Back to work yoga – 5 yoga poses that relieve tension from a day of sitting

While sitting can be wonderful and a well-earned break after laborious physical work, a lot of us spend most of our days sitting for prolonged periods without having done anything physical beforehand. This can leave our bodies feeling tight and tense, especially in your chest, shoulders, hips, hamstrings and lower back.

This is where yoga is the perfect remedy to long periods of sitting as lots of yoga postures target these areas. You can practice these postures as a yoga sequence or you can do them individually as and when required. Some postures I’ve included can even be done during the work day next to or at your desk, but you can also use a yoga mat, too.

However you choose to practice them, these five back to work yoga poses are designed to relieve areas of tension that often appear in the body after sitting for long periods. I’ve selected my favourite for releasing tension after a day of seated work below.

1. Urdhva Hastasana (upward salute)

The Urdhva Hastasana or upward salute posture produces a backbend from the lower back to the upper back to release your spine after a day at your desk. It allows you to lift out of the lower back and find space in the ribs, lungs and sides of the body. This is a great posture to practice throughout your working day whenever you feel you need a whole body stretch.

Standing either on your yoga mat or next to your desk, have your feet at hip distance to make this easier on your lower back. Have your feet parallel to each other and arms down by your sides. Inhale and lift your arms up in line with your ears (if they can go that far, if not, lift them to where they’re comfortable for you).

As you exhale, begin to gently arch back. Keep your tailbone tucked and hips shifted slightly forward. Take a breath and then press into your feet to release back to a straight spine. You can repeat this movement a few times. It’s also important to be gentle with your body and only go as far back as is comfortable for you – the movement doesn’t need to be big to be beneficial.

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog)

Downward dog is a yoga posture most people have heard of, and for good reason. It’s a staple in any yoga class as it releases the whole body and provides a juicy stretch. It can also let you know where you’re holding tension in your body so practicing this after a day of work is a wonderful way to tune in to areas of your body that feel like they need some TLC.

In terms of relieving tension after a day of sitting, downward dog is good for opening the shoulders, releasing tight hamstrings and calf muscles and elongating the sides of the body as well as the lower back. This allows for shoulders to feel more mobile, legs to feel less tense and by elongating the sides of the body, it can help to find a deeper and more calming breath. Sitting can put pressure on the lower back and cause us to round our spines, so for this reason, downward dog is your perfect antidote to prolonged periods of sitting.

To practice downward dog, come onto all fours with your hands slightly ahead of your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide to distribute the weight. Tuck your toes and begin to lift your knees off the floor. As you do this, start to send your hips back until you’re in an inverted ‘V’ shape. Think about lengthening and straightening your spine to undo any rounding you may have done throughout the day. Stay for up to five breaths before lowering your knees to the floor.

3. Prasarita Padottanasana with clasped hands

After being seated and hunched at a desk all day, Prasarita Padottanasana with clasped hands is a yoga pose that's a great release for tight hamstrings, hips and shoulders. The wide legged forward bend part opens the inner thighs, stretches the hamstrings and groins while the arms clasped overhead opens the chest and shoulders, helping to counteract the hunching you may have found yourself doing while at your desk.

To do this, turn to the long side of your yoga mat. Step or jump your feet out wide around a leg’s distance apart. Turn your toes forward to the long edge of your mat. Traditionally, you bring the outer edges of your feet parallel to the shorter ends of the yoga mat, so your toes are slightly turned in and heels out. Clasp your hands behind your back and keep your elbows slightly soft so as to not over extend in that joint.

Inhale and extend your arms down behind you towards the floor to open your chest and shoulders and exhale, fold forward, allowing your arms to raise over your head. Take a few deep breaths here. To release, either press into your feet and draw your clasped hands back to lift up or release your hands, placing them onto your hips and lifting up. You can bend your knees both in the posture and as you release – in fact, this is advised for anyone with a sensitive back.

4. Trikonasana (triangle pose)

After warming up the inner thighs, hips and shoulders in Prasarita Padottanasana, Trikonasana is a lovely posture to follow. Working again on the inner thighs, hips, side body and shoulders, triangle pose provides a full body release, including in the lower back and spine thanks to its gentle twist. This is one of my favourite postures to do to release every tight bit.

Come to stand at the top of your mat and step your left leg back around a leg’s distance from the right foot. Turn your left toes to a diagonal with your left toes pointing towards the middle of your mat, not the back. Your right toes stay facing the top of your mat. Line your right heel up with the arch of your left foot.

Inhale and bring your arms to shoulder height, stretch through your fingertips. Exhale here and consciously lower your shoulders. Inhale and raise your right arm alongside your right ear. On an exhale, reach up and forward over your right leg, sending your right hip back towards your left so you can elongate the right side of your torso. Bring your hand down wherever it reaches onto your right leg.

Alternatively, you can use a yoga block on the outside of your right foot. Your left fingertips reach towards the ceiling while you roll your left ribs back and your right ribs forwards to produce a gentle twist in the spine. Stay for up to five breaths before pressing into your feet and coming back up. Repeat these steps coming down over the left leg.

5. Garudasana arm (eagle arms)

After a day of sitting, it’s not only your legs and hips that can feel tight. Bad posture can result in tension in the shoulders which can cause upper back discomfort and neck pain. Garudasana arms are perfect for relieving tension in the upper body around the shoulders, upper back and neck. This is another posture that you can practice while at work as no special equipment or even a yoga mat is required and it can be practiced sitting or standing.

To practice Garudasana arms, cross your right elbow over the left. You may be able to wrap your arms around each other, aiming for your left hand to take your right wrist or touch the right palm. However, for some, it’s better to place the palms on the opposite shoulders.

There are lots of reasons why this posture can be challenging – it can be due to bigger arm muscles making the wrapping hard or limited shoulder mobility. Whatever it is, don’t force it as both variations produce a lovely shoulder stretch.

From here, lift your elbows, keeping your hands away from your face (if you’re in the first version) and drop your shoulder blades down and back. You have the option to include a few gentle neck stretches here, especially if your neck feels achy. You can simply bring your right ear to your right shoulder and then your left ear to your left shoulder. Bring the head back to the centre and slowly untangle your arms. Swap sides, bringing the left elbow to cross over the right.