Eight hours at a desk is not what the body was built for. These few postures can be done even at the office.
Back pain is the most common reason women come to yoga for the first time. In most cases the problem is not the back itself — it is the hip flexors, shortened by hours of sitting and pulling the pelvis forward.
Four basic postures
- **Cat and cow**: on all fours, hollow the back on the inhale and round it on the exhale. Ten slow repetitions. The simplest way to wake up the spine.
- **Child's pose**: knees wide, hips towards the heels, forehead down. Stay for thirty seconds and simply breathe.
- **Seated pigeon**: in a chair, rest the right ankle on the left knee and lean gently forward. This one you can do at work.
- **Legs up the wall**: in the evening, rest your legs against a wall for five minutes. Good for the back and for sleep alike.
What not to do
If the pain is sharp and sudden, or shoots down a leg, stop and see a doctor. Yoga is excellent for chronic ache and stiffness, but it is not a substitute for a diagnosis.
A little every day beats a lot once a week
Ten minutes a day does what a single ninety-minute session a week cannot. The body learns through repetition, not intensity.