Breathe Away Aches and Pains at Work

Sometimes a nice deep breath (or five) is just what we need to relax our shoulder, neck and back muscles at work. This technique is easy to do, only takes a minute or two, and can be done right at your desk...

To perform this exercise while sitting at your desk

1. Sit up properly at your desk (see 1st blog post)

2. Place hands on your lower ribs, fingers lining up with your ribs and pointing in towards one another

3. Take a deep breath in through your nose, imagine that you are slowly sucking air in through a long straw that starts just behind your nose, goes down the throat and fills the lungs. Feel your lower ribs expand out to the sides as your lungs fill with breath (this should take 5-8 counts).

4. There! Now your lungs are full, like a big balloon

5. Picture this balloon in your belly and slowly begin to press the air out of the balloon by squeezing your ABS in, pushing the air up through the straw, and out through the mouth (this should take 5-8 counts as well).

6. As soon as all the breath has been completely emptied give your ABS an extra squeeze for additional transverse abdominal work.

Repeat five times melting tension from your shoulders, neck and back, increasing abdominal strength and fueling your blood and brain with energizing oxygen. Now back to work!