These Yoga Desk Stretches Are So Discrete, You Can Do Them During a Zoom Meeting

"Sometimes I make it through half the day before I become disturbingly aware of my slumped posture over the keyboard. That's when I remind myself, "I should really take a yoga break." But then I hear the chime of a Zoom meeting reminder and sigh. "I'll stretch after the meeting," I reassure myself."

"Not long ago, during a Zoom meeting that was running particularly long, I started moving my body out of necessity, finagling my limbs in various positions until I felt a hamstring stretch here and a neck release there. That's when I realized I was practicing seated yoga. By the time the meeting ended, I stood up from my desk feeling less tense and less stressed than usual."

"The best part? The stretches required little to no movement in my upper body, so no one on Zoom suspected I'd been in my secret yoga session. I've practiced Bound Angle, Figure 4, Cat-Cow, and Tree Pose at my desk while in virtual meetings, but they're subtle enough that you might try them during in-person meetings, too."

"Keeping your feet on the floor, simply bend your knees and bring the bottoms of your feet together, creating a diamond shape, for seated Bound Angle. I like to take a variation in which I press the balls of my feet into the floor for a little strengthening action for my legs."

Long periods at a desk lead to slumped posture, tight back and hips, and delayed stretching until after meetings or late at night. During an especially long Zoom meeting, moving the body for comfort turns into practicing seated yoga. After the meeting ends, standing up feels less tense and less stressed. The approach uses discrete poses that require little or no upper-body movement, so others on video do not notice. Examples include seated Bound Angle with feet together in a diamond shape, and seated Figure 4 for hip stretching. Chair variations and standing options using a high surface can also be used during virtual or in-person meetings.

Read at Yoga Journal