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Desk job giving you neck and shoulder pain? Mini Yoga Breaks will help!

Have you ever said to yourself: It's not worth doing ______________

(fill in the blank with: Yoga or Stretching or Exercising) because I only have a few minutes?

If you have, you are definitely not alone! Learn more in this week's Vitality Tip!

It's funny how sometimes we use this logic on ourselves right?

By telling yourself: unless I have X amount of time, it's really not going to do any good or make me feel any better. FALSE! 

The truth is: every little bit counts and does have the potential to make you feel better! 

But the mind can be a funny thing sometimes. Talking you out of taking a few minutes to move, breath,  and stretch by spinning a story about how its pretty much a waste of time unless you can do it for a long time......weird logic! 

The truth is it is ideal to be moving your body frequently throughout the day, by getting up often, changing positions, moving around etc...all things that may not happen that often when you are working on a...

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Does working a desk give you lower back pain? Then it might be time to lunge and squat!

 

Spending a significant portion of our day seated can take a toll on us in many ways. One area of our body that is often effected is our lower back, that can get stiff and painful without regular movement.

Couple this with tension in the surrounding muscles: hip flexors, hamstrings and lower back muscles plus the extra pressure on the spine when seated and we could have a problem on out hands: LOWER BACK PAIN!

So what can we do?

SQUAT!!

Research shows us that doing hip flexor stretches combined with holding a deep squat is a powerful way to maintain lower back, hip and ankle mobility.

In just as few as 10 minutes a day we can go a long way towards keeping our spines healthy and pain free!

Mobility expert Kelly Starrett suggests that we start with 10 one minute squats every day, working our way up to a 10 minute hold.

Eventually, we want to work our way up to a more balanced ratio of time spent sitting, to time spent mobilizing our body….but we have to start...

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Try this easy move you can do at your desk to ease neck and shoulder pain

Do you upper back or neck pain when working at your desk? So many of us do!

Part of the reason for this is because when we are working on the computer we tend to slouch: letting our shoulders and head roll forward. This takes us out of the natural S curve of the spine into a rounded C curve.  When this happens our muscles have to work harder to hold us upright and our head gets heavier and heavier.

In fact, for every inch your head moves forward of your shoulders it’s weight increases by approximately 10 pounds! 

This extra weight means the upper back and neck muscles have to work extra hard leading to extra tension and discomfort. This extra work can drain our energy and zap our productivity. This makes it extra important to take Yoga Breaks throughout our day to reset our posture and ease the impact of sitting. Click here to learn more about the effects of sitting on our bodies, minds, and spirit.

Watch this quick video to learn a move you can do right away to...

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Celebrate Posture Month with 50% off the ABC’s of Strong Posture Workshop

Sit up straight, stand up tall….you’ve probably heard this advice SO many times right? And for good reason! Posture is so important, so important that it now has its own month, May! May is Postural Awareness Month, so I’ll be sharing lots of tips and tricks to help you strengthen your posture.

Want to learn more about posture and why it's so important? Check out this short Facebook Live I did on the topic!

 

 

Slouchy sitting and bad tech habits are a common cause of back and neck pain, as well as headaches, and are a major drain on your energy. So what can we do about it? Learn the ABC’s of Strong Posture in my fun and interactive workshop!

From May 1-30th I am offering 50% off this fun and interactive workshop that will teach your team:

  • the key elements of posture so they can sit taller with less pain and tension
  • how to use their breath to lower stress and boost energy
  • tools and tips to integrate into their workday immediately

Book your...

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Why should you do stretching exercises at your desk? To prevent sitting disease!

Did you know that the average American spends about 55% of their waking hours every day sitting??? 

This adds up to almost 8 hours everyday sitting, and this finding is on the low end, with other studies that many people are sedentary (ie: not moving) for 12 or more hours everyday. WOWZERS!!

So what does this all this sitting mean for your health?

Remember how we talked about how Sitting is the New Smoking ie: how all that time parked in a chair is not only wreaking havoc on your derriere, but also your health? Well unfortunately, it’s true and it even has its own name: SITTING DISEASE!  “The growing body of research on sitting disease has found a strong correlation between long periods of sitting and elevated risk of illness or injury.” YIKES!!!…..like what you might be asking yourself???? 

It turns out that sitting for so long everyday puts someone at a higher risk for:

  • weight gain (especially around the midsection where it...
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FREE 5 day “Desk Yoga” Challenge starts April 22nd!

Did you know that taking short Yoga Breaks throughout your workday is a great way to:
  • ease the chronic tension in your neck and shoulders
  • strengthen your core muscles for better posture
  • balance the effects of chronic sitting
 
Within just a few deep breaths Yoga Breaks help to boost your productivity by:
  • lowering your stress levels
  • keeping your brain alert and sharp
  • boosting your creativity and focus
 
AWESOME RIGHT?
 
I’m so excited to help you get into the habit of taking Yoga Breaks throughout the day with this FREE 5 Day “Desk Yoga” Challenge!!!
 
Sign up by HERE:👇🏽
http://bit.ly/takeayogabreak to get your challenge worksheet!
 
Each day at 7am HST/10amPST/1pmEST  in my  Yoga at My Desk Tribe I will be going live to show you 1 stretch and 1 strengthening move for a different area of your body, plus a breathing exercise to help you focus and quiet your mind!
 
Then once you have done the...
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What drives me to do what I do? Learn more in this Podcast episode!

I am excited to share that I was recently featured as a Stand Out Expert on the Stand Out Be You Podcast! Take a listen to learn more about my journey as an entrepreneur and how I became interested in helping people integrate the tools of Yoga into their workday.

Yoga is such a powerful way to help you move, stretch, breathe to boost your energy, lower your stress levels and increase your focus for more productivity. And Im excited to share these tools with you!

Are you here on Maui? Learn more about my different in person Workplace Wellness services HERE .

Want to learn how to take Yoga Breaks at your desk? Check out the Yoga at My Desk Online Course  or join the Yoga at My Desk Tribe on FaceBook HERE.

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A powerful question to ask yourself anytime, anywhere

Want a simple yet extremely powerful way to ground yourself and return your focus to the present moment?

Ask yourself this question:

 

 

And then pay attention:

Where do you feel your breath? What is the quality of it?

Often when we are feeling stressed out or paying attention to things around us our breath is short and shallow and mostly in the chest and shoulder area.

Not only does this increase tension in this area because these muscles are not meant to be our main breathing muscles, it also triggers more stress in our bodies because it is the fight or flight breathing pattern.

As soon as you shift your focus to your breath and begin to pay attention to it you will notice a shift within yourself. As you tune into the flow of your breath, the feeling of it and the quality of it you will feel yourself becoming more relaxed, grounded, and present.

Tuning into the subtle rhythm of the breath is the easiest way we have to bring our attention into our body and into the now.

...

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FREE Workshop: Deep Breaths for Less Stress on Saturday April 13th

Deep, slow breathing is one of the most powerful tools we have for lowering our stress levels! In fact,  the American Institute of Stress,  considers it to the most effective way to bring our stress down. However, it is one that we often forget about and take for granted since it happens without us having to think about it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Join me for this interactive and informative free workshop that will teach you powerful and effective breathing techniques to leave you feeling energized, calm and less stressed.
 
Learn about:
  • how we breathe
  • how it effects your nervous system
  • several breathing techniques that you can do anytime, anywhere to lower your stress levels
  • how to use the breath to quiet and focus your mind
 
DATE: Saturday April 13th
TIME: 10-11am
LOCATION: HMSA Neighborhood Center (beside Target in Kahului)
COST: FREE!
 
Thank you for sharing this event and inviting your friends!
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Is the nagging pain in your neck and back distracting you and draining your energy?

Press PAUSE on your busy life with this free 10 minute "Yoga at My Desk" video to instantly feel better!