Yoga for Sitting a lot

I’ve worked both sitting down all day jobs (desk work, call center, etc.) and standing and walking all day jobs (retail, waitressing/serving) and what I learned from both is:

If you work a standing up job, you will need a LOT of forward folds, bending, etc.

If you work a sitting down job, you will need a LOT of backbends!

YOGA FOR SITTING DOWN A LOT

The typical Western world has a “sedentary lifestyle” problem, meaning that most people in America are sitting all day, and not moving their bodies. Backbends are your best friend to counterbalance the curvature of the spine from sitting all day. Now that I am currently working a desk job, when it’s time for backbends in my yoga practice, they feel AMAZING. Again, if you stand for long hours of the day, backbends are only going to exaggerate your spine and back pain. Only do backbends on a warmed up spine, which is usually at the end of a yoga practice.

1. Camel Pose - Ustrasana
   Camel Pose is an intense backbend that should only be done when the body is warmed up. My suggestion is to do a few rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun A) to warm up the body before exploring Camel Pose. Be gentle on your body and do not force your range of motion into straining or compression of the spine!
   Come to the top of your mat and stand on your knees. Press your hips forward and place your hands on your low back or the back of your thights. Lift up through your chest, draw your shoulder blades together and breathe as you gaze up. As you begin to trace your gaze up the wall, up towards the ceiling, begin to drop your head. BREATHE. Camel pose can be a struggle and really painful if you do not breathe through it. As you breathe, feel your entire front body open up and expand as your spine contracts into a C shape. The fullest expression for some people is to bring their hands to the back of their heels as the head drops, but it’s not always easy. To come out of camel pose safely, lift up and out through the chest. Take a moment to ground your energy by placing one hand over your heart and one hand over your belly. While this backbend may feel really good to counterbalance sitting a lot, it still may be alarming to your nervous system. Backbends and hip openers tend to cause a fight or flight reponse in the body. Allow just a few moments to recenter after opening your heart and sacral in Camel pose.

2. Upward Facing Dog - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
   Upward Facing Dog is considered a mini backbend. As one of the linking poses in the Surya Namaskar A (Sun A), Upward Facing Dog is most known for it’s follow up after Chaturanga Dandasana. This is a common pose you’ll visit in your typical power yoga vinyasa class. Upward Facing Dog often gets mistaken for Cobra Pose (bhujangasana). The main difference I will cue to students experiencing Upward Facing Dog is to lfit the thighs off of the mat. This requires a lot of core strength and glute strength, so if you’re not feeling that strong, Cobra Bhujangasana will do just fine.
   To start come the mat on your hands and knees. EXHALE as you lower your chest and knees down, and then like a push up, INHALE as you press yourself up. Unlike a push up, pull your elbows in towards your ribs for proper and safe alignment. As you breathe, press into your fingertips and fingerpads as this is the foundation. Slight bend in the elbows to prevent hyperextension. Drop and roll the shoulders back and away from the ears. Draw your belly in to activate your core and engage your glutes as this will help to protect your low back. The extension of the spine is exactly the opposite of the rounded posture that comes with sitting for long periods of time. If you need more, you can add onto this posture by rolling your neck or take a hard gaze left and right to further extend the neck and spine. Be gentle! If feeling any straining stop and try Cobra pose instead. Though Upward Facing Dog is a common pose, it is not particularly easy for the sedentary body!

3. Reclined Bound Angle - Supta Baddha Konasana
   This pose has felt so amazing for me since I’ve started working a desk job. This is a common pose found in yin and restorative yoga practices and works best if you just find stillness and take your time in butterfly aka reclined bound angle. Reclined bound angle is a simple pose that helps to open and free up the inner hips from being closed in all day. As a reclined posture, this asana takes place while laying the spine flat on the earth, which helps to promote rest and relaxation. If my hips are feeling tight from being overworked from standing all day, or from constantly working out, placing blocks underneath the outer thighs besides the knees feels good to give my hips extra support. For sitting all day, I suggest no blocks, and allowing gravity to let your knees spill apart to help open up your hips!
   Come to lay down on your back. Bring the soles of your feet together and open your knees wide. Place your hands facedown onto your knees or place one hand over your heart and one hand over belly. It’s up to you to do what you want with your hands, you can even explore different mudras like gyan mudra to help center your brain’s focus on relaxation. Supta Baddha Konasana feels so good, I often like to switch out my savasana for one of these at the end of a practice. Again this pose is simple, so just allow your body and your mind to be still and let gravity do it’s thing.

4. Legs Up the Wall - Viparita Karani
   You would think that this pose would be beneficial for standing up all day, but I will tell you that I never did legs up the wall more now that I have a desk job than I did standing. I’ve noticed that my legs and knees are more swollen at the end of the day from siting, while I’ve never experienced that will standing. I believe that because the legs are meant to be moving, energy and fluid tends to get stagnant when sitting for long periods of time. Taking your legs upside down in this inversion helps to reverse the stagnation and stimulate circulation. I loved how my teacher Lily Dwyer Begg said that Viparita Karani can also mean “inverted lake” allowing the fluids in our body to reverse flow like the waters of the Nile River.
   Simply come to lay down on your back or your side, slide your booty to wall and bring your legs up the wall. This can also be done without a wall! For deeper support and relaxation, you can bring a block or pillow underneath your sacrum or place a towel over the eyes to deepen the stillness and meditation. I like to lay here till my feet get numb tbh! LOL
   

Runner Up Poses for sitting all day: wheel pose (urdhva dhanurasana), and floor blow (dhanurasana), but these intense backbends deserve their own post!
Have fun freeing up your spine from the compressions of sedentary life!