Stress has a way of taking over our bodies [1]. Caught up in a tense class or workday, the last thing on your mind is your posture, your breathing, and whether your core is engaged [2]. In these moments, it's so easy to disassociate with your body, get overwhelmed by the task in front of you, and let your stress levels shoot off the charts. It leads to physical tension, mental chaos, and annoying reminders from your concerned Apple Watch to "Breathe!"
You've probably heard the advice to stand up, walk around [3], and take breaks at work and during long study sessions. But if you can't get up for a quick walk, there are plenty of other ways to stretch out, return to your mindful state, and relieve some stress. For those tips, we turned to yoga instructors with expertise in releasing tension from both body and mind.
Stretch Your Arms Over Your Head
Get up and stretch at least every two hours, said certified yoga teacher Alex C. Wilson [5]. Stretch your arms up and lean to one side, then the other. To open up your chest [6], which can slouch in when you're at a desk all day, clasp your hands behind your back and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Do a Mental and Physical Reset
Yoga instructor Kathleen Clemons passed on the best piece of relaxation advice she's ever gotten: set an alarm on your phone to go off every two hours. (It can be silent if you're in an office or a library.) Then, do the following:
- Inhale deeply as you shrug your shoulders up to your ears.
- Exhale and let your shoulder blades slide back and down your spine. This serves as "an instant posture fix that helps relax the neck and shoulders," Kathleen said.
- Let your tongue relax away from the roof of your mouth, which naturally unclenches your jaw.
- Release the "gripping" tension between your eyebrows.
This quick reset releases tension in your upper body and relieves some stress, Kathleen said, while being subtle enough that your classmates and coworkers won't even notice.
Correct Your Posture Every Hour
Try to sit up straight, with your best posture, for at least a few minutes every hour, Alex said. To do this, place both feet flat on the floor and straighten your spine so you're sitting up tall, said CorePower Yoga instructor Alexa Hirschberg. Engage your core by pulling your lower abs into your spine.
Go For a Walk
"Try to go on at least one walk during the day," Alexa said. Even a walk to a coworker's desk, a lap around the office, or a quick trip up and down the stairs will get some blood flowing.
Do a Body Scan
A quick body scan can help you analyze and correct your posture, said yoga instructor Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez [7], who has taught corporate yoga to office workers and entrepreneurs. Here's how to do it:
- Make sure your feet are well-positioned: flat on the ground, under your hips.
- Move on to your hips. To keep them balanced, Lucile's tip is to imagine they're a bowl of water. The goal is to make sure the water doesn't tip out in front of or behind you.
- Next up: your shoulders and chest. Is your chest nice and open? If not, Lucile said, "take a deep breath right now and do a gentle backbend, stretching your arms up and overhead."
- Now, imagine there is a thread gently pulling you up by the top of your head. This helps you find length in your spine and neck.
- Finally, check in with your breath, making sure you're inhaling deeply. "Breathing in the right way will instantly relax you and ease the tensions in your body," Lucile said.
Meditate For a Few Minutes
One to five minutes of desk-side meditation can help you refresh and refocus on what you need to do. To do this, you need to disengage from whatever is going on at your desk, Alexa told POPSUGAR. Turn off your screen, close your eyes, and allow your thoughts to drift off. Inhale deeply into your nose and out through your mouth at least three times.
Stretch Your Upper Body and Spine
Your neck and shoulders tighten up quickly when you're hunched over a screen or your desk. Here's how to release that tension quickly and effectively, Alexa said.
- Roll your neck: rotate your head in small circles, spending 30-60 seconds in each direction.
- Loosen your shoulders: shrug your shoulders up and down, then roll them to the back and front, breathing deeply as you do so. This eases tension in your back and shoulder muscles.
- Gently twist and stretch your spine: sit straight in your chair and slowly rotate your torso to the back of the room, allowing a stretch in your back and obliques. You can also use the back of your chair as leverage, Alexa said, but make sure to stop if you feel any discomfort. Breathe deeply in and out.