Anyone who sits behind a desk for the majority of a workday knows exactly what it feels like at 5 PM (or 6 PM, or 7 PM, or whatever time you finally allow yourself to escape from jail the office and go home). A deep ache in your lower back, a twinge in your hips, a crick in your neck, stiff muscles and a creaky spine … this is the result of too much sitting.

That’s bad enough, but over time these little twinges can grow into something more serious — such as herniated disks in your spine, sciatica, deep vein thrombosis, and more. Fortunately, the cure is pretty simple — just get up and move!

One easy way to keep your muscles limber and warm throughout the day is the ten-minute yoga break. Even if you’ve never taken a yoga class in your life, you can still do these easy asanas (yoga poses). The best part? No special equipment needed — and you can do them right in your office.

Set Your Computer Alarm

Schedule two or three ten-minute breaks, spread at regular intervals throughout the day. You can use your computer’s calendar function for this. Simply set the “reminder” time to 0 minutes.

Not only will this give you an audible and visual reminder of your commitment to get up and move, it will also further reinforce the idea that this is something you need to do — just like a client appointment. And just as important.

Don’t forget to remind staff that you’re not to be interrupted during this time, if you have employees. If you don’t, then at least make a promise to yourself not to answer the phone during this time. Let the calls go to voice mail, and concentrate on yourself.

Be the Mountain …

Mountain Pose is a very simple pose — deceptively simple. It looks like you’re just standing up straight. Ah, but it’s so much more than that! The real work is going on inside your body. Mountain pose is really all about the tiny details, and you might be surprised by the results.

Here are the step by step instructions, from Yoga Journal.com. Start by slipping off your shoes, and then … 

1. Stand with the bases of your big toes touching, heels slightly apart (so that your second toes are parallel). Lift and spread your toes and the balls of your feet, then lay them softly down on the floor. Rock back and forth and side to side. Gradually reduce this swaying to a standstill, with your weight balanced evenly on the feet.
2. Firm your thigh muscles and lift the knee caps, without hardening your lower belly. Lift the inner ankles to strengthen the inner arches, then imagine a line of energy all the way up along your inner thighs to your groins, and from there through the core of your torso, neck, and head, and out through the crown of your head. Turn the upper thighs slightly inward. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor and lift the pubis toward the navel.
3. Press your shoulder blades into your back, then widen them across and release them down your back. Without pushing your lower front ribs forward, lift the top of your sternum straight toward the ceiling. Widen your collarbones. Hang your arms beside the torso.
4. Balance the crown of your head directly over the center of your pelvis, with the underside of your chin parallel to the floor, throat soft, and the tongue wide and flat on the floor of your mouth. Soften your eyes.
5. Stay here for 1 minute, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Get the Blood Flowing

By performing the first few asanas from the Sun Salutation series and simultaneously concentrating on your breathing, you can give your upper body a good stretch and oxygenate your blood, giving you a little energy boost that lasts longer than a cup of coffee.

1. From Mountain Pose, bring your hands up to your chest as if in prayer, palms touching. Breathe naturally a few times.
2. On an inhale, push your hands together and up over your head, spreading your arms in a slight ‘V’ shape.
3. On the exhale, bring your arms back down and your hands to your chest as if praying again.
4. Repeat five times.

Do Desk Duty

Clear off a spot on the edge of your desk wide enough to rest your lower arms on. Stand in front of that spot, far enough away that if you lean forward your upper body will be at a right angle to your legs, with your head resting on your arms and your arms clasped and resting on the desk.

Bring your hands up to that same prayer position, and breathe in, pushing your arms up overhead as with the previous exercise. Now, exhale, bringing your arms down to the desk. Clasp your elbows with the opposite hand, and rest your head on top of your arms. Your back should be straight and parallel to the floor.

Stay there, breathing deeply for a few moments. Then, try to take the stretch a bit deeper by allowing your chest to gently push through the opening created by your arms. This will stretch out your chest and upper arms. Don’t push it too much — yoga is not about doing something perfectly or competing — not even with yourself.

Push yourself up gently, rolling up vertebrae by vertebrae. Finish with another inhale/exhale combination with the arms overhead, as in the second exercise.

Twist and Shout … OK, Just Twist

Take your seat again, but sit a bit forward on the edge of your chair. Keep your back straight, your neck straight on top of your shoulders, your shoulders relaxed and down, your stomach held in slightly. Now, exhaling, twist to the right, using the back of the chair for leverage.

Release and come back to center, breathing in and out and in again. Then, exhaling, twist the other way.

Repeat five times to each side.

Hands Behind Your Back!

Now, stretch your shoulders, chest, arms, and back by bringing your hands behind your back and clasping them together. Gently pull your hands back away from your body, towards the back of your chair, and breathe in and out several times. Release and shake your arms for a few seconds before moving on.

Rag Doll

Finish up by scooting to the edge of your chair, separating your legs enough that you can lower your upper body down between your knees, rolling down over the edge of your seat so that your arms and head hang down limply. Focus on stretching out your lower back and feel the stretch in your hips. Stay there for a minute, if you can — don’t forget to breathe fully! — and then roll up very slowly. (Going slowly should alleviate sudden dizziness to blood rushing from your head. But if you begin to feel dizzy, simply bring your legs back together, bend over your knees, and rest your head on your hands, propped up on your knees.)

Strike a Pose and Stay Healthy

Yoga has several benefits, including a lower heart rate, increased ability to concentrate, easier movements, lower stress levels and improved digestion. Take a few minutes a couple of times a day to practice these poses and see how much better you feel at the end of the workday. Combined with good hygiene, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep, practicing yoga regularly might even keep you healthy this cold and flu season.

At the very least, you’ll experience greater productivity when your back isn’t aching from too much sitting. So strike a pose!