Your body is wonderful, versatile and flexible; it’s built to stand, sit, lie down and even kneel. Unfortunately, the problem comes in when we attempt to do any one of the above activities for long periods at a time. But first off, a word of consolation – No matter how tough your job may be; whether you stand upright for hours or sit behind a desk the entire day, you still have it better than my residential florist. Standings easy, try squatting and kneeling over 5000 square feet of flooring every single day and see how that works out.
But seriously speaking, the Medical Society of America reports that standing all day is a work hazard in itself and can easily lead to conditions like swelling, muscle fatigue, stiffness in the neck, shoulders, back pain, joint aches and a myriad of health issues. Fortunately, there are plenty of products and assistance footwear that you could buy to help make standing a breeze. But it doesn’t stop there people! Yoga and exercise are nature’s gift to all. Now, it may be very tempting (even advisable) to kick up your feet and relax after a brutal day at the job. But the healthiest and most productive thing you could do after standing all day is to perform a few relaxing stretches and Yoga poses. If you want to keep up with your standing job, here are a few simple exercises and yoga poses that will help ease the pain.
Simple Steps to Relax at Work
Legs up the Wall Pose
Basically, this pose involves lying down flat on the ground and having your legs running perpendicular to the wall. After standing all day, try out this pose either at home or on the job for a few minutes and see how well it works. With the legs up the wall pose, you’ll be doing the exact opposite of what you were doing all day which is undoing hours of damage. It allows support for the hips and raises the heart above your head for a calming, cooling effect. Your feet will thank you for the restorative pose which is also great for jet lag.
Happy Baby Pose
Ever noticed how a happy baby enjoys holding their feet wide open with both hands and swinging forward and backward. That’s what I want’ you to do. This yoga pose is quickly becoming a trend all over the world because it focuses on the most vital part of your body; the spine. The spine and back are the most abused parts of your body if you stand for long hours all day. That’s why poses like this help relieve the back pain by opening up the hips and compressing and relaxing your spine.
Supine Twist
This yoga pose is a whole lot of fun if you can nail it perfectly. Although this pose looks like something you get when you jump off a building (suicide pose), it actually works wonders for the spine. Basically, it involves lying back and trying to face upwards with your arms and upper body while trying to face downwards with your lower body. The good old supine twist opens up the lower back and eases tension in the shoulders. The twisting motion also detoxifies the spinal column and rinses your spine with fresh oxygenated blood.
Yogi Squat
A disciplined variant of the regular squat, this pose allows you to receive a little more love with a compact stretch. Get into a squat position, put your hands together and see how long you can maintain the pose. The Yogi squats stretches out those tight, abused calves and opens up your locked hips from standing all day. In addition, the pose also increases mobility on your ankles and helps elongate the spinal column.
Cat –Cow Pose
Here’s another pose that really revitalizes damaged spinal columns and relieves back pain in an instant. The pose involves getting on all fours and shifting between arching your back all the way up like a tensed cat, and then all the way down like a relaxed cow. This helps to compress and relax your spine, thus reversing the effects of standing all day for hours. And remember, coordinate your breathing with the motion to get the best calming and therapeutic effects.
Instant Maui Pose
The instant Maui pose is an excellent way to wind up the list of best yoga poses for standing all day. All you need is a few steps on the stairs or an elevated platform to rest your feet on while the rest of your body is slightly lowered. With all the similar benefits of legs up the wall pose, this form is so relaxing it can feel like a relaxing vacation. However, the pose offers additional stress relief since your feet and legs are completely supported. You can also use a chair to nail the yoga pose.
Final Word
After standing all day, your body can feel a little banged up and beaten. While the best shoes for standing and orthotic inserts may help, the fact still remains that all your muscles are working hard to keep you upright. You need a little something extra to release the lower back, stretch out the spine, rejuvenate your leg muscles and melt away the soreness. Trying out a few of these yoga poses for a few minutes every day will offer relief not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually.
