breaths through the nose as you move through them.

    Warm-up
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4NFvb6_0vJ5MsH300
    Warm up your joints by making small circles with your hands and feet. Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com

    Begin your practice by warming your joints up. Sit on the edge of your seat and make circles with your hands and feet. Dooreck explains, “This motion can prevent issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome in your wrists, plus combat fatigue in the legs.”

    Cat-cow
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1xRE8V_0vJ5MsH300
    Cat-cow can easily be adapted to a seated position. Viktor Koldunov – stock.adobe.com

    Cat-cow pose can easily be converted to a seated position. Sitting up straight, inhale as you lift your chin and push your chest forward, expanding your chest. On you exhale, mimic a cat by rounding your spine, a movement that stretches the upper back.

    Side bends

    CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR MORNING REPORT NEWSLETTER

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LlaIt_0vJ5MsH300
    Bend the worker bee blues away. DimaBerlin – stock.adobe.com

    Put your left hand in the air, lean to the right, then switch sides.

    Twists
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=23PPwh_0vJ5MsH300
    Krakenimages.com – stock.adobe.com

    Twist your body to one side, hold the pose for three to five breaths, then switch.

    Seated forward bend

    To combat shoulder tension, place both feet on the floor, interlace your fingers, raise your hands in the air, and fold forward until your chest is on your knees and your hands graze the floor.

    Seated pose
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46LJKk_0vJ5MsH300
    Close your practice with a moment of mindfulness. Andrey Popov – stock.adobe.com

    End your chair yoga practice with a moment of mindfulness. With your feet on the floor and hands resting on your thighs, take several deep, slow breaths. Thank your body for showing up for you and try to clear your mind before returning to work.

    For the latest in lifestyle, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/lifestyle/

    Expand All
    Comments /
    Add a Comment
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
    Local News newsLocal News

    Comments / 0