Pause your work day and give your body the movement it craves with this feel-good, gentle yoga routine! This all-levels flow includes a warm-up integrating the 7 movements of the spine, a brief peak of cardio to get the blood flowing and the endorphins firing, and a cool-down to help you re-center the mind and reconnect with the breath. 

While you could use this practice as an extended warm-up for another practice or as a stand-alone active recovery workout, my intentions for sharing this flow are to provide you with a variety of tools to help you rediscover alignment throughout your whole body. Throughout the workday —especially if you sit behind a desk for most of the day — our spines tend to slouch without internal or external support, our shoulders begin to hunch as our upper backs round and our hip flexors shorten and tighten. Over time, our bodies adapt to these physical conditions and this new unaligned posture becomes our default. Out of physical alignment, we may begin to experience imbalances, tension, fatigue or even discomfort/pain in various parts of the body (most commonly the upper/lower back, neck, hips, and/or shoulders). While this may be a commonly shared experience amongst many individuals, we do not have to continue to live in this shrunken and uncomfortable state. My intention for sharing the tools offered in this video is not only to help you realign and strengthen your posture but to lightly engage and actively lengthen the muscles throughout the total body. In the short term, these tools can help to relieve joint stiffness and tense muscles. In the long-term — and with consistent practice — these tools can counteract many of the physical effects of sitting behind a desk including (but not limited to) improved posture, stronger and more stable joints, back and hip discomfort relief, and chronically tight muscles. 

In addition to the many physical benefits of this practice, our extended desk break concludes with a brief meditation to help ground the mind in the present moment. I encourage you to set an intention for your practice and meditation with a word or simple phrase that you can come back to as an anchor in the present moment. However, if that feels inaccessible, you can always return your attention to the breath. Tuning into the rise and fall of our bellies/chest is an excellent tool to not only return to presence but, to realign the mind and body, reset the focus, and replenish our energy. 

I hope this flow leaves you feeling rejuvenated and reconnected to your body. I hope you feel more aligned and that this practice is one you can come back to repeatedly when you need a quick movement break! 

** Please note that this workout moves at a moderate pace and offers several opportunities for plane changes. Modifications are available throughout this practice and, as always, I encourage you to be your best teacher, taking what honors your body and leaving what does not serve you. **

Equipment: 

• No equipment 
• Yoga Mat [Optional]

Flow Structure

Integration 

• Seated Tadasana 
  • 5 Deep Breaths
• Cat/Cows 
  • w/ Heel Lifts 
  • Barrel Rolls 
• Modified Dancer or Table-Top Quad Stretch
• Down-Dog 
  • Chest Presses

Warming 

• Modified Sun B’s
  • Tadasana 
  • Lateral Stretches
  • Tadasana 
  • Goddess Squat 
  • Revolved Pyramid
  • Pyramid 

Exploration 

• One-Legged Mountain w/ Twist 
• Figure 4
• Low Crescent Lunge / Half Splits Flow [x4 / side]
• Runner’s Lunge w/ Twist 
• Horizon Lunge

Peak 

• Mountain Climbers 
• Jumping Jacks

Re-Center

• Half Sun A’s [x4]

Release 

• Spinal Rocks
• Reclined Half Pigeon
• Spinal Twists

Rest

• Quick Seated Meditation: Finding Your Alignment