Spending long hours hunched over your laptop causing tension and stiffness? These four targeted yoga exercises, drawn from time-tested practices, will help you maintain suppleness and release built-up stress in key areas.
Targets: psoas and quadriceps
Start on your hands and knees with your insteps resting on the mat. Shift your hips back to sit on your heels. Place your hands in prayer position at your chest, close your eyes, and turn your focus inward. Curl your toes under and hold for one to two minutes.
Targets: shoulders, arms, upper back, and neck
Begin on your hands and knees, then lower to your elbows while keeping your hips over your knees. Rotate your chest to the right, threading your left arm under your right arm until your shoulder rests on the mat outside your right arm. Hold for two to three minutes, then switch sides.
Targets: lower back, hamstrings, and shoulders
Stand with feet hip-width apart and hinge forward from the hips, bending your knees if needed. Let your head and torso relax fully. Clasp your hands behind your back, extend your arms overhead toward the front of your mat, and allow gravity to deepen the stretch. Hold for about one minute.
Targets: neck, shoulders, back, hips, abdomen, chest, and breath support
Come to all fours with fingers spread wide. Engage your core to align your spine, neck, and head horizontally. On exhale, tuck your tailbone, round your spine, and gaze toward your knees. On inhale, arch your tailbone up, drop your belly, and lift your gaze. Flow smoothly for ten breaths.
