Hips, External Rotators, Lower Back and Glutes
This post has a ton of content and can be overwhelming. I will break down a few of the poses that I mention here in future blog posts and get into more detail, so follow me on Facebook or Instagram to make sure you are the first to know of my latest posts! When my newsletter is up and running you will get this information delivered directly into your inbox! Please also practice safely and at your own discretion.
In the fast pace society that most of us live in, it’s easy to forget to do what our bodies are meant to do – MOVE! I get it. I have been working a corporate job for 7+ years and the days get crazy, we have deadlines to meet, people drive you crazy, and when you are in the zone you don’t want to be interrupted. But our bodies suffer because of this stress and immobility. Even for those “athletes” who work out every day before or after work, or those weekend warriors who have a golf or hockey tournament every week, that 1-2 hours of exercise won’t negate the damage of what sitting for 8 hours behind your desk can do to your muscles and joints including your hips, external rotators, and glutes. These can all lead to lower back pain among other issues!
Below are some quick stretches and routines that you can incorporate into your day, whether it’s before bed, after your work out, or even at your desk in the middle of the day – depending on how lax your work environment is! (Office Yoga or Desk Yoga has become quite popular lately) Even something as simple as getting up from your desk every 20-30 minutes to walk around and catch a quick break will really improve your mobility and quite possibly your focus and your mood. For instance, if you`re someone who loves to squat, having more flexibility in your hips will help you squat deeper, heavier, and help with your overall range of motion!
Here`s my typical day at the office! HA!
All jokes aside, I do try to dress as comfortable as I can during the week such as dress pants or loose dress, and I take Casual Fridays to whole other level of Casual! When I have meetings and need to be in a pencil skirt or suit, I will still shuffle around and walk often. I know we all don`t have a lax work environment, but this is to just give you some ideas and help you to be more creative. You never know unless you try! 🙂
I’ve provided a tonne of poses with different levels of difficulty for each so you have some variety to choose from. Do what you can, don’t force it, pick a few and practice daily. 2-3 minutes a day is a great start and that’s all you need but I encourage you to incorporate it well into your day and spend at least 15-20 minutes to yourself. I’ve included a few quick videos from my YouTube Channel below (I apologize for the sound being poor but it’s just for your visual for now)
What you’ll need
At home practice:
- Yoga mat
- 1 or 2 yoga blocks and/or blanket(s) depending on your flexibility
At the office:
- Chair, desk, or NOTHING! 🙂
Seated poses (Part 1)
- Hero Pose
- knees together
- Easy: sit on heels or on 1 or 2 yoga blocks
- Medium: keep knees together, spread feet apart and sit between the feet, both sit bones on the ground.
- Hard: start with the medium option and lay down
- Crescent lunge or warrior 1
- Easy: knee on the ground
- Medium: knee off the ground
- Hard: reach up and back and include a back bend
- Lizard pose
- open the knee out and lift the inner part of the front foot off the ground
- easy: rest on a yoga block
- Medium: no block, forearms on the floor
- Hard: Chest to the floor, arms spread out left to right, with the arm UNDER the leg
- Half split/full split
- Use a block if needed. This will get its own tutorial
- Bound angle pose
- easy: cross the legs. sit on blocks
- medium: one shin in front of the other
- hard: feet together, knees to the floor.
- hard: cowface pose (transition to part 2)
Give these a try and let me know how you do! Leave a comment or email me with any questions, feedback or requests!
