By Tom Von Deck, HL&S Guest Blogger and author of Deeper Meditation
You probably saw our Daily Retreat & Renew tip today on how to fight carpal tunnel, but there are a few other steps you can take to relieve other types of physical tension at work. In fact, there are many ergonomic exercises for office workers that not only prevent work related aches and pains, but also help you accumulate a sense of peace in daily life. Taking brief stretch breaks at work, and even at home, alleviates and prevents both stress and pain.
We’ll start with the more common ergonomic exercises and then learn some lesser known techniques. Always breathe through the nose unless noted otherwise, and remember to do each stretch with complete loving attention.
Take anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes during each hour for stretch breaks at work, and you will accumulate a lot more peace.
Try a few office chair, ergonomic exercises to relieve pain.
1. Shoulder Rolls. Sit with your back straight, palms on thighs and feet flat on the floor. Inhale and pull your shoulders all the way forward and up and and then backwards in a circle. Remember that this is a stretch break, so you should make wide enough circles so that you feel a gentle stretch. Repeat 10 times. Exhale and Rotate your shoulders in the opposite direction. Repeat 10 times.
2. Head Rolls. Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your arms comfortably on your lap. Drop your head forward. Roll your head to the left for a full 360 degrees making the widest circle you can. You’ll feel a gentle stretch. Repeat 10 times, switch direction and repeat another 10 times.
3. Cat Pose in a Chair. Like the above ergonomic exercises, sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your palms on your lap. Leading with the center of the front of your chest, inhale and push your chest and head forward and upward, then stretch your head back as far as it will go. You are looking straight up and feel the stretch at the point between your shoulder blades. Exhale as you pull the point between your shoulder blades backwards and let this lead as your chest caves in and your head drops. Again you will feel this a lot in the point between the shoulder blades.
4. The Twist. Stand up and put your arms straight to the sides, level with the shoulders, with fingers together. Keep your feet a comfortable distance apart with knees straight. Rotate your arms and trunk to the left with your nose following your left arm. Then, “swing” to the right with your nose following your right arm. Do this ergonomic exercise a total of ten times.
5. Neck Rotations. Stand up and put your hands on your hips. Give your spine and neck a little upward pull so that you feel a light stretch. Inhale and turn your head to the left so that your nose is pointing to your shoulder. This whole motion is initiated by the point between your shoulder blades. Exhale and look to the right using the same method. Repeat this exercises 5-10 times.
6. Face Scrunches. Scrunch up your face and contract it as much as possible. Then, try to expand your face by stretching it as big as possible. When stretching, your eyes will be wider and your eyebrows will move upward as far as they can.
7. Shake it out. This ergonomic exercise certainly isn’t a stretch, but it will have a similar effect on your ability to accumulate peace in your life. Stand up and shake your left foot, then your right foot. Shake out that tension. Shake your knees from side to side, then your hips, then your chest and shoulders. Inhale deeply through the nose, then audibly exhale through your mouth while wobbling your head from side to side. Your cheeks will cause your breath to make that funny sound that horses make sometimes. Lots of fun!
Slip these ergonomic exercises into the brief down times of your day for a month and watch your energy levels and productivity flourish. You will realize the power of stretch breaks at work after you experience the effects.
Tom Von Deck is an international corporate meditation trainer, speaker and author of Deeper Meditation. Tom is a firm advocate of taking stretch breaks at work for the purpose of enhancing meditation, which is also a great ergonomic exercise for pain control in its own right.
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