Break up the day and say goodbye to aches and pains, with this exclusive yoga routine designed especially for desk workers

Backache, shoulder ache, neck ache, wrist ache – sometimes, working at a desk can be, well, a bit of a headache.

A survey conducted by Censuswide found that 81% of UK office workers spend between four and nine hours each day sitting at their desks, which adds up to an average of 67 sedentary days per person each year – a lifestyle that can land you with a range of health issues. And while workplace health and safety guidelines will encourage staff to regularly get up and move, deadlines, workload, and workplace culture can make that difficult, in practice.

“Despite being a yoga teacher, I’m also very guilty of being a desk dweller when I’m not teaching, so I know the feeling all too well,” Iain Ross says. “I have chronically tight shoulders and upper back issues, niggles in the lower back and hips, knee pain… The list could go on.”

According to the Labour Force Survey, 477,000 workers suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders, so you’re not alone. And while support from your workplace in the form of ergonomic equipment can go a long way, yoga makes for an effective way to manage aches, pains, soreness, and your mood.

“When it comes to the upper back and shoulders, much of the issue comes from overstretched back muscles and over-contracted chest muscles, usually caused by long periods of time spent hunched over,” Iain explains. “Moving downward through the body, a hunched spine (too much spinal flexion) is a recipe for all kinds of back issues, while underactive and overstretched glutes, plus constant flexion in the hip flexors (the front of the hip and thigh) will definitely cause discomfort and injuries over time.

“So, the key is to open the chest and heart space while strengthening the back, and to activate the glutes while lengthening the hip flexors,” Iain says. “This is somewhat oversimplifying things of course, but stick to this as a guideline and you won’t go far wrong.”

Over to you

When working at a desk, try this five-minute sequence, created for you by Iain Ross:

1. Seated breathing (pranayama)

One super effective yet extremely simple way to open up space around the chest and the ribs is through deep breathing. There’s more to this than simply taking a couple of breaths, though! Breathe consciously and with awareness for at least one minute.

Start by sitting up straight in your chair, without leaning back or hunching over. Imagine trying to align your head at the very top of your spine while someone pulls a long thread out through the crown of your head. Ever so slightly tuck your chin towards your chest to lengthen the back of the neck. From here focus solely on your breath, allowing each inhale to become deeper. Imagine you’re trying to fill the lungs from the bottom to the top, front to back, and side to side.

It can help to place one hand on the heart space and one on the belly, so you can physically feel your hands move away from you as your breath deepens.

2. Heart chakra kriya

Kriya roughly translates as ‘cleansing’, and this is a gorgeous, traditional

If you're feeling a little out of sorts, find out how a meditative practice could help you re-connect your body and mind  

Meditation practice can help bridge the gap between our emotional response to events of the past and the emotions associated with the anticipation of the future - both of which strongly influence our present experience. Meditation practice can therefore be a tool for being mindful of our relation to the past and future, contemplating the effect this has on our wellbeing and how we can be more present in this moment, while not being negatively influenced by past and future experiences.

The term “meditation” refers to a variety of practices that focus on mind and body integration and are used to calm the mind and enhance overall wellbeing. Some types of meditation involve maintaining a mental focus on a particular sensation, such as breathing, a sound, a visual image, or a mantra, which is a repeated word or phrase. Other forms of meditation include the practice of mindfulness, which involves maintaining attention or awareness of the present moment without making judgments.

Meditation might be an ancient practice but its benefits for reducing stress, and improving overall mood, focus, sleep, and wellbeing transcend centuries. Meditation can help connect our emotions from the past and our eagerness for the future, and that’s why it teaches us how to become more present in life.

Living more mindfully, by focusing your attention on the present moment without judgement, is a wonderful way to ease stress and anxiety while creating a sense of peace and serenity within, that allows you to pause when agitated, and make more calm, productive choices.

Why not try guided meditation with Happiful?

Picture this: you finally sit down to practice some meditation, but as soon as you close your eyes, however much you try to stay focused on your breathing, your mind begins to wander - to work worries, that task you forgot to do, that problem that needs solving. Sound familiar? The good news is this is completely normal - emotions and feelings that we have suppressed throughout the day often come to the surface, sometimes overwhelmingly, in moments of calm.

It's OK if your thoughts wander - at first, they almost certainly will. Over time, you will be able to observe your thoughts when meditating, but not attach to them. Daily meditation, little and often, will allow this control over your thought patterns to come more naturally and these thoughts will disturb the peace of the present moment less and less. Our meditation journey is individual to us, and it might take some of us longer to master than others, but through practice, you will discover that the journey is the important part, not the destination.

Daily meditation can help you perform better at work. Research has found that meditation helps increase your focus and attention and improves your ability to multitask. Meditation helps clear our minds and focus on the present moment, which gives us a huge burst of energy for our tasks and goals. When you can easily concentrate on one activity at a time, your self-esteem grows, which solidifies your feeling of control over the present moment.

When energy reserves are running low, try this yoga flow to restore and replenish

Exercise might not be the first thing you think of when you’re overtired and looking for ways to boost your energy levels – but perhaps it should be.

The science behind this works in a few different ways. Firstly, when you exercise, cellular changes take place inside your body, with the exertion prompting you to produce more mitochondria – often described as the ‘powerhouse of the cell’ – which creates fuel from the food you eat and the air you breathe. This, in turn, increases your energy supply, giving you a boost to keep on going. Beyond that, exercise also increases the oxygen circulation inside your body, plus it triggers the release of endorphins, feel-good chemicals that’ll give you that up-and-at-’em attitude. Of course, finding the motivation to actually move can still be a challenge. But here’s where yoga comes in…

“Being overtired is a sure sign that the body needs rest, so I would always recommend keeping movement gentle and almost always floor-based,” says yoga teacher Iain Ross. “Often when tiredness or fatigue sets in, forcing yourself into a dynamic physical practice can be counter-productive. At best, you’ll feel totally unmotivated, at worst it can lead to injuries. Listen to your body and respond as necessary.”

Iain’s golden rule is: always let your practice meet you where you are – a sentiment that stresses the importance of listening to your body, and moving in ways that make you feel good. He recommends focusing less on what you think your practice should look like, and more on what you need from it. “Sometimes that may simply be 10 minutes in a meditation and that’s enough, others it may be some gentle strengthening or perhaps a longer Yin or restorative practice,” he explains. “Let your body guide you into what’s needed, rather than sticking with anything too rigid.”

With all that in mind, if you find yourself low on energy, give this sequence a try. Take it at your own pace, let your intuition guide you, and open your heart to the energising and empowering effects of yoga.

Over to you

Try this yoga sequence, created for you by Iain Ross.

Seated twists

Sit up tall on the sit bones and let the spine be long as you inhale. As you exhale, place the left hand to the outer right thigh and the right hand behind you as an anchor point. Inhale here, and as you exhale allow your body to move deeper into the twist. Repeat on the second side, and then flow between the two shapes, using the inhale to bring you through the centre and then exhale to twist.

Seated side bends

Place the right hand beside you and reach your left hand upwards, as you inhale to create length in the side body. On the exhale, bend the right arm to a side bend towards the right. Repeat on the second side, and then flow between these two shapes using the breath. Inhale to come through the centre and exhale to bend.

Seated heart openers

Inhale to bring your hands into prayer position at the heart centre. Exhale as you interlace the fingers and push your palms forward. Inhale and raise your hands above your head, keeping the interlace of the fingers if it

Are you finding it hard to focus, or even to string a coherent sentence together? When burnout hits, the secret to de-stress could be found in this ancient yoga practice

Is your brain feeling fried? Have your thoughts checked out – or worse still, are they spinning endlessly, and you can’t turn them off? Maybe you can’t get to sleep, or you’re nodding off in meetings, or waking up in the middle of the night totally wired? If you know, you know; all these unpleasant experiences are signs of burnout, and it can feel like a desperate situation – maybe on a bad day you can even smell the smoke from your over-fired nervous system?

Thankfully there’s a balm that offers the perfect solution to quieten your burnt-out brain: the yoga of sleep. Yes, yoga nidra literally means the ‘sleep of the yogis’. And it’s probably not what you’re expecting…

What is yoga nidra?

When you think of yoga, you might conjure up images of sweaty contortions to improve flexibility – but yoga has so many other important elements and benefits. Yoga nidra is an ancient form of yoga that helps you relax and hover on the threshold of sleep – effectively it’s a meditation on the moment of falling asleep. And it’s the perfect potent balm for your burnt-out brain. Yoga nidra has the effect of reducing stress so you can sleep better, and it can boost your creativity. It’s so simple that you can easily practise at home.

This restful yoga requires no physical movement whatsoever. Instead, you listen, and are skillfully talked into the fringes of sleep. Hovering there, you often drop off. It’s the perfect antidote for burnout: horizontal yoga under your blanket or duvet.

So how does it work? All you do is rest for around 20 minutes, listening to a yoga nidra recording, as your body and mind naturally restore themselves to balance and quiet. You don’t even need to pay any particular attention, just be there and hear the voice. And rest, very deeply.

Where did yoga nidra originate?

This nurturing and healing practice is the fastest-growing form of yoga in the world, and it originates in ancient India. The special state of yoga nidra – the ‘yogic sleep’ – is described in many ancient South Asian epic poems. Yoga Nidra Shakti herself even shows up as a super-powerful goddess in an ancient hymn to the triumph of the Great Divine Mother – she sends Vishnu, the sustainer of the known universe, into such a deep sleep that no one else can wake him up. Yes, yoga nidra is that powerful.

How does yoga nidra work?

The truly wonderful thing about yoga nidra is that pretty much anyone can do it – it’s completely accessible. Anyone who has ever fallen asleep can practice yoga nidra because it is a conscious meditation upon the very natural process of falling asleep. All you need to do is to lie down and listen; notice what happens and be with just that. The more you practise yoga nidra, the more easily you can cultivate the capacity to drop off anytime you need. And when you wake up – bingo! The burnt-out brain feels restored, even if you have only been resting for 20 minutes.

How does the magic happen? Neurologically speaking, what is actually going on inside your