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Desk-day reset

A short break for a body that has been sitting and typing, working through the neck, shoulders, upper back and side ribs. You can do most of it beside your desk, and it is short enough to repeat once or twice across a long day. Regular small breaks tend to help more than one long stretch at the end.

12 min · 9 steps · Beginner · best anytime · for posture & desk work, neck & shoulder tension

See a clinician rather than practising if:
  • you have numbness, tingling or weakness running into the arm or hand
  • neck pain follows a fall, whiplash or other injury
  • pain wakes you at night or comes with unexplained weight loss or fever

Before you start

  • a clear patch of floor and a mat or rug
  • loosen anything tight at the waist or collar

0 of 9 done — tick each step as you go

  1. Mountain Poseताडासन45 seconds

    stand tall and let the shoulders drop away from the ears

    Asana · wall · avoid with low blood pressure (rise slowly), severe balance issues · how to do it · watch

  2. Neck Releasesग्रीवा सञ्चालन6 slow rounds

    small range, no forcing; stop short of any pinch

    Asana · chair · avoid with cervical disc problems or nerve pain radiating into the arm, vertigo or dizziness (never tip the head backwards), recent whiplash or neck surgery, rheumatoid arthritis affecting the cervical spine · how to do it

  3. Shoulder Rotationsस्कन्ध चक्र10 rounds each direction

    Asana · chair · avoid with recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, acute frozen shoulder pain, recent rib or collarbone fracture · how to do it

  4. Standing Side Bendकोणासन4 rounds each side

    reach up and over, keeping both feet grounded

    Asana · chair, wall · avoid with acute low back injury, sacroiliac joint instability, vertigo or dizziness (keep the gaze forward, not up) · how to do it

  5. Extended Puppy Poseउत्तान शिशोसन1 minute

    walk the hands forward and let the chest melt towards the floor

    Asana · blanket, bolster, block · avoid with shoulder impingement or recent shoulder injury, knee injury (pad the knees well or skip), acute neck pain, late pregnancy (the chest drop crowds the belly) · how to do it

  6. Thread the Needleपार्श्व बालासन45 seconds each side

    thread the arm through slowly and rest the shoulder down

    Asana · blanket, block · avoid with recent shoulder or neck injury, cervical disc problems or nerve pain into the arm, late pregnancy (keep the twist shallow and the belly open), knee injury (pad the knees) · how to do it

  7. Reverse Tabletopअर्ध पूर्वोत्तानासन30 seconds, twice

    opens the front of the shoulders after all that rounding

    Asana · block, blanket · avoid with wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder impingement or recent shoulder injury, neck injury (keep the head lifted throughout), uncontrolled high blood pressure · how to do it

  8. Alternate-nostril breathingनाडी शोधन6 rounds

    steady and quiet; no retention needed

    Breath · avoid with blocked nose/cold, never strain or hold if uncomfortable · how to do it · watch

  9. Sit upright with the eyes closed before going back to work1 minute

    Sit upright with the eyes closed before going back to work

Cautions for this sequence

  • keep the neck releases slow and small, and never circle the head backwards if it causes dizziness or tingling in the arms
  • come out of thread-the-needle if it presses uncomfortably on the shoulder joint
  • skip reverse tabletop if it aggravates the wrists; make fists or turn the fingers out instead
Cautions carried in from the individual practices (25)
  • Mountain Pose — low blood pressure (rise slowly)
  • Mountain Pose — severe balance issues
  • Neck Releases — cervical disc problems or nerve pain radiating into the arm
  • Neck Releases — vertigo or dizziness (never tip the head backwards)
  • Neck Releases — recent whiplash or neck surgery
  • Neck Releases — rheumatoid arthritis affecting the cervical spine
  • Shoulder Rotations — recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery
  • Shoulder Rotations — acute frozen shoulder pain
  • Shoulder Rotations — recent rib or collarbone fracture
  • Standing Side Bend — acute low back injury
  • Standing Side Bend — sacroiliac joint instability
  • Standing Side Bend — vertigo or dizziness (keep the gaze forward, not up)
  • Extended Puppy Pose — shoulder impingement or recent shoulder injury
  • Extended Puppy Pose — knee injury (pad the knees well or skip)
  • Extended Puppy Pose — acute neck pain
  • Extended Puppy Pose — late pregnancy (the chest drop crowds the belly)
  • Thread the Needle — recent shoulder or neck injury
  • Thread the Needle — cervical disc problems or nerve pain into the arm
  • Thread the Needle — late pregnancy (keep the twist shallow and the belly open)
  • Thread the Needle — knee injury (pad the knees)
  • Reverse Tabletop — wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Reverse Tabletop — neck injury (keep the head lifted throughout)
  • Reverse Tabletop — uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • Alternate-nostril breathing — blocked nose/cold
  • Alternate-nostril breathing — never strain or hold if uncomfortable

Source: Ojastha editorial — classical hatha yoga and modern therapeutic yoga practice

Reviewed by a verified practitioner

Educational yoga and pranayama guidance, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, recovering from surgery or managing a diagnosed condition, check with your clinician and learn these practices with a qualified teacher.