Do This Yoga Stretch to Help You Feel Better at Work

Learn a lateral stretch that you can do in your office chair or between meetings when you're working from home.

Your side body needs love, too, so show it some!. Photo © Copyright by Laura Brown Photography.

Sometimes I wake up still tired. (Does that happen to you, too?) Sometimes I wake up with stiffness and tightness in my muscles. Sometimes I wake up ready to take on the day. However I wake up, I always start my day with this yoga pose. First I practice it standing, then seated as I make my way down to the ground during my mini at-home morning yoga routine. I can literally feel my spine waking up. These few minutes on my mat help me to show up for the rest of my busy day.

Try it for yourself. Then repeat often. See my 9-minute morning yoga routine for beginners on my Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel.

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Practice It: Seated Side Stretch

• From a seated or standing position, allow your spine to be tall and long as you roll your shoulders down your back.

• Extend your arms up and in line with your ears. Interlace your fingers and turn your palms to face toward the sky. Check in with your shoulders and relax them if you find they’re getting too close to your ears. Create some space for your neck.

• Inhale to lengthen and then as you exhale, tilt over to the right side, starting to feel a stretch along the left side of your torso from your hip all the way to your armpit.

• If there’s more space for you in this stretch, rotate your torso upward slightly as you gaze under your left armpit.

• Stay here for a few breaths. Then repeat on the left side.

Also, see this 8-minute office yoga break routine on my Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel.

As always, speak with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.

Learn other refreshing yoga poses to help you feel better at work in my award-winning book 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas (MSI Press).

Note that this website and the Stand Up for Your Self-Care YouTube Channel are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Speak with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine or wellness plan.