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Yoga is a great regimen to practice to break the monotony and reduce the stress related with office work. Whether you’re sitting in a home office or working outside the home, Yoga can be incorporated into your day-to-day routine so you can feel refreshed and relieve the tension that is inherent in the work environment of most offices.!

Practice Breathing

It’s fundamental to the practice of Yoga to understand the basics of breathing. Abdominal breathing can help much in the way of reducing anxiety. To breathe properly, sit in your chair keeping your spine straight and place your hands on your stomach. When you inhale, your stomach should fill with air like a balloon. As you exhale, contract your stomach and relax your shoulders. It’s best that you use your nose to inhale and purse your lips while exhaling through your mouth.

Shoulder Shrugs

Next practice doing some shoulder shrugs. Place your hands at each side. Lift your shoulders while you inhale and bring your shoulders back to their original position as you exhale. This pose is excellent for relieving the tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Repeat this routine five times before moving on to the next pose.

Stretch the Neck Muscles

Because we’re working on the neck and shoulder area, the next routine involves stretching the muscles in the neck. Place your hands at your waist and move your chin toward your chest to stretch the muscles in the back of your neck. After holding for a count of two breaths, return to the original position. Next stretch your neck toward the right side. Hold for the same number of breaths and do the same routine for the left side. Finally, rotate your neck as far to the right as you can and hold for two breaths. Return to your original position, then do the same thing on the left side.

Stretch the Wrist

If you do quite a bit of keying and typing on your computer keyboard, stretching the wrist is a Yoga pose that is effective in reducing carpal tunnel syndrome. Hold your right hand in front of you as if you were signaling someone to stop. Intertwine the fingers of both hands and lightly stretch the muscles in your wrist. Maintain this pose or stance for five breaths. Change the pose to stretch your muscles in the back part of your wrist. Therefore, the back of your hand is no longer facing towards you but facing away from you. With fingers pointing down, pull your hands as noted for the stretch.

Side Stretch

A good stretch to refresh you is the lateral side stretch. When using this Yoga pose, you need to stand with your feet about a foot apart. Begin by raising your right arm overhead while you exhale and lean toward the left side of your body. Keep your arm stretched out while holding the pose for a couple breaths. Then do the same with your left arm. Raise it overhead and fully stretch it toward the right side as you exhale. Again, hold for two breaths. Repeat five times for each side. Hip Stretch

Sitting once again, cross your right leg over your left leg and stretch it out as far to the side as you can. At the same time, set your right hand on the right knee and grasp your right foot with your left hand while you move your chest over your right leg as far as is comfortable. Hold the pose for three breaths. As you return to your original position, relax the muscles in the hips, shoulders and back. Then repeat the same pose for the other side.

Practice your poses concentrating on proper breathing and stretching. It's an exceptional way to lessen stress and helps you maintain the discipline to stay focused on other activities.