De-stress at Your Desk – 10-Min Yoga Flow

Article by Lucas Rockwood

Table of Contents

1. Nervous system dysregulation

2. Anatomy of your nervous system

3. Pump/dump breathing practice

4. 10-minute desk yoga flow

If you struggle with feelings of stress and overwhelm at work which affect your productivity and concentration, then you seem to feel wired but tired in bed at night, you might be suffering with nervous system dysregulation.

Throughout your working day, your nervous system toggles between fight-or-flight mode and the more calming rest and digest mode. For many people, this happens every couple of hours – but it’s common to get “stuck”, particularly in a stress response. This can lead to a host of unhealthy and uncomfortable feelings.

All types of mind-body practices can help, but it’s very hard to break a pattern. Yoga at your desk can be a simple, low friction way to fix this. The 10-minute sequence of poses below will encourage a down regulation of your nervous system’s stress response while simultaneously normalizing your breathing, releasing muscle tension, and helping you feel more in control.

Anatomy of Your Nervous System

Your autonomic nervous system has two main branches – your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). While your sympathetic nervous system prepares your body for action, your parasympathetic nervous system promotes rest and relaxation.

In a work context, an aroused sympathetic nervous state is best for busy work, like answering emails, making to-do lists, organizing files, doing expense reports, and checking things off your list. While a parasympathetic state is usually better for deep thinking, problem-solving and effective communication.

It’s not possible, nor preferable, to stay in either a sympathetic or parasympathetic state all day long – this is not how humans are built. You’ll usually toggle between the two, but can sometimes get stuck, usually in stress mode.

Pump/Dump Breathing Practice

This practice is based on acclaimed respiratory physiologist Professor John West’s research into what he calls a physiological sigh. The idea is to hyperinflate and then hyper deflate your lungs. Here’s how to practice:

  • Inhale through your nose to the count of 1-2-3-4, feeling your chest cavity expand
  • Exhale with force through your mouth to the count of 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
  • Repeat for three rounds, you’ll breathe only through your nose from now on

Click to download the PDF pose chart

10-Minute Desk Yoga Flow

Seated Sun Salute

  • Reach your arms out and up above your head, touch your hands at the top
  • Look up, exhale through your nose
  • Hinge at your hips, fold forward over your legs
  • Place your hands on your knees and bend your elbows
  • Inhale, lift your chest and your chin, keeping your elbows back and tucked in
  • Exhale, straighten your arms, drop your chin towards your chest
  • Sit up straight and repeat the sequence twice more

Sun Salute Twist

  • Inhale, reach your arms out and up to touch
  • Exhale, hinge forward, fold out over your legs
  • Inhale, lift your chin, turn, and twist to the right
  • Reach back behind you, use your left hand to press off your left knee, use your right hand to twist – either holding the back or bottom of your chair – as you turn and look over your shoulder
  • Pause here for a moment, then slowly lower back down and release your arms
  • Switch sides, then repeat once more on both sides

Nerve Glide

This simple technique is designed to encourage your nerves to slide freely between the muscles and other soft tissues they pass through. It works on the nerves in your arms and neck, as well as your sciatic nerve, and feels a little unusual, because you have to coordinate the movements.

  • Inhale, straighten your right leg, bend your right arm
  • Create a stop sign with your hand
  • Rotate your hand, place your palm on your chin and use is to gently press your head back
  • Keep your other arm straight, hand flat on your knee
  • Exhale, drop your leg down, straighten your arm
  • Repeat for five rounds on each side

Seated Pigeon

  • Keeping your left leg bent and still, carefully lift your right leg and place your right ankle on top of your left knee
  • If you’re a little twisted, that’s OK, stay here
  • If you’re not twisted, try placing one hand on your ankle and one hand on your knee. If that feels OK, lean forward and place your elbow on your ankle
  • Drop your head and breathe here
  • Slowly release your right leg, punch out any tension above and below your knee
  • Switch sides and repeat
  • Slowly make your way back up to sit, release and shake out your legs

Arrow Pose

  • Reach back behind you and attempt to interlace your hands behind your back
  • If you can, straighten your arms
  • If you can, press the palms of your hands together
  • If you can, gently look up towards the ceiling and breathe here
  • Release your hands, release your head, and slowly come forward

Head Rolls

  • Reach down and grab the bottom of your chair – if your arms are long, you might even reach down and grab the legs of your chair for more lift
  • Pull your shoulders away from your ears and sit up tall
  • Very slowly move your head in a clockwise direction
  • Very slowly reverse in a counterclockwise direction, all the way back to centre
  • Neutralize your head and neck, gently lift your chin
  • Drop your head, puff your chest.
  • Slowly lower your chin towards your chest
  • Release your head and neck

Safety Disclaimer

This is for educational purposes only. Please do not use this video to diagnose or treat an illness or injury. Check with a trusted healthcare provider before starting any self-care routine.

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