4 Hip-Opening Poses You Can Do While on Your Laptop
Think you can’t do yoga and do work at the same time? Think again!
Sitting in front of a computer for prolonged periods of time is pretty much unavoidable in this day and age. Over time, you may begin to feel the effects of all that sitting (i.e. tight hips, sore back and neck, poor posture, stiff legs, etc). But did you know there’s an easy way to get your work done and be productive, and at the same time avoid sitting at a desk all day long?
Take your laptop to the floor to mix things up and get a really good stretch while you work. The yoga poses below are designed to open up the hips and have you feeling more stretched and energized throughout your work day.
By Elena Savina
Half Lotus
Half Lotus will help open your hips and stretch the knees and ankles while you’re working on your laptop. When you practice Half Lotus pose, be sure to balance both sides – sit for the same amount of time with your left heel in your right hip crease as you do with the right heel in the left hip crease. If Half Lotus isn’t accessible, sit cross-legged in Sukhasana, or Easy Seated Pose, instead.
Take it deeper (optional): From your Half Lotus pose, simply hinge your upper body forward towards the laptop. This isn’t a full forward fold to the floor – instead, you’re simply deepening into the hip opening. Continue to breathe at the normal pace and relax your body as you continue working.
Tarasana
When you have finished with the Half Lotus, simply stretch your legs, shake them a little bit, and go to Tarasana, or Seated Star Pose. This pose is excellent for concentration and also open your hips even deeper!
Take it deeper (optional): Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet to touch. If this is too intense, you can bring a fist’s-width distance between the feet. Continue to breathe and relax! Stay upright in this stretch as long as you’d like. When you feel ready, hinge your torso forward as you did in Half Lotus, and continue to enjoy the effect of stretching as you continue to work.
Pigeon Pose
Slide your left leg back behind you, and allow the front of your left thigh to rest on the floor. Adjust yourself until you feel a comfortable, gentle stretch.
Take it deeper (optional): Once you feel aligned, exhale and extend your torso down to the floor. Since we adjusted this position for our needs, which are to work on the laptop, we will also plant our elbows on the floor for support.
Half Hero Pose
When you’ve done both sides of Pigeon Pose and you feel ready to move into the next pose, just plant your palms and bring your weight into the opposite hip so you can swing your back leg forward into a seated position.
Keep your front shin parallel to the front of the mat (as it was in Pigeon Pose), and bend the other knee behind you. This is a deep knee stretch, so approach it slowly and listen to your body. If you have any knee issues, consider skipping it altogether. Wherever you are, be sure to focus on your breathing.
All images courtesy of Elena Savina / YogiApproved.com.
