Fit & Proper: Yoga on the move

Vidhur Mallik was promoted as general manager (sales and marketing) last year. The new job profile requires him to travel frequently and has sent his exercise regime for a toss. He is worried as his fitness level is slipping and waist size has increased.

For busy executives whose job requires them to travel frequently and have no time for a gym, yoga is a healthy option. Yoga exercises can be done easily during work, in office or in a hotel room, without having to rely on exercise machines or a health expert. Regular practice of yoga improves both the physical and mental state.

The most common problems busy people face are stiffness in the neck, headache, tight muscles and shoulder pain. Here are some yoga exercises you can perform at your desk.

Shoulder poses
Overhead stretch: Raise your arms above your head. Join the palms together and stretch the arms up and a little to the back. Relax. Repeat.

Forward stretch: Intertwine your fingers in front of you at the shoulder level. Rotate your palms outside, while extending your arms forward. You will experience a stretch. Relax. Repeat.

Back poses
Backward stretch: Keep your arms by your side and your breathing relaxed. Shrug the shoulders. Hold and relax. Draw your shoulder blades back. Hold and relax. Rotate your shoulders forward. Hold and relax.

Middle back release: Intertwine the fingers behind your head. Straighten your elbows out to your sides. Align your upper body properly. Draw your shoulder blades together in order to generate a tense feeling throughout your upper back and shoulder blades. Relax and repeat.

Neck poses
Neck rotation: Sit or stand in such a way that your arms are relaxed and by your sides. Look over a shoulder as far as you can. Repeat for the other shoulder.

Neck side bends: Sit or stand and tilt your head to one side, so that your ear touches the shoulder (don't raise your shoulder). Repeat on the other side.

Elbow and wrist poses
Prayer pose: Join your palms together so that your elbows are bent and wrists are at 90 degrees. With the breathing technique and your palms joined, thrust your palm and fingers in opposite direction and bend the opposite wrist backwards. Repeat on the other side.

Leg poses
Leg lift: Sit on the edge of a chair so that your back is not in contact with the back of the chair. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Keeping one leg straight, raise the other one off the floor by some inches. Hold for a few moments, lower it to the floor. Do the same with the other leg.

Breathing technique: For all the above poses, breathe in deeply and exhale from the nose. This is key to increasing the efficacy of yoga exercises. Breathing pacifies and centres your mind, helping you to concentrate on the task at hand.

Avoid computer stress
Adjust computer display settings: Adjusting the display settings like brightness, contrast, text size and colour temperature can help reduce eye strain and fatigue.

Blink more often: Blinking is very important when working on a computer. It moistens your eyes and prevents dryness and irritation.

Exercise your eyes: To reduce the risk of tiring your eyes by constantly focusing on the screen, look away from your computer at least every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object (at least 20 feet away) for at least 20 seconds.

To increase energy & vitality
Move: Try to reduce the time spent in front of the computer. Take leisurely walks and enjoy little talks with your colleagues.

Good quantity of water: Drinking water is one of the best things for increasing your energy level.

Deepak Jha
Yoga expert and founder of Prana Yoga