Chair Yoga At Work: Simple Exercises To Improve Staff Wellbeing

Chair Yoga (also known as Desk Yoga) exercises deliver valuable staff wellbeing benefits to both employees and employers. But first, to challenge the three biggest misconceptions:

• To enjoy the benefits of Chair Yoga, you do not need to be fit or flexible

• Sessions last just 20 minutes so disruption to the work day is minimal

• You will not get sweaty and do not have to change out of your work clothes

To introduce Chair Yoga sessions at work, the key steps are:

1. Find the most suitable day and time

2. Ensure that senior management involvement is visible

3. Implement internal communications that convey the staff wellbeing benefits of office yoga

4. Offer sessions both on-site and online so everyone can participate

5. Explain that online classes can be done without cameras on, to ensure privacy

6. Invite staff input before implementing a programme and to evaluate/refine after implementation 

The main benefits that participants will enjoy are:

More energy

• Typically, people are more sedentary than ever before, spending hours sitting in front of screens. Chair yoga involves movement, stretching and breathwork that stimulate greater levels of energy 

Less stress

• Desk yoga sessions also include meditation and it’s the combination of movement and mindfulness that reduces blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol levels

Reduced tension

• Exercises are specifically designed to suit people who sit in a chair for hours a day. They reduce tightness and release tension, almost like having a massage

Better posture

• Participants pick up simple, valuable tools they can use any time, so quickly create new healthy habits, including better posture

  
  

Greater concentration

• Yoga and meditation are scientifically proven to improve cognitive functions such as attention and memory, and to reduce fatigue

Enhanced mental clarity

• By reducing stress and calming the mind, we improve overall feelings of wellbeing and reduce mental clutter so we ‘see more clearly’.

What employers see is:

More engagement

• Workplace Chair Yoga sessions are done both in meeting rooms and online, so wherever you’re working, you can take part. They bring colleagues together in a positive, shared experience which builds camaraderie and teamwork 

Greater creativity

• The process of relaxing the body also relaxes the mind, making it open to new ideas. It makes us more resilient in the face of obstacles and doubts, which is essential in any innovation process

Improved productivity

• The single largest reason for work days lost is stress and anxiety. Office yoga and meditation are proven to reduce stress and increase staff wellbeing, while improving decision making, mood, sleep and resilience

Below is a selection of example Desk Yoga exercises that people can do, no matter what their age, experience or ability. Try each of them for just one minute and you will feel an immediate difference. Do them regularly and the benefits will be deep and lasting:

Exercise 1: Shoulder raises

Inhale and raise your left shoulder up to your ear, exhale and raise your right shoulder as you relax your left shoulder down. Continue for a minute and then change the breath, inhaling your right shoulder up and exhaling your left shoulder up. Continue for another minute and then change to double shrugs, inhaling both shoulders up, exhaling and letting them drop. Not only does this exercise release tension from your shoulders and neck, but it also increases the flow of blood to your brain so gives you a burst of energy.

Exercise 2: Sweep arms up and down

Let your arms dangle down by your sides, inhale and sweep your arms up overhead and tilt your chin up as your palms come together. Hold the breath in for two seconds as you turn your wrists so the backs of your hands are touching, then sweep your arms back down to the starting point and bring your chin down to the chest.

Exercise 3: Push/pull hands

Raise your arms up parallel to the ground, palms forward so your fingers point up to the ceiling. Alternately push forward and pull back as if trying to push the air in front of you. Make the pull back as important as the push forward. Co-ordinate the movement with your breath so one hand is pushing forward on the inhale and the other hand is pulling back on the exhale. Do the exercise with your eyes closed for a deeper internal experience and to cut out visual noise and distractions. As you swing your shoulders you should be able to feel a churning to your rib cage, which massages your internal organs.

Exercise 4: Spinal twist

Bring your hands on to your shoulders, fingers point forward, thumbs back, elbows up to the side. Inhale and twist to the left, exhale and twist to the right. Take your head around as you go. Not stopping at any point, you are looking for a nice, fluid movement

Exercise 5: Hip stretches

Hold onto your right knee with your hands clasped together, draw it into your chest, breathe long and deep. After 30 seconds, start drawing circles in the air with your knee, change directions after 30 seconds. Bring your right foot down and swap sides, drawing the left knee into your chest and repeating the sequence.

Chair Yoga FAQs

1.     What is chair yoga?

A series of exercises involving movement, stretching, breathwork and meditation. Suits all ages and levels of experience and ability

2.     Can chair yoga be done at work?

Yes, although most companies also offer classes online so people working in other locations can also take part. Either people do the exercises at their desk or in a meeting room. When online, people do not need to keep their camera on

3.     Does chair yoga improve posture?

Yes, with repetition you become increasingly aware of how you sit at your desk so automatically adjust your posture from time to time, forming a new habit

4.     How often should employees do chair yoga?

Ideally people will move their bodies every day, even if just doing a few exercises, each for a few minutes. Typically we run classes weekly or monthly for our clients, or sometimes provide ad hoc office yoga classes as part of a particular event