Do you know the damage that sitting is doing to you? It's been said that "sitting is the new smoking," but you're about to discover how to reverse the dangers, open your hip flexors and feel the relief from tight hips caused by prolonged sitting.
In the office, stress levels are high and it's not unusual to hear the whispered words of "this jobs going to be the death of me."
While I wouldn't go as far to say that the dangers are even remotely close to that of smoking, there are lurking side-effects from sitting too long.
That's why chair yoga has its benefits.
It's ideal for those in office work, drivers, and those new to retirement struggling for things to do.
Let's face it, most of the community activities that used to free to use have or are being hit by budget cuts left, right and center.
That's the society we live in though.
What's one to do?
a) Accept it and deal with the consequences
Or
b) Sit up, take notice, and more importantly, take charge of the situation.
I opt for B and I'll about to tell you why
Because chair yoga poses are so simple to do, and they're great for the mind and body.
Relaxing the mind is crucial.
If that's left to run rampant, you're in for a life filled with stress, anxiety, and potentially depression if you let it drag you down.
The breathing techniques used in any type of yoga, (chair, mat, or standing), calms your mind.
That makes stress a matter of choice.
Either you choose to let stress drag you down, or you choose to manage it and practice healthy stress management, because we all know it can't be avoided.
These chair yoga practices let you do that, and that's the instant benefit.
The longer-term benefit for those who do sit for an extended time is that you get to flex your major joints.
The major joints these couple of exercises focus on is your hip flexors.
That's the joints giving you the stiffness when you rise up from the chair.
Any guesses on how you can open your hip flexors to relieve that stiffness?
Would you believe it...
The Hip Opener
Here's how you do it
- Sit at the edge of your seat
- Hands at either side of your chair
- Put both legs out straight in front of you, slightly bent at the knee
- Bring one leg over the other (if you can't manage that, just cross your legs at your ankles)
- Slowly bring your foot that's on the floor to be under your knee
- Slowly bend yourself forward from the hips
- Hold that stretch for ten deep breaths
How about a forward bend
- Sit right back on your seat
- Bend forward between your legs, and let your hands touch the floor
- Again - hold for 10 breaths
If you can't manage that, then at least do it halfway to get some movement in the hips.
Think of the half-forward bend as the "brace" position demonstrated on flight safety demonstrations. If you can't manage that, chances are, you shouldn't be flying.
Don't miss another flight, or let tight hips be your pet peeve another day. Discover chair yoga, the benefits, the ten minute routine on video, and your chance to stretch your muscles in the simplest way. On your chair! http://www.squidoo.com/benefits-of-chair-yoga
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robbie_Bowman
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