5 Ways to Practice Yoga at Your Desk

For many, the word “yoga” conjures images of flexible people in athletic clothing exercising on a mat at a yoga studio or gym. However, there are many ways to practice yoga that don’t involve special clothing, equipment or even a particular level of athletic ability. 

In fact, yoga can be practiced by anyone, anywhere — including at a desk.

Based on a handful of theeight limbs of yoga outlined in Patanjali’s "Yoga Sutras" around 500 B.C. and modified for today’s busy PR professional, here are five ways office workers can easily incorporate yoga into the workday.

1. Conscious breathing

Pranayama is the Sanskrit word for breath control, and it is one of the eight limbs of yoga. What the ancient yogis knew and modern research has confirmed is that mindful breathing exercises can help alter the state of the body and mind in many positive ways. 

Physiologically speaking, certain breathing exercises can create responses in the autonomic nervous system that help to relax the body, and to reduce stress and anxiety, among other benefits. So, conscious breathing can be a powerful tool for office workers facing challenging situations or ongoing stress. 

Many types of yogic breathing exercises exist, and most can easily be done at a desk. 

One beginner-friendly exercise is to inhale through the nose slowly for a count of four, where, by four, the lungs are fully inflated; hold the breath in for one count; then slowly exhale through the nose to a slow count of five, where, by five, the lungs are completely empty. Repeat this for several rounds, sitting tall in your chair, with your eyes closed or gazing softly downward to really focus on your breathing.

2. Meditation

Another way to practice yoga at your desk is through meditation, or dhyana. Meditation can help relax the mind and the body by inviting overpowering thoughts and emotions to settle into stillness instead.

Research has shown benefits of meditation include reducing stress; increasing focus and productivity; enhancing energy and memory capacity; improving decision-making abilities; and encouraging greater patience, tolerance and compassion for others. It’s been shown to help alleviate symptoms of some medical conditions as well.

There are many different types of meditation practices, and it’s important to find one that works best for you. Thankfully, there are numerous meditation apps on the market that can introduce you to different techniques and support your meditation practice. 

Meditating for five minutes each day is a great place to start. Pop in your earphones to listen to a guided meditation while sitting at your desk, with your eyes closed or a soft gaze to help you turn mentally inward. 

3. Seated yoga poses

The type of yoga practice most Westerners are familiar with is asana, or moving the body through different poses and postures. 

Depending on how it’s approached, a physical yoga practice can have many benefits. These include relieving tension in the body, increasing strength, and improving flexibility, balance and range of motion. It can also help improve focus and concentration, in addition to reducing stress. 

Chair yoga is a style of yoga where all poses can be done while sitting in, you guessed it, a chair. It’s great for seniors, people with disabilities and those recovering from surgeries or injuries. But it’s also helpful for anyone who doesn’t have space to roll out a yoga mat and/or change into yoga-friendly clothing — including people working in an office.

An internet search for “chair yoga” will turn up plenty of resources for yoga postures you can do at your desk. As you hold the poses, try to also focus on your breathing for additional benefit.

4. Yogic codes of conduct

Another limb of yoga described in the Yoga Sutras is yama, which essentially outlines five codes of conduct for living according to yoga. The beautiful thing about this aspect of yoga is it truly can be practiced anywhere, any time — whether you’re answering emails, meeting with a co-worker or having a difficult conversation with a client.

The Sanskrit yogic codes of conduct essentially translate to: kindness, honesty, generosity, moderation and non-attachment. 

Doing a favor for an overworked co-worker (kindness), telling the truth even when it’s tough (honesty), overdelivering for a client (generosity), taking a break when we need one (moderation) and going along with someone else’s idea because it’s better than ours (non-attachment) are all examples of yoga in action in the workplace.

5. Yogic personal observances

Similar to yama is niyama, otherwise understood as personal observances one can follow as a practice of yoga, with no yoga mat needed.

The Sanskrit terms describing niyama essentially translate to: cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study and surrender. 

Examples of niyama in action at the office could be tidying your desk at the end of the day (cleanliness); feeling grateful for your job (contentment); completing a project in advance rather than procrastinating (discipline); considering whether you could have handled a tough situation with a co-worker differently (self-study); and acknowledging that even though you wrote a compelling, newsworthy press release, you can’t control what the news media covers (surrender).

So, the next time you’re feeling stressed, distracted or overwhelmed at work, consider taking a yoga break. Breathing exercises, meditation and poses can all be done at a desk. 

And, if we’re intentional about how we act and react in the workplace, keeping the yogic codes of conduct and personal observances top of mind, we can practice yoga in the office every day.