Sitting at a desk is hard on the body. Here are several ways to easily reduce the knots and tension:
1. Start with Right Angles. Adjust your workspace so that your feet, hips, and arms are at right angles to the floor. Your screen should be directly in front of your eyes so that your neck remains neutral, neither craned up or hunched down. Your keyboard should be in easy reach with your arms parallel to the floor. No need to strain to keep a straight back; use a pillow to bring the chair back closer to you. You can also use a small stool to bring the floor up to your feet and stacks of books to adjust the height of the computer and keyboard.
2. Engage the Core. A lot of pain that comes from sitting is caused by a weak core, since sitting allows the belly to soften. Try a sneaky seated crunch: Put both hands on your thighs, then try to curl your chest down toward your legs while resisting the movement with the arms. Hold this for 10 seconds and then release. This can especially help with low back pain and sometimes neck pain as well.
3. Rest the Eyes. Cup your palms over your eyes, with the heels of your hands resting on the cheekbones. It is hard on our eyes to stay at one focal distance for an extended period of time, like staring at a computer screen, and palming the eyes every so often helps to change that distance. The eyes affect our entire nervous system, and so releasing eye strain helps our entire body relax.
4. Stretch the Pecs. Use a door frame or clasp your hands behind your back to stretch your pecs every time you get up. The pecs are the root of a lot of upper back and shoulder tension, and even some neck tension. The shoulders roll forward and inward when sitting at a computer, which tightens the pecs and stretches the upper back beyond what it can support for prolonged periods of time. Stretching the pecs regularly during your workday helps offset this process.
5. Stand Up Every 30 min. Stand up and maybe walk around a little every 30 minutes, and it will do wonders for how you feel at the end of your workday. Our bodies are designed to be hunter gatherers and stay active throughout the day, so getting out of that sitting and concentrating position really makes a difference. Just standing up for a moment helps, but try to walk a little, take three deep belly breaths where you blow all the air out each time, twist your trunk back forth, and do some stretches like 8 Ways to Do Yoga at Your Desk.
