Anyone who has sat at a computer knows just how tough it can be on the body. From sore wrists to tight shoulders, the physical effects of the digital age are definitely taking their toll on our bodies.
And nowhere is this more true than for bloggers who spend much of their day perched over their computers or laptops typing feverishly away sharing their news and voice to any who will listen in cyberspace.
Just last weekend, I had a chance to participate in the FitBloggin’ conference. In addition to attending the entire conference, I led a yoga for bloggers workshop, designed specifically for those of us who clock hours sitting on our bums, listening to our hamstrings tighten as we blog about anything and everything.
Here is a clip from the yoga for bloggers class demonstrating triangle pose.
And for those of you bloggers who could not attend the conference, here is a look at a few highlights from the yoga for bloggers class.
Sit tall
Most of us when we sit have a tendency to slouch in our lower backs, which makes our bellies collapse and our shoulders slump. Instead, make a conscious effort to incorporate the key principles of yoga alignment while you are sitting. Here’s how:
- Keep your shoulders drawing down your back.
- Keep your lower belly lifted.
- Keep the back and front of your spine long.
De-stress with the breath
You have a deadline to meet in three minutes and your image loader has stopped working. Rather than tightening your shoulders and cutting off your breath, two knee-jerk actions that we all do when faced with a stressful situation, take a ten-second time-out to manage your reaction and coordinate your next move.
During this quick ten-second break, spend five seconds of it taking one long inhale and the next five seconds pushing out one long exhale. As you return to your work, keep reminding yourself to breathe and do so with depth and deliberation.
Get up and move
While it is a testament to the passion you feel for your work that you can sit for three hours straight working on post after post, your heart, metabolism and bum aren’t so impressed. In fact, they are downright bored and they are going to reflect their frustration to you by growing in size and slowing down.
But you can prevent this slump in your bump quite easily by getting up every hour and performing a few rounds of Sun Salutations. Sun Salutations are a great way to send some very needed oxygen to your muscles, give your heart a boost and challenge your muscles.
Plus, you don’t need any equipment to do them, even a yoga mat is optional depending upon the floor surface of your work area.
And forgive my subtle but very genuine plug, but do be sure to put next year’s FitBloggin’ conference in your iPhone or Blackberry. It is a wonderful and informative event for health bloggers.
Photos used with permission from Flickr user CarrieDPhotography.