How to Stretch While Sitting at a Desk

When you sit at a desk for long periods, your muscles get tense. You can relieve a lot of that tension by taking periodic short stretch breaks. To give your spine a good stretch, you should move it in six directions--left and right, front and back, and twisting in both directions. You should also stretch your shoulders and neck, which will be especially tight if you have been hunched over to write or to peer at a computer screen.All of these exercises may be done while you are sitting in your chair.

Instructions

  1. Stretch your shoulders and neck

    • 1

      Lift your shoulders up toward your ears. Hold for five seconds, and then release. Take a moment to concentrate on how your shoulders feel. Repeat this three times.

    • 2

      Slowly roll your shoulders in a circle. Bring them up, forward, down, back and up. Repeat this five times. Then slowly roll your shoulders back five times. Can you feel any increased circulation and relaxation in your shoulders now?

    • 3

      Slowly drop your left ear to your left shoulder. If your right hand is in your lap, let it drop and hang by your side. You should feel the stretch from your right ear all the way to your right shoulder. Hold for about 10 seconds, or until you feel the muscles starting to release. Repeat this on the other side. Then repeat it again on the left, and again on the right.

    • 4

      Drop your head forward so that your chin rests near or on your chest. Wait about 10 seconds while the muscles in the back of your neck release.

    Stretch your spine

    • 5

      With your left hand, hold onto the left side of your seat. Inhale while you raise your right hand toward the ceiling. Stretch your arm up. Exhale while bending to the left. Keep your right arm close to your right ear. Inhale, with your right arm again stretching straight up. Exhale and drop your right arm down. Repeat this on the other side. Repeat the entire sequence two more times.

    • 6

      Inhale, and bend forward from the waist. Let your hands rest on your shins, or if you are more flexible, on your ankles or on the floor. Hold this for 10 seconds, breathing normally. Inhale and slowly roll up.

    • 7

      Sit up straight. Inhale and raise your arms over your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Stretch up out of your waist. Arch back, just a few inches. Hold for two or three seconds, then return to a straight position. Exhale and let your arms return down to your sides.

    • 8

      Place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh. Place your right arm behind the back of the chair. Imagine a string is pulling you up through the top of your head. Inhale, then as you exhale, turn your torso, then your shoulders, and then your head to the right. Look over your right shoulder. Inhale and exhale. On your next inhalation, return to the front. Place your right hand on the outside of your left thigh and your left arm behind the back of your chair. Exhale and twist to the left. Repeat the entire sequence once more.

    • 9

      You should now feel revived. Take several slow, deep belly breaths before you return to your work.