Coronavirus has caused a lot of unprecedented challenges that have pushed the boundaries of workforces around the globe. With the majority of people forced to switch to working or studying from home, long hours of sitting in front of a screen can take a toll on one’s posture leading to pain or immobility. Make sure you have a proper setup that provides natural alignment to the body while you focus on your work and remember to move every now and then in regular intervals. These exercises can also be used by people working in offices or basically anyone who sits for long intervals of time in front of a screen in order to increase their mobility.
Here are 3 mobility exercises you need to do on a daily basis:
Yogic Squat
Sitting in one position for long hours takes a toll on your lower body mobility. Your hip flexors and hamstrings get tight which can cause poor alignment of the knees as well as causing immobility in the ankles. If one component of the lower body is out of alignment or lacks strength due to idleness over time, it directly affects the rest of the parts which can lead to poor posture, lack of performance and can change the natural alignment of your body leading to stiffness and pain.
Perform Yogic Squats and hold on to the bottom of the stretch for 20-30 secs to unlock your hips, quads, lower back, and ankles. Here’s how to perform this movement:
- Start by bringing your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and turning your toes out ever so slightly.
- Sit your hips as down as you comfortably can. Your heels might lift and that’s normal. Try to bring them down, but don’t force them.
- Bring your elbows inside your knees while pressing your palms together and using your elbows to draw your knees apart, and lengthen your spine to the best of your ability.
It might take some time to master this movement. A tumble or two is guaranteed while learning this but once you start practicing it daily, you will notice a huge difference in your mobility.
Pigeon Pose
Long hours of sitting can lead to stiff hips which can lead to several issues like anterior pelvic tilt, pain during squats, immobility, and knee pain. Stiff hips can also lead to rounding of the back or intense lower back pain, maintaining the mobility of hips is essential for having proper movement throughout life. Try out this yoga pose that will provide you a deep stretch:
- From all limbs, bring your right knee forward towards your right wrist.
- Depending on your alignment, it may be behind your wrist or to the outer or the inner edge of it.
- Try with what feels right for you, giving you a stretch on your outer hip without any discomfort in your knee. Your right ankle will be somewhere in front of your left hip.
- Slide your left leg back and point your toes, your heel is pointing up to the ceiling.
- Scissor your hips together, by drawing your legs in towards each other. Use some support under your right buttock if needed, to keep your hips level.
- This can be an intense stretch on the outer hip. Keep your right foot close to your left hip to start with.
- As you inhale, come onto your fingertips, lengthen your spine, draw your stomach in and open your chest.
- As you exhale, walk your hands forward and lower your upper body slowly towards the floor.
- You can rest your forearms and forehead on the mat while focusing on the tightness in your body.
- Stay for 6 breaths or longer. On each exhalation, try to release the tension in your right hip.
- To come out of the pose, push back through the hands, lift your hips and move your leg back into all fours. Repeat on the other side.
Lunging Twist
Being in the same position for long hours especially while working on a computer can lead to stiffness in the back and leads to rounding of shoulders. Providing proper movement to the torso is essential to improve shoulder, back, and core mobility. Perform this modified lunge movement to unlock your back and hip flexors. Here’s how you perform this movement.
- Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at the front.
- Take a step forward with your right leg, bend both knees and rotate your torso to the right, make sure you use your torso for rotation.
- Return to the starting position and repeat the movement on the left side.
- Alternate sides until a set of 10 on each side is complete.