Complete breath
The exercise: Start by simply noticing how you are breathing right now. Is your breath shallow? Up in your chest? Is it deeper? Down in your belly? Just observe it for a while. After a few moments—and you can close your eyes, if you like—begin inhaling and exhaling as you silently count to four. Pause your breathing for one count after each inhale, and for one count after you exhale. Continue to do this for two to five minutes.
The benefit: Breathing in this way helps your body relax by slowing your respiratory rate. At the same time, focusing on your breathing helps to quiet
your mind.
The exercise: Sit on the edge of your chair seat with the soles of both feet flat on the floor and the crown of your head lifted up toward the ceiling. As you breathe in, slowly rotate your torso, shoulders, and head to the right. Bring your left hand across your body and grasp the right chair arm or chair back to use as leverage. Stay there for five deep breaths, gently increasing the twist with each exhale. Repeat on the left side.
The benefit: Twists massage the abdominal organs, increase blood flow, and encourage digestion. They also wring tension out of the muscles on either side of the spine.
Seated spinal twist
The exercise: Sit on the edge of your chair seat with the soles of both feet flat on the floor and the crown of your head lifted up toward the ceiling. As you breathe in, slowly rotate your torso, shoulders, and head to the right. Bring your left hand across your body and grasp the right chair arm or chair back to use as leverage. Stay there for five deep breaths, gently increasing the twist with each exhale. Repeat on the left side.
The benefit: Twists massage the abdominal organs, increase blood flow, and encourage digestion. They also wring tension out of the muscles on either side of the spine.
Neck release
The exercise: Sit up tall and let your right ear drop toward your right shoulder. Take five deep breaths and, as you do, allow your head to release slowly, moving closer to your shoulder. (No need to force it—let the weight of your head and gravity do the work.) Then do this two more times, first moving your chin toward your chest, and then moving your left ear toward your left shoulder.
The benefit: These moves release muscle tension in both the neck and the top of your shoulders—
two of the most common places to hold stress.
Chest stretch
The exercise: Sit on the edge of your chair seat with your spine straight and tall. Place the sole of each foot flat on the floor. Bring your arms behind your back and stack your forearms one on top of the other as you clasp opposite elbows with your fingertips. Lift your chest up and, at the same time, squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other. Stay in this position for five to 10 deep breaths.
The benefit: This move gently stretches the front
of the shoulders. It also encourages the lungs to take in more air. That gets more oxygen circulating throughout your body and it’s subtly energizing.
—Kate Hanley
Kate Hanley is a certified yoga instructor and the author of The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide (Skirt!, 2008).
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