Greetings to the working part of our population! Especially one who spends most of her working time in the same position - whether sitting or standing, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that the lack of healthy activity leads to various stagnation in the body, which ultimately can lead to very disastrous consequences.

But there is a way out of any problem, and a trend like yoga in the office has appeared especially for you. You will find out in a second what consequences it will help you avoid and what exercises you can do without leaving the “cash register”.

Benefits of office yoga

The yoga we’ll talk about today performs functions that prevent many diseases, often caused by human inactivity, from manifesting and developing. I will list the common ones:

• Poor circulation.
• Lack of oxygen in cells and tissues, decrease in lung volume.
• Diseases of the spine from and to kyphosis.
• Decreased joint mobility, chafing of cartilage, arthrosis, arthritis, etc.
• Chronic back and neck pain.
• Headaches, migraines.
• Displacement and deterioration of internal organs.
• Diseases of the genitourinary area.
• Decreased sensitivity, convulsions, numbness, paralysis.
• Psychological breakdowns, depression, panic attacks.

Yoga in the workplace

All exercises are selected in such a way that you can practice without getting up from your work chair and without attracting much attention from others.

Please note that all of the exercises listed are performed from a sitting position, unless otherwise stated.

Such a small complex, done 2-3 times per shift, will significantly reduce the likelihood of “earning” a professional sore.

Share useful information with your friends, subscribe to the newsletter, send comments and photos of your office warm-up. Let this be an inspiration to others!

Yoga is more than just a workout. This is a regular practice of awareness of yourself here and now, the absence of any pressure. It's great when you can be in the moment, i.e. be aware of yourself every minute of your life, anywhere and feel happy and healthy, even buried deep in work.

The trainer of the Yoga Studio in Podol, Sergey Shimko, especially for office employees, has developed a course for the spine, which allows you to be healthier without interrupting your work. By doing these simple exercises, you will remain energetic at the end of the working day, forget that your neck, shoulders and back hurt regularly, and increase productivity.

The whole complex very well liberates the cervical and shoulder regions, filling the wrists and fingers with blood, opening the chest. Each exercise works separately specific area bodies. Watch yourself for a couple of days. You will notice that your back has become straighter, your neck and shoulders are less tired, your fingers are not bloated by the end of the day, and your head is as light as in the morning.

1. Get the blood flowing

Due to sedentary work, those who live in an office experience blood stagnation in the pelvis. The easiest way to disperse it is walking. Once an hour, take a 5-minute break and walk in circles around your office or open space.

2. Improve blood circulation

Sitting at our desks, we slouch. Hence - tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders with a simultaneous deterioration in blood circulation in the head. To correct this, you need to sit with a straight back, place your palms on the top of your head, press your chin to your neck, press your hands on your head, stretching the neck muscles.

As you exhale, turn your chin to the side while continuing to press on the top of your head. On your next inhalation, turn your head to the center. And as you exhale, turn your chin in the other direction.

After completing the exercise, you will feel how the blood rushes to your head, how easily and naturally you stretch the top of your head up.

3. Release your shoulders

As you inhale, pull your shoulders towards your ears, and as you exhale, lower your shoulders down in a circular motion backwards.

4. Open your shoulder blades

Inhale and place your left hand behind your head. Place your palms on your shoulder blades. Place your right palm on your left elbow and pull it towards you. This stretches the left side of your torso.

At the same time, you open the shoulder joints, work the cervical spine, removing the clamps. Repeat the exercise with the other hand.

5. Self-massage

Place your palms on your neck and for a couple of minutes, knead the main muscles of your neck with your fingers from the base of your head to your shoulders. Then place your thumbs at the base of the skull and knead the area at the first vertebra that “holds” the head.

Then pinch your earlobes between your thumb and forefinger and massage in one direction, then the other.

Put thumb on the point under the lower lip and press.

After self-massage, you will feel heat all over your face - this will cause blood to actively run through stagnant areas.

6. Stretch your back muscles

While standing, clasp your hands with your palms facing outward. Dynamically turn into different sides. This way you work the core muscles of the spine and restore natural blood circulation to the back.

7. Stretch your lateral core muscles

Clasp your hands behind your back, placing one hand over your shoulder. As you exhale, bend to one side, while inhaling, stand straight, and as you exhale, bend to the other side.

Keep your body and legs in the same plane, without leaning forward or backward.

8. Working out the hands, wrists, fingers

The exercise is done dynamically. Place your hands in front of you, palms crossed.

Without breaking this lock, rotate your arms in front of your chest, straighten your elbows, then return your arms to the starting position.

9. Open the chest

Place your palms behind your back, placing them together in a welcoming “namaste.” As you exhale, bend to one side, while inhaling, straighten up, and as you exhale, bend to the other side.

Plus, this way you strengthen your arms.

10. Work the pelvis

A very useful exercise, especially for men, as it accelerates the blood that stagnates in the pelvis during long periods of sitting and prevents the occurrence of painful processes in the organs. Sit with your back straight and your hands on your knees. Fill your lungs halfway with air. Hold your breath, tensing your pelvic muscles as much as possible, especially paying attention to the muscles of the perineum. If you feel short of air, relax, inhale slightly and exhale relaxed.

Important details:

1. Perform the entire exercise for 2-3 minutes.
2. Don't push or bend too hard. All stretching, bending, and turning should be pleasant and painless.
3. Do not do it at a fast pace - the muscles need to be stretched little by little, and the clamps must be removed carefully.
4. Watch your breathing. The correct sequence of inhalations and exhalations, which is described in the exercises, simplifies their implementation.

Every adult who works in an office knows that sedentary work is not a holiday at all. The muscles become tight, then they hurt, which often results in headaches, etc. Today we have prepared for you asana exercises that will help you warm up without leaving your desk - even in the midst of your working day.

The asanas that we will talk about today are simply created for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle and are constantly in the office. From now on, you shouldn't have any excuses for not working out because you're working.

Asana No. 1

How to do it. Sit up straight with your knees and feet closed. Take your left knee with your right hand and place your left hand on the back of the chair. With each inhalation, straighten your spine more and more. Do this for 3-5 deep breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Asana No. 2

How to do it. Sit up straight, place your feet on the floor. Take your right ankle and place it on your left leg above the knee. If you want to stretch the muscles better, apply pressure to your right leg with your right hand. Take 5 or more deep breaths and move to the other side.

Asana No. 3

How to do it. Sit back a little or stand up. Raise your left arm, bend your elbow and let it rest behind your head between your shoulder blades. Then gently stretch the muscles of your left arm by pressing on your left elbow with your right hand. Take 3-5 deep breaths and repeat on the other side.

Asana No. 4

How to do it. Sit up straight with your back straight and both feet on the ground. Place your right hand under your left, clasp your forearms and place your palms together with your fingers pointing up. Elbows should be at shoulder level. Take 5 deep breaths and repeat on the other side.

Asana No. 5

How to do it. Sit a little further back in your chair or stand up. Relax your arms and bend your elbows, clasping your palms behind your back (your hands should be in a praying position). Press your palms onto your spine and reach as high into your back as you can. Stay in the pose for 5 deep breaths, then move on to the next exercise.

Asana No. 6

How to do it. Sit on the edge of a chair. Cross your left leg over your right and wrap your shin around it. Breathe and work in this position until you feel good, then repeat on the other leg.

Asana No. 7

How to do it. Remove your shoes and, without bending your left knee, place your right foot on top part left thigh, taking the half lotus position. Turn your torso slightly to the right, take your right hand behind you and hook right palm behind the big toe of the right foot. Place your left hand on your right thigh. To stretch your neck, turn your head to the left. Take at least 5 deep breaths and repeat on the other side.

Asana No. 8

More than half of office workers spend about 5-6 hours a day in a sitting position. Such a long absence of mobility, without a doubt, does not have the most favorable effect on health and well-being. If you don’t like the gym, but want to feel good, you should take a closer look at yoga, because this practice will not only make your muscles more elastic and your mind calm, but will also relieve you of unnecessary tension and tension.

The main load when sitting is experienced by the spine and back muscles, so it is worth working on their relaxation first. But, if you are a workaholic and do not have the opportunity to attend yoga classes, you can do basic exercises right at your workplace. If you do them constantly, then by the end of the working day you will not feel tired, and your shoulders, neck and back will not bother you. You will be cheerful and able to do what you want.

So, here are 10 magical exercises that can be easily performed by both a beginner and someone who is already familiar with these practices.

Walking

The simplest and easy way make blood circulate faster, saturating body cells with oxygen. If the weather is good, make it a habit to walk in the park or along the streets several times a week instead of lunch. Eating a heavy lunch in the middle of the workday will only make you lethargic, and you'll spend the rest of your time hoping to get home and go to bed. Take a light lunch with you for your walk and eat it fresh air, after which you can walk around the park and head back. The journey to the park and back should take an average of 15–30 minutes. When you return to the office, you will be both full and invigorated.

If you cannot leave the office, take a short break every hour, no more than 5–10 minutes. Stretch your limbs, walk along the corridor or floors, feel how the blood begins to move faster.

Don't slouch

Look at your colleagues, almost all of them are slouching at their desks. Do not follow their example, as slouching creates pinching and tightening of the core muscles, preventing blood flow from moving at full strength. To restore normal blood circulation, sit upright, press your chin to the base of your neck, place your clasped palms on the top of your head and lightly press on your head with your hands, stretching the back of your neck. However, do not pull too hard, light pressure is enough.

Exhale and slowly turn your chin to the side without releasing pressure on your head. Then carefully switch sides. Do several of these bends, then carefully raise your head. You will feel how the tension has eased from your neck and shoulders, and it has become easier to keep your head straight.

Drop your shoulders

When the neck muscles are tightened, the shoulders rise towards the ears and over time begin to bother. To prevent this, inhale, lift your shoulders toward your ears, then, as you exhale, circle and lower your shoulders down. This is a very simple exercise that you probably know.
Expand and lower your shoulder blades.

To make it easier to keep your back straight, you need to open your shoulder blades and tighten the muscles of the middle spine. Ideal option This is what the first part of the “lock” exercise is for. Inhale and place one hand behind your head, try to reach your shoulder blades with your palm. If it doesn’t work out very well, it’s okay, after a few workouts you’ll be able to lower it bent arm lower and lower. You can help yourself with your other hand by lightly pressing on your elbow. This will stretch your core and triceps and straighten your back. Do the same with the other hand.

My own massage therapist

A very good method when there is no way to relax under the hands of a master, and the whole body aches after sitting for many hours. Start with your neck and massage the areas that bother you for several minutes until the pain stops. Then go to the place connecting the base of the skull and the spine, feeling for a small hole, gently knead it with your fingers, but not too much.

Massage the eye sockets near the tear duct ( inner side eyes), bridge of the nose, press on the hollow under the lower lip. During the massage, you should feel heat spreading across your face, this will begin to circulate blood faster.

Relax your back muscles

As already mentioned, a very large percentage of the load falls on the back, so it is necessary to stretch it every evening. Stand up, put your hands behind your back and turn your palms outward, bringing them together. Move your body in different directions while continuing to hold the lock. This stretches the muscles in the back of your body and removes tightness.

Develop your side muscles

Make a lock by joining your hands at your shoulder blades. Exhale and bend to one side, while inhaling, rise from the tilt. Lean in the opposite direction. Try not to keep your body level during the exercise.

Restore blood circulation to the hands

During the whole working day you type something, write something, and your arms get as tired as your back. The exercise to restore balance is very easy. Bring your palms together, but not straight, but crosswise, then, while maintaining the grip of your hands, turn them outward, straightening your elbows, then turn your hands back and do this movement several more times.

Open your chest

When we slouch, the chest contracts and the lungs cannot work at full capacity, which means we voluntarily cut off oxygen to the body. To open the cage again, place your hands behind your back with your fingers pointing up, not down. You may not be able to fully connect your palms, but that’s okay. As you exhale, bend to the side, while inhaling, lift your body to its original position. Do the same with the other side.

Relieve tension in the pelvic area

Constant sitting greatly affects blood circulation in the pelvic organs. Constant congestion can lead to problems with organs and joints. To prevent blood from stagnating, do a simple exercise regularly. Sit up straight, place your hands on your knees. Inhale, but not completely, but only half, after which, hold your breath and tense your pelvic muscles, both external and internal. When it becomes difficult to hold your breath, inhale a little and then empty your lungs completely.

It is better to do all these exercises together, as a complex, starting 2-3 times a week, gradually increasing the number of repetitions. This exercise will not take much time, but it will greatly help your body and prevent the development of diseases of the internal organs, joints and spine. Breathe deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Gradually, you will notice that by the end of the day your muscles begin to bother you less, and good mood and the surge of strength does not leave you as quickly as before.

Photo source: shutterstock.com; copylancer.ru
August 13, 2016 I like:

Nowadays, everyone wants to work in an office, and not go behind the plow. Mental work seems easier and more attractive, is well paid and is not harmful in itself, unlike many industries. But workplace can become a grave for your health if it is not arranged correctly.

First, remember: For the body to be healthy, it must move. Sitting for eight hours a day in one place in one position, you not only lose the flexibility of your joints - your whole body becomes numb, your muscles atrophy, your breathing does not work properly and your blood circulation is impaired. In addition, office work is often associated with various types of stress from which it is impossible to escape. I already said above that office workers to top it all off, they eat poorly and irregularly, and they harm their health with tobacco and coffee... In general, wherever you look, there is a wedge everywhere.

But the situation can be improved if you follow simple recommendations.

¦ First, no matter how busy you are, find time to take a break and use gymnastics to relieve tension from the muscles of the core and limbs. The method of “refreshing” and improving vision has already been described above, and in the future I will give a set of simple exercises for such “five minutes”, when you can, without leaving your workplace, increase your tone and help the body. To remember to take breaks, set yourself a reminder in mobile phone or on a computer.

¦ Secondly, organize your workplace correctly. It doesn’t matter how others look, you should be comfortable in your place.

Let's start by adjusting the keyboard height. Position it so that your hands are comfortable and your elbows are bent at right angles when working. Your wrists should be relaxed and in line with your forearms. It is especially important to position the mouse so that the hand can move it freely without straining in the process.

The monitor must be at least 50 cm away from the eyes. It is better to adjust the height of the monitor so that its top edge is located at eye level. This way you will reduce the constant tilt of the cervical spine and will strain your eyes less.

As for lighting, then There's nothing better than natural light. And if it is not enough or simply not there, then I recommend choosing a lamp daylight and make sure that it shines evenly and does not flicker. I already said above - there should be no glare on the monitor from a lamp or the sun, but at the same time all working surface The table should be well lit, and the brightness of the monitor should not hurt the eyes.

It is very important that you sit comfortably. Now they are used almost everywhere office chairs with adjustable height, rotating mechanism and a reclining backrest. Adjust the height of your chair so that your knees are at right angles to your hips and your thighs are parallel to the floor. When sitting, place your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly below your hips to ensure proper pelvic alignment. It is better not to bring your knees together, but also keep them hip-width apart. The spine is straight, the shoulders are straightened, the shoulder blades are lowered. Imagine that someone grabs the hair on top of your head and pulls you up so that you do not hunch or curl. With your back straight, raise your shoulders towards your ears and feel how the spaces between the vertebrae have increased. Now lower your shoulders and feel how easy and comfortable it is for you to breathe when your muscles are relaxed and your lungs are expanded. At first, it may be unusual for you to hold this position for a long time, because your body is already accustomed to twisting and bending. But over time it will return to normal. I can only advise you to train the correct posture for a few minutes a day, while simultaneously strengthening the muscle corset along the spine. One day you will simply find yourself sitting with your back straight, which turns out to be very comfortable.

It may not be noticeable, but if you sit incorrectly, you get tired much faster. And all due to excessive stress on the muscles of the back, neck and pelvis and circulatory disorders. In addition, with a bent back, the entire weight of the upper half of the body falls not on the muscles, which are intended for that purpose, but on the spine, which quickly wears out.

Take a sneak peek at your co-workers at the beginning of the workday and after a couple of hours. In the morning, everyone sits straight and beautiful, but time passes - and now the back is like a wheel, the body is tilted in any direction, the shoulders are raised and leaned forward, and the neck is bent. Here it is - the first step towards osteochondrosis. So take some time to practice sitting correctly. If you purposefully try to sit with a straight spine for a few minutes a day, you will quickly notice that you feel better and are less tired. And if it’s hard to sit with a straight back, it’s better not to bend, but to lean back in your chair and work like that. When talking on the phone and negotiating, you can stand up - by changing your body position, you will unload some muscles and use others, usually “idle”.

In general, if you are tired, you need to rest. With a sedentary lifestyle, this is easiest to do by changing your position and stretching your muscles. Stretch, as if after a sweet dream, and do eye exercises. Try to change your position every half hour during the day, don’t freeze like a statue - at least just position your legs a little differently, turn your back. It’s better if, in addition to everything else, you do a full five-minute warm-up every two hours.

Hatha yoga

It's time to talk about sets of exercises in the workplace. Plan your gymnastics breaks in advance to teach yourself to take care of your own health systematically. Don't worry about what your office neighbors will say - after all, if you don't think about your health, they won't take care of it for you. In addition, most of the exercises are designed in such a way that they do not attract anyone else's attention and look simply like stretching and changing positions. They do not require much space or special clothing. You don't even have to do them all at once. Just alternate 2-3 exercises, monitoring your well-being. Watch your breathing, control your sensations - you don’t need to perform practices in such a way that they cause pain and discomfort. If pain is present, it means you are doing something wrong, or you are overdoing it, or your body is not yet ready for this exercise and you need to come up with something simpler.

Hand exercises

The first ones are exercises for which you don’t even need to get up. This is gymnastics for the fingers and wrist joints. During the working day, they constantly work, and in order not to lose their mobility, as well as not to develop various unpleasant ailments of small joints, do the following exercises.

"Claws." The arms are bent in front of the chest, the hands are turned away from you, the fingers are spread as far apart as possible and look up, the palms are bent (Fig. 5.1). In this position, we begin to forcefully bend and straighten our fingers (Fig. 5.2). Imagine that you are a cat or a bird stretching its paws in this way. Repeat 7-10 times, then shake the brushes. Then, to enhance the effect of the exercise, we stretch our arms in front of us, stretch our fingers to the sides and maintain this position for a minute, after which we shake our hands again. The entire set of movements should be repeated 2-3 times.

By the way, you also need to shake your brushes correctly. To do this, let’s lower our hands down, quickly twirl our hands, and then shake our hands back and forth, then to the sides - as if we had wet hands and we shake the water off them. We shook our hands below, then we shook them in front of us (Fig. 5.3), then we raised our hands up. Shaking improves blood circulation in the capillaries, so you should repeat this movement after each exercise.

"Spring." Hands again in front of the chest, palms facing each other. Without touching your palms, connect your fingertips. By pressing your fingers against each other, we bend the joints of the phalanges (Fig. 5.4). Imagine that you have springs in your fingers, which you squeeze with your other hand, and they resist. First we work on the first joints, then the second and third. On average, each finger should have 7-9 movements. After this, we work all the joints together 5-7 times.

Clicks. We will take turns clicking thumbs the tips of the rest.

The movements go from the index finger to the little finger, then in the opposite direction - from the little finger to the index finger (Fig. 5.5). The click speed should gradually increase.

Resistance. If you have an elastic bandage, you can also use it to good exercise. Still sitting with a straight back, we place one hand on the table. We wrap all the fingers of the hand (including the thumb) with a tight elastic bandage, and then try to forcefully move the fingers apart, overcoming the resistance of the bandage. We do the exercise 8-10 times for one hand, then repeat it with the other hand.

Instead of a bandage, by the way, a tight hair tie will do. It must be put on the thumb and, in turn, on the index, middle, ring and little fingers. Two clasped fingers need to be moved apart, overcoming resistance. Having two elastic bands, you can try to exercise both arms at the same time.

Having done a series of exercises for the fingers, we move on to stretching. To do this, grab the finger with your other hand and lightly pull it towards you 2-3 times, then rub it in a circular motion and move on to the next finger (Fig. 5.6).

Now that we've taken care of our fingers, let's take care of our wrists. I suggest doing the following exercises.

Exercise 1. Place your palms tightly together in front of your chest, fingers pointing upward (Fig. 5.7). Without allowing the palms to separate, we lower them as far as possible and hold them there for a while, and then raise them again in front of the chest and relax. You can do this exercise differently: from the position of the hands, when the fingers are looking up, slowly, with tension, move them to the lower position (Fig. 5.8). Hold your palms in each position for several seconds. Don't forget to shake your hands after doing the exercise. Then, from the same starting position, we tilt the hands first to the right, then to the left (Fig. 5.9). Repeat 4-6 times in each direction.

Exercise 2. We interlace our fingers in front of our chests, and then turn our palms out and lower them down (Fig. 5.10). You need to feel how all the interphalangeal joints and wrists are stretched. We repeat the exercise 4-6 times, after which we shake our hands again.

Exercise 3. From the same starting position - hands in front of the chest, fingers intertwined - slowly rotate our hands in one direction and the other. We do the exercise 4-6 times in each direction.

Exercise 4. Now you have to stand up and put your hands on the wall. The fingers should be pointed straight up and the arms should be straightened at the elbow joints. Moving the body forward a little, we straighten our arms at the wrist joints until right angle and more. Be careful not to do this abruptly, otherwise it will hurt and you may get a sprain.

Exercise 5. If all this is still difficult for you, then here is the easiest exercise for the wrists. While sitting upright, simply extend your arms in front of you and raise your palms so that the backs of your hands are facing you and the angle between your wrist and hand is almost straight. Stay in this position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower your palms down, as if reflecting their previous position in the mirror. Repeat this movement 3-4 times. You can also do it “discordantly” - when the fingers of one hand look up, and the fingers of the other face down and the hands simultaneously change position (Fig. 5.11).

This exercise is complemented perfectly by circular rotation of the wrists. We clench our right hand into a fist, extend our arm in front of us and rotate our fist alternately in one and the other direction. If it is difficult to hold your arm outstretched, you can support it with your other hand, resting on your elbow. When you get tired of rotating, change your hand. Then we stretch out both arms and rotate them at the wrist joints. Palms are unclenched, fingers extended. We rotate both hands 3-4 times to the left, to the right, then towards ourselves and, finally, away from ourselves. Finally, don’t forget to shake your brushes.

Shoulder exercises

Let's move on to the shoulders. Their joints are more likely to become overstrained and, when stressed, hold unnecessary tension for the longest time. With tight shoulders, it is difficult to keep your back straight, breathe deeply, and just feel good. Together with the joints, we relax the neck and upper thoracic spine. From the given exercises, you can choose those that you like best and which are more convenient to perform.

Exercise 1. Stand up straight, straighten your back (but don't arch it), lower your arms. Clench your hands into fists and, as you exhale, slowly turn them inward, as if twisting them around an axis (Fig. 5.12). At the same time, you will feel the shoulder joints and upper spine stretch. At the same time, tilt your head forward. Then put your hands behind your back, clasp them together and, as you inhale, squeeze your shoulder blades together, stretching your neck up and back. The sensations during exercise are similar to morning stretches and should be pleasant. To enhance the effect at the end of the exercise, you can raise your arms up in the lock from behind and stay in this position for a few seconds - this works not only the shoulder joints, but also the entire spine (Fig. 5.13). I recommend doing this exercise 10-12 times a day.

Exercise 2. Now you can sit down, but you still need to keep your spine straight. As we inhale, we raise our shoulders up, trying to pull them as high as possible, almost to our ears, then with a sharp exhalation we “drop” them down. When the exercise becomes familiar and comfortable, try combining it with cleansing breathing - this will significantly increase the effect. Raise both shoulders together several times, and then alternately: first, we raise the left shoulder as much as possible, while simultaneously lowering the right one, as if our shoulders are cups of scales, then we raise the right shoulder, lowering the left one (Fig. 5.14).

Exercise 3. Now we will rotate our shoulders. Slowly, with maximum amplitude, we move our shoulders up and forward, while making a smooth deep exhalation, then down and back with a deep inhalation. We make 3-5 such circular movements, after which we change the direction to the opposite, that is, we move our shoulders up and back with an inhalation, and then down and forward with an exhalation. The exercise can be alternated with alternating rotation of the shoulders: at the same time we move one shoulder up and forward, the other in the same direction. time is running down and back. We rotated it 3-5 times and changed the direction to the opposite.

Exercise 4. To stretch the shoulder joints, we do this: we join our hands in a lock behind our back and, while inhaling, we try to bring our elbows closer. As we move, we feel how the shoulder blades contract, the shoulder joints stretch, and the chest “opens.” As you exhale, relax. All together it is worth repeating 3-4 times.

Exercise 5. Turn your chair around so that you are sitting with your back to the table. Take your left hand back and place it on the table. At the same time, the right hand is placed on the left shoulder, the head is moved back and to the left as much as possible (Fig. 5.15). Now we stretch our left hand along the table. Monitor your sensations, avoid pain. We stretched, froze in this position for a few seconds, then relaxed our arm and changed sides. You should repeat the same 3-4 times. All this must be done smoothly, slowly and with pleasure.

Exercise 6. For mobility and flexibility of the shoulder joints, let's try to lock our hands behind our back. To do this, place your left arm, bent at the elbow, behind your back and touch your back between your shoulder blades with your knuckles. Then we place our right hand over our left shoulder from above and try to touch our left hand and join our fingers into a lock (Fig. 5.16). You may find it difficult to even touch your hands at first, but over time you will get better at it. If your hands don’t want to “meet” at all, take an object in one of them and try to grab it with your other hand (Fig. 5.17).

When you clasp your hands, lock in this position for 10-15 seconds, continuing to tighten your shoulder joints. If it turns out well, consolidate your success - unclasping your hands, move the hand on top over your other shoulder and try to clasp your fingers again. The forearm and elbow in this position are located on the front surface chest. The spine must always be elongated, otherwise you simply will not succeed.

Exercise 7. Clasp your hands at the back of your head. In this position, we take several deep breaths, raising our elbows as high as possible and stretching our spine behind them. Then hold your breath as you inhale while your spine and elbows are extended upward, and slowly turn your body to the right. The head should turn in last resort. Try to move your right elbow as far back as possible (Fig. 5.18). At the exit, take the starting, relaxed position. Then do the same thing in the other direction.

After this exercise, move your hands away from the back of your head without releasing them, and draw a figure eight with your elbows in one direction or the other.

Neck exercises

We will strengthen the neck muscles with exercises designed specifically for them. A constant tilt of the neck, which inevitably occurs when you sit in front of a monitor for a long time, leads to early osteochondrosis - the cervical spine is generally very vulnerable.

The essence of the exercises is to overcome the resistance of the arms with the neck muscles in one position or another. When performing each exercise, you should hold in a tense position for as long as you can without exhaling without feeling discomfort. Then exhale and relax your neck for the same amount of time you held it. strengthening neck muscles.

Exercise 1. Sitting straight, we rest our heads on both sides of our temples with our hands. We stretch our neck slightly upward and try to turn our head to the side while inhaling, while simultaneously holding it with our hands and not allowing it to turn (Fig. 5.19). Repeat the exercise 5 times in each direction.

Exercise 2. Now we put our hand on the ear and begin to press, while keeping the head straight (Fig. 5.20). Everything is exactly the same - we overcome the resistance of the hand until we can not exhale, then we give ourselves a break for the same amount of time. Then we repeat in the other direction, and so on several times.

Exercise 3. Place your arms bent at the elbows on the table and rest your forehead on your palms. Now begin to press your forehead down, feeling how this makes your neck tense (Fig. 5.21).

Exercise 4. We clasp our hands and place them on the back of our heads. We rest the back of our head against our palms, trying to move them away, and with our hands we provide counteraction (Fig. 5.22).

Neck muscle stretch

After loading the muscles, you can move on to stretching the neck. This should be done slowly and smoothly, monitoring your breathing and not making sudden jerks in any phase of the exercises. In this case, it doesn’t matter whether you are standing or sitting. Each exercise should be repeated 5-7 times, giving yourself a short rest between approaches.

Exercise 1. As you inhale, slowly raise your head up, stretching your neck (Fig. 5.23), and exhale, return your head to its original position.

Exercise 2. As you inhale, turn your head to the right, holding it in the maximum permissible position for 5-7 seconds, and exhale, return it to its original position. With the next inhalation, we move our head to the left (Fig. 5.24).

Exercise 3. Inhale – tilt your head to your right shoulder, at the end of the movement additionally extend your head to the right and hold for a few seconds in this position. Exhale – return the head to its original position. We repeat the movement to the left in exactly the same way - tilt as you inhale, return as you exhale (Fig. 5.25).

Exercise 4. Relax your muscles, lower your chin to your chest and begin to move your head in a circle - first in one direction, then in the other. You need to describe a full circle without straining your muscles in the process. If possible, try to combine the semicircle behind with an inhalation, and the rolling of the chin over the chest with an exhalation. Make sure you don't get dizzy - do everything slowly and carefully.

Exercise 5. Place your palms just above the back of your head and tilt your head forward. Now relax your muscles while keeping your hands on your head. Imagine how your neck is stretched, feel how the cervical and thoracic spine are moving apart. Breathe slowly and calmly (you can use Ujjai breathing).

Exercise 6. Place the elbow of your right hand on the table, place your head on your palm so that your chin and left cheek. With our second hand we fix our head in the back of the head, be sure to control our breathing and relax for approximately the same time (Fig. 5.26). Repeat the stretch in the other direction.

Exercises for the spine

Let's move on to the most important thing - exercises to correct office posture. At the beginning of the book, I already told you about the horrors of scoliosis and osteochondrosis. The time has come to show how to prevent them or get rid of troubles if they already exist.

Exercise 1. Without getting up from your workplace, you can very easily stretch your spine. To do this, interlock your fingers and turn your hands palms down. Now, while inhaling, we raise our arms up so that the spine reaches behind them. When your palms are above your head, hold this position, raise your head and look at your palms (Fig. 5.27). Now move your arms forward, stretch, stretching your spine (Fig. 5.28), and rest your chest on your knees and thighs (Fig. 5.29). As you fold in half, you should exhale slowly. At the end point, relax your back and rest. Repeat the exercise 2-3 times.

Exercise 2. From a standing position, inhaling, we raise our arms up and stretch the spine (Fig. 5.30). Then we lower our right hand down and use our left hand to stretch left side body, the right side is relaxed (Fig. 5.31). We exhale, release tension - and do the same with our right hand for the right side of the body. Alternating stretches on the right and left, do a total of 3-4 times on each side.

Exercise 3. Now you need to stand facing the wall somewhere at a distance of half a step from it. With an inhalation, we raise and place our hands on the wall, holding them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. At the same time, we rise on our toes (Fig. 5.32), and turn our head to the right. We move our chest forward, trying to touch the wall with our chest. Ideally, your body should be flat against the wall. Feel your cheek, chest and stomach touching the wall. But you need to keep your knees straight. Hold this position slightly without exhaling. Stretch your entire body, and then exhale and return to your starting position. Do it all over again, but turning your head in the other direction. You need to do several such paired movements, gradually increasing the distance to the wall so that the spine is better stretched.

Exercise 4. Continue standing against the wall. Turn your left side towards it, stand close and, while inhaling, raise your right arm, stretching your spine along the wall (Fig. 5.33). You need to stand firmly on the floor without lifting your feet. Also watch your back - the spine should be straight, without arching in the lower back or neck. While maintaining the stretch of the spine, we make a comfortable delay while inhaling, and as we exhale, we lower our arm and repeat the exercise on the other side. The recommended number of repetitions is 2-3 for each side.

Exercise 5. Let's start bending to the sides. They should be done while standing. As you exhale, lower your head, then gradually, as if the weight of your head is pulling you down, bend your thoracic spine, followed by your lower back and hips. In the extreme position (remember that overdoing it is harmful) we pause for a second and, inhaling, smoothly straighten in the same order in which we bent: first the pelvis, then the back and only then the head. We bend to the sides one by one several times.

Be careful - when you lean to the side, whether standing or sitting, your body should not lean forward or backward at the same time, as this is an undesirable additional load on the spinal column. If it is difficult to avoid this, reduce the angle of inclination to a comfortable one.

You can make the exercise more difficult by stretching the side of your body. To do this, stretch your arms up, grab your wrist with your hand and stretch to the side - you will bend like a tree in the wind (Fig. 5.34). The arms should not just dangle at the top, but enhance the stretch of the spine. After a couple of such bends, you should give your body a rest.

Exercise 6. You can stretch your sides while sitting. There will be less benefit, but little space is required. Sit on the edge of a chair, lower your arms to your sides, keep your back straight. As you exhale, tilt your body to the side and relax in this position (Fig. 5.35). As we inhale, we straighten up. The arm towards which we are leaning should freely fall to the floor along the body.

Exercise 7. Now let's use the simplest simulator at our disposal - the chair on which we sit. We move a meter away from him, lower our arms and tilt our body so that our back, neck and arms form one horizontal line. The eyes look at the floor. Imagine that your spine is an elastic cord or expander. Try to stretch it by pushing your pelvis back and using your hands to pull yourself forward over the edge of the chair (Fig. 5.36). After stretching as far as possible, hold for 30-40 seconds. During the pause, you need to breathe deeply so that the spine stretches even more from muscle movement. If possible, use Ujjai breathing.

If you are good at pranayamas, you can further complicate the exercise. For this, the Udiyana Bandha technique is used. It consists in the fact that during the delay after exhalation, we draw in the abdominal muscles and lift the diaphragm up. This way it will be more difficult to perform the exercise, but it will better relieve tension from the lumbar spine and increase the intervertebral space, so it is very useful for the discs.

Exercise 8. Continuing to hold onto the chair with our hands, we become a little closer to it and do a new exercise. Imagine how a cat arches its back when it is angry. As you exhale, arch your back up as much as possible, trying to make it seem round. Pull your chin towards your chest so that the cervical vertebrae are also rounded (Fig. 5.37). As you inhale, bend your back down and pull your head up - this is what a cat does when it purrs and rubs its head on its owner’s knee (Fig. 5.38). The legs should remain straight at all times, and movements should be smooth, like a cat. This “wave” should be repeated up to 10 times.

Exercise 9. Spinal twists are very good for relieving tension, and they also use the longitudinal muscles that hold the vertebrae. The simplest crunches can be done without getting up from your chair. The main rule is to keep your back straight, do not tilt it or bend it anywhere.

Let's start twisting. To do this, we move our right arm back, simultaneously turning the body back and forth to the right, and turn our head as far as possible to the right. You can place your left hand on your right thigh and use it to slightly strengthen the twist. You should remain in the twisted position for 3-4 cycles. full breath or Ujjay breathing. You should return to the starting position slowly and after resting, “twist” in the other direction. Repeat as usual several times.

For more complex option exercises: bend your right leg and place it crosswise behind your left thigh on a chair. The buttocks are located symmetrically on the seat. We hang our left hand behind our right knee, and put our right hand behind the back of the chair. We stretch our spine upward and turn our head and entire body to the right (Fig. 5.39). You can help yourself a little with your hands, but there is no need to move on through pain and discomfort. The pauses at the end points are the same, 3-4 respiratory cycles. There is no need to repeat this exercise many times.

Exercise 10. It will be difficult to do this exercise right away, so we will use the wall as an assistant. You should stand with your back to her somewhere at a distance of half a meter. Legs and arms are spread wider than shoulders. As we inhale, we raise our hands up, place the backs of our hands on the wall and begin bending the spine back from the cervical region: first we tilt our head back, then we attach the thoracic and lumbar regions (Fig. 5.40). You need to try to ensure that all vertebrae participate in the deflection. We linger at the end point for the duration of the inhalation delay, then exhale and return to the starting position. 2-3 repetitions are enough.

Exercise 11. Let's pay special attention to the muscles of the lower back, because many unpleasant ailments begin with them. To strengthen your lower back, sit on the edge of a chair, straighten your back, and grab the seat slightly behind with your hands. From this position, you need to take turns raising your legs bent at the knees - each leg about 10 times (Fig. 5.41). After this, holding your hands, raise your legs to a horizontal level and move them like scissors - spread and bring together (Fig. 5.42). First in horizontal plane, then – in a vertical one.

Now release your hands, place your feet on the floor and lean towards them, touching the floor with your hands alternately to the left and right of your feet (Fig. 5.43).

Exercise 12. Let's stretch our whole body, while simultaneously doing an exercise that is beneficial for breathing. Stand straight with your hands in front of your chest. In this position, you need to take several free breaths and exhalations, calming your breathing and consciousness. Then, with a full inhalation, we raise our arms up through our sides, simultaneously stretching our spine and rising onto our toes. We stretch up in this position as far as we can (Fig. 5.44). With an exhalation, we lower ourselves to the full foot, returning our arms to the position in front of the chest.

While continuing to stand straight, clasp your hands behind your back. Stretch your spine up, move your pelvis forward. The buttocks need to be squeezed tightly (as fitness instructors joke, “imagine a coin sandwiched between them”). With an exhalation, we bend back slightly, while pulling our arms down in the lock and bringing our shoulder blades together (Fig. 5.45). Try to feel your chest opening and stretching.

The lower back should also stretch upward. While inhaling, we return to the starting position. On the next exhalation, we tilt the body forward (at the same time, the arms move upward as much as possible), again squeezing the shoulder blades (Fig. 5.46). You can stay in this position for 2-3 breathing cycles, and then with the next exhalation, strengthen the stretch by tilting the body towards the knees (Fig. 5.47).

Be careful: in the last position, the hamstrings, lumbar region and shoulder joints are very stretched. If your body is not ready, do not perform this part of the exercise.

Exercise 13. The last exercise in our complex for the spine is the round back bend. We stand straight, hang our heads, bring our shoulders together and lower our arms. We bend over and, rounding our back (Fig. 5.48), further stretch it for 2-3 breathing cycles, then make a short pause while exhaling and, with inhalation, slowly rise “by sections”, starting from the lower back, as we have done before. Finally, we raise our shoulders higher and, with an exhalation, “drop” them down. It is enough to do 2-3 repetitions of this exercise.

Leg exercises

I recommend doing leg exercises at home after work, because, firstly, they need more space, and secondly, they should be done when no new loads on the legs are expected. Come home, relieve your feet from traumatic narrow shoes or high-heeled shoes - and take care of the health of your beautiful feet. By the way, dear ladies, perhaps you don’t know why wearing high heels is harmful. I will tell you. If your heels are higher than 4 cm, then the load goes from the calf muscles to the buttocks, which causes the lower back to sag additionally. Accordingly, not only the legs get tired, but also the spine. In addition, our body is not adapted to such a “vehicle”, so the outflow of venous blood from lower limbs and pelvic organs. This is fraught with varicose veins of both the lower extremities and pelvic organs, which are very common these days.

To wear heels less, you can change into shoes you brought with you while sitting at your desk. comfortable shoes. Another way is to take off your shoes from time to time and stretch your feet.

I offer exercises that you can do without getting up from your chair.

Exercise 1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight. Lift your heels off the floor, resting on your toes. Stretch the front of your ankle as much as possible while feeling tension in the back of your calves. You can breathe as you like, you should continue stretching for 10-15 seconds.

Then lower your heels to the floor and relax. Pull your toes towards you, trying to lift your foot as close to your shin as possible - you cannot lift your heels off the floor (Fig. 5.49). Having fixed the leg in this position, slowly spread and bring the toes together. We do 3-5 repetitions.

Finally, place one foot on the heel, the other on the toe, and alternate the position of the feet, rolling from heel to toe and back. It is recommended to do 5-7 repetitions.

You can use all the muscles in your leg if you do the exercise with weight. Having freed ourselves from shoes, we place our feet on the floor, then stretch our right leg forward. We pull the toe towards us, and the heel forward. Keeping your leg straight at the knee, spread and bring your toes together. You need to do this exercise slowly and smoothly, feeling how all the leg muscles are involved in the movement.

Exercise 2. To restore the mobility of the ankle and toes, we do this. We place one foot freely and the other on the toe so that the support rests on the big toe. Smoothly roll the foot from the big toe to the little toe, paying attention to the tension that arises in the area of ​​each toe and at the same time to the movement in the ankle. After 2-3 rolls, change the position of the foot, placing it on the floor with the back surface supported by the big toe. In this position, we roll from finger to finger again. Breathing is voluntary. Having worked one leg, we relax it and do rolls on the toes of the other leg.

Exercise 3. Let's stretch your ankle. Sit as in the first exercise, extending one leg forward (Fig. 5.50). In this position, we slowly rotate the foot, first clockwise, and then in the opposite direction (Fig. 5.51). After making several circles in each direction, we change legs.

Exercise 4. Circular movements can also strengthen your knee joints. Sitting on the edge of a chair and holding the armrests or seat with your hands, lift your leg bent at a right angle and move it slightly to the side. The second leg serves as a support for us and stands firmly on the floor. Make clockwise circles with your bent leg. The leg rotates only in knee joint, the hip and foot should be motionless. Turn it clockwise - turn it counterclockwise. Then we change legs.

All these exercises can be performed standing if desired - it will be more difficult, but more useful.

Exercise 5. Now let's get up and use our office chair or some piece of furniture at home to lean on. Imagine yourself at the ballet barre. Place your hands on the back of the chair and squat slightly. In this case, the back should be straight, and the kneecaps should not protrude forward further than the toes. The feet are parallel. Now we slowly rise on our toes, trying to stretch out as much as possible (Fig. 5.52). Just remember: your knees should remain slightly bent! We hold ourselves in this position for 5-10 seconds and return to the full foot. Now straighten your knees, transfer your body weight to your heels and pull your toes up (Fig. 5.53). We also linger in this position for 5-10 seconds, while trying not to let the buttocks move away. To push your pelvis forward, lightly tighten your gluteal muscles.

Exercise 6. In the workplace, supported by a chair, you can not only stretch your joints, but also stretch your muscles. We place our straight leg on the seat, grab the armrests or the back of the chair with our hands and tilt the body forward towards the leg (Fig. 5.54). You really want to bend your knees to make it easier, but you can’t do this, because the meaning of the exercise will be lost. When bending, the entire back of your legs should tense, but do not bend too much so as not to hurt yourself. Hold at the end point for 10 seconds, then bend the knee of your lying leg and move your body forward (Fig. 5.55). Now most of the load will fall on the front thigh of the bent leg and the supporting leg. We held for another 10 seconds and smoothly returned to the starting position. We rested and changed legs. It is advisable to breathe using ujjai practice, or at least just slowly and as deeply as possible.

Exercise 7. Passive leg stretching doesn't even require you to stand up, but it works very well on all the joints of the leg, including the hip joint. Let's try to perform the half-lotus asana (ardha padmasana). Sitting with your back straight, place your right ankle on the thigh of your left leg and relax for a few minutes (Fig. 5.56).

You don’t even have to stop working, just change your leg later so that it doesn’t go numb. Make sure your spine remains straight at all times.

Over time, you can supplement the load: in comfortable clothes, sit in the lotus position and stay in it for several minutes (Fig. 5.57).

Exercise 8. To work the pelvis, you need to stand straight and, as you exhale, move your sacrum forward, while squeezing your buttocks. This reduces the deflection in the lumbar spine. As you inhale, relax the pelvic muscles and return to the starting position.

Exercise 9. You can also do pelvic exercises borrowed from oriental dances. Standing with a straight back, on maximum distance move your hips to the left, then move them forward, right and back. This should not be done sharply and jerkily, but smoothly, so that the movement merges into one circle with a large amplitude. Rotating your pelvis in one direction, repeat the circles in the opposite direction.

In general, you should try to constantly train your gluteal muscles - when walking, standing in an elevator, in transport, etc. The buttocks maintain the correct position of the pelvis, and if they are weakened, the load on the lower back increases. It becomes difficult for the spine, and it gets tired faster. How to train your buttocks? You just need to keep them in a tucked position, while simultaneously moving the sacrum forward. When walking, you can also tuck your buttocks, and if you do some exercise while standing, then make sure not only that your back is straight, but also that your gluteal muscles work all the time and do not relax.

Pauses to relieve fatigue

As you understand, you cannot do all the above exercises at once, otherwise the working day will simply end (although, undoubtedly, there would be benefits). So you need to organize breaks to restore your performance and give yourself physical activity for 3-5 minutes.

Complexes for such “five minutes of health” need to be thought out in advance. It is advisable that each pause in work be devoted to exercises for only one muscle group. In the “five minutes” it is enough to include 2-3 exercises learned at home. Having understood the techniques, you will not only master a specific movement well, but also begin to listen to your own feelings. This means that you will select activities that are ideal for you personally.

Let's say you take four breaks throughout the day.

1. During the first of them, you pay attention to your legs - feet, legs, ankles and tendons, and at the same time do self-massage of the feet, which you will read about later.

2. The second pause is for the back. We stretched, bent over, arched our backs, and stretched our lower back. It's the middle of the day, and her back is already stiff, so she will be happy with the exercise. At the same time, you can do eye exercises and breathing practices to improve your performance for the remaining working hours.

3. We fill the third pause by stretching the shoulder joints and loading the forearms and restoring the functionality of the hands.

4. Finally, during the fourth pause, we relax our long-suffering neck and relieve tension from it. You should also massage your neck and head, and at the same time relieve eye fatigue at the end of the day.

But don’t rely on gymnastics alone, because just stretching and warming up won’t bring you back to health. Start giving yourself physical exercise during the working day. For example, if you need to communicate something or find out something about work, go to the next office, rather than calling there by phone. Climb the stairs on foot, resting along the way, and ideally, forget about the elevator altogether! If time and route allow, you can walk to and from work. When walking for a long time, it is recommended to slightly lengthen the step, literally by 2-3 centimeters: this way you will put into action all the joints of the leg that are “frozen” during the usual step.

Believe me, your body will very quickly figure out which of the proposed exercises it needs. Soon you will have a desire to do certain movements and combine them in a certain way. And at other times, on the contrary, relax the muscles that are tense without a specific purpose.

Let me remind you that in execution physical exercise Proper breathing helps. That's why Special attention I recommend focusing on mastering pranayamas. Basics for practicing these breathing exercises have already been outlined in this book, but it is quite difficult to master them without an instructor. As already mentioned, the techniques of “large pranayamas” are so different from the breathing we are used to that we either need to study a lot of special literature with video tutorials, or find a person who will explain everything in detail and check the correctness of execution. At first I studied from books, and later it turned out that I was doing everything correctly. But I spent a couple of hours studying every day. With an instructor, the learning process will be faster and easier. Pranayama by itself will not restore health, but thanks to it you will get rid of unnecessary worries and learn to overcome stress and fatigue. And this is an important step on the path to health. A healthy body has a healthy spirit, and vice versa – the body becomes healthy when the spirit in it feels good.

Now let's take a temporary break from physical education. Yes, there are several more sets of exercises ahead of us, but we can’t bother ourselves with only them. Let's turn to very useful way warm-up, self-care and wellness – self-massage.

Office self-massage

Massage is a useful and very pleasant thing. All world civilizations have their own massage systems. Wellness centers, beauty salons, and athletes cannot do without massage. It not only tidies up the muscles, but also slows down the aging of the body, relieves fatigue and improves tone. Of course, if you can visit a professional twice a week massage room, most of the following exercises that can be done at work will seem unnecessary to you. But they only take 5 minutes, but they bring benefits and health. And not all readers of this book, like myself, can find the time (and finances!) for a massage. We'll have to handle it ourselves, and I assure you: it won't turn out any worse. In addition, self-massage can be practiced at the workplace to restore strength and energy to tired muscles.

What is the essence of massage? By kneading the skin, we simultaneously influence the underlying tissues, blood vessels and tendons. They contain nerve endings, impulses from which are sent to spinal cord. The nervous system seems to wake up, come to life - and begin to better manage all our internal organs. And at the same time, capillaries - the smallest vessels - expand. This improves blood flow, and with it your well-being. In addition, massage stabilizes blood pressure and calms the heart.

When we are “our own massage therapists,” we are free to choose how, when and where to carry out the procedure, and we can also change the strength of the effect according to our own feelings. Self-massage can also be used as “ ambulance» at the first sign of muscle or joint discomfort.

I have selected self-massage techniques for you that you can use even at your workplace without attracting the attention of your office neighbors. It will only take you a couple of minutes to massage any part of your body, and you can even stay at work during this time. Use self-massage when you feel tired - your body will tell you. After all, he is cunning and very reliable arranged system, able to signal to you what your body needs right now. By responding to such emergency calls in the form of 1-2 exercises or rubbing, you will constantly keep yourself in good shape. But keep in mind that self-massage will not completely replace a massage session performed by a master of his craft, so it will be useful to contact a professional from time to time.

Alas, there is one for massage contraindications – inflammatory processes, bleeding, thrombosis and varicose veins, tuberculosis, tumors, skin damage and fungi. If you are not sure whether massage is right for you, consult a specialist.

The first rule of massage. Movements should always be directed from the edge of the body to the center. So, when massaging your hands, you need to move from the hand towards the armpit, and not vice versa. We massage the legs from the foot to the thigh. But note that the chest is massaged from the middle towards the axillary lymph nodes, and the nodes themselves are not massaged. When doing a massage, you don’t need to spend too much time on one area – 1-3 minutes is enough, and you can move on.

The second rule of massage. Different movements are used for different purposes. There are only six of them: stroking, squeezing, rubbing, kneading, shaking and effleurage.

Stroking perform slowly, with soft movements, the hand should move freely over the skin. This technique heals the skin well and calms the nervous system.

Squeezing acts on deeper layers of tissue, including muscles, and at the same time tones the central nervous system.

Trituration has a good effect on the areas of joints, tendons and soles. This technique improves blood circulation in the treated area. The difference from stroking is that when rubbing, the hand does not slide over the skin, but moves along with it, stretching the tissues that lie deeper. Rubbing is done either with the heel of the palm or with a clenched fist, and the hand can move along the muscles, across and in a circle.

Kneading And shaking serve for deep study of the muscular system and are very relaxing. The technique consists of grasping, lifting, squeezing and displacing tissue, and the process must proceed without pause, continuously. Kneading improves the outflow of lymph and blood and thereby contributes to the proper distribution of fluid in the body and the prevention of edema.

Shaking can be considered a variation of vibration massage. It is better to do such movements with one finger across the muscle fibers. At the same time, rapid oscillatory movements to the sides.

Effleurage– aka tapping, patting, chopping (depending on how you do it) – must be done with caution. The essence of the movement is frequent strikes with the hand, the edge of the palm or fingers across the relaxed muscle. You should not massage your stomach with such movements. inner surface hips and tight muscles that could not be relaxed. At the same time, in this way you can increase the tone of large muscles.

Hand massage. Hands are the organ that, even in our time of mental labor, gets most tired from work. To relax your hands better, place them on the table. First you need to stretch each finger by grasping it with your other hand and making gentle stroking and rubbing movements in a circle. Then we spread our fingers wide and with the other hand we knead the interdigital membranes. After this, thoroughly rub your palms, as if washing. Finally, we grab the wrist with the other hand and make circular stroking and kneading movements. In the same way - with circular stroking and squeezing - we massage the muscles of the forearm.

Foot massage. The most comfortable way to massage your foot is while sitting. Holding it with your hand, place it on the thigh of the second leg. With your other hand, start rubbing the sole in the direction from the toes to the heel (Fig. 5.58). You can rub with your fist, or you can perform circular movements with your fingertips. Then we move on to our fingers, rubbing each one in a circular motion.

In the same way, in the direction from the toes to the ankle, the upper surface of the foot is massaged. At your workplace, it’s good to have a foot massager that you can roll under your desk without interrupting your work. A simple small hard ball will also work as a massager.

Ankle massage. Move higher from the foot. The Achilles tendon should be rubbed and stroked in the direction from heel to calf muscle. The inner and outer surfaces of the ankle are massaged in the same way.

Calf massage Place your foot on a chair or on the thigh of your other leg. With one hand, stroke the inner surface of the shin, and with the other, the outer surface. From stroking, move on to circular kneading with your fingertips, and then to more intense squeezing in the same direction of movement.

Knee massage. The leg needs to be straightened. You should stroke the knee in a circle with both hands, and then rub it along the inner and outer surfaces of the joint with the base of your palms or fingertips (Fig. 5.59).

Thigh massage. Sit on the edge of a chair. Place the outer surface of your foot on the floor. Use both hands to simultaneously knead the front and back of your thighs (Figure 5.60). From stroking, move on to rubbing and shaking. While sitting, you should not tap a muscle, even if you really want to, because it is not relaxed enough.

Buttock massage. To prepare your buttock for a massage, kneel on a chair and shift your weight to that leg so that your other, straight leg can relax. The buttock should be rubbed with your fist, and you can also shake it to the sides and from bottom to top (Fig. 5.61).

Lumbar massage. The lower back is a very important area for massage because it is constantly tense from a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting with a straight back, place both hands along the spine (Fig. 5.62). Your hands should be pressed tightly against your back during all movements. Start with stroking, then rub the muscles with your fingertips. Make small circular movements along the spine, then away from the spine a few centimeters to the sides. The next step is to symmetrically rub the lower back with both palms along the spine and stroke again.

Neck massage. Now move to the neck. She relaxes best when we sit. The massage should begin by stroking the back and side surfaces of the neck with your fingers, “grabbing” a little the front surface of the chest. We gradually deepen the massage, switching to rubbing with fingertips (Fig. 5.63). You can spread your fingers like a “comb” and “saw” a little at the back lateral surface neck. Then transfer these movements to the side of the neck and trapezius muscle. At the end of the massage session - as always, stroking.

Scalp massage. It is very good to relieve fatigue. Spread your fingers as if you had not hands, but massage combs, and with your fingertips stroke your head from the forehead to the back of the head and from the temples to the back of the head (Fig. 5.64). Then start stroking in circular motions all over your head. Gradually, a feeling of warmth should appear - this is blood rushing to the scalp.

I deliberately do not pay attention to self-massage techniques for the back, chest and abdomen, because performing them in the workplace is problematic. In addition, you need to lie down, as they are more technically difficult. To raise your tone, the practices already given are enough. Maybe it's worth adding a couple of others.

An interesting complex may be useful to you Chinese massage. It can be performed both during the day and while lying in bed.

At first rub your hands, including massaging their back surface with circular movements. This way we stimulate the blood circulation of the vessels and activate the energy channels starting on the hands. After rubbing with maximum effort, we clench our fingers into a fist, and then relax our hand - and so on several times.

With the right hand we clasp the wrist of the left. Circular with movements we first rub the inside of the arm up to the shoulder, then go back down, rubbing the back from shoulder to wrist. For each hand you need to rise and fall several times.

Now we place our hands on the forehead, move them along the face, passing the nose, then move our hands to the back of the head behind the ears and lead them to the crown, and through the crown return them to the forehead. Ten such circular movements need to be made. Then, using the fingertips, massage of the scalp. To do this, we use circular or spiral movements. You need to touch the skin lightly, without causing discomfort and without clinging to your hair. You can, as I said above, place your fingers in the form of a comb and massage the scalp in this way. Finally, lightly drum your fingers on the scalp. This exercise stimulates blood circulation in the brain. As a result, not only does your head “cook better,” but your blood pressure also stabilizes.

Chest massage should be combined with breathing phases. As you inhale, tap your fingertips on the front and side surfaces of your chest. Then we hold our breath and rub our chest with vigorous movements. As you exhale, lightly compress the sides of the chest. This combination of practices - breathing with massage - significantly improves respiratory system, increases the vital capacity of the lungs and stimulates oxygen saturation of tissues. It is recommended to do 3-5 breathing cycles, combining them with chest massage. Of course, correct breathing techniques must be mastered in advance so that the massage does not cause discomfort.

Self-massage of the lower back among the Chinese it is similar to what I have already described above. You can supplement it with effects on the sacrum. Massage this area with light tapping movements, circular rubbing movements, and pinching. But don't overdo it. Massage in the lumbar region stimulates kidney function and prevents aging of the body.

Abdominal massage do it lying down, with your knees bent. Right hand The base of the palm is used to make circular movements clockwise. Don't be afraid to make an effort, but again, don't hurt yourself. We performed 10 repetitions, then use the base of the left palm to perform a similar massage counterclockwise. You also need to do 10 repetitions. This series of massage ends again with clockwise movements.

It is useful to supplement abdominal work acupressure. To do this, we start from the right costal arch, making jerking movements along its edge with three straightened fingers. After 2-3 pushes, we move our fingers to the left. Then we move clockwise, which will coincide with the course of the large intestine. The beginning of the movement is in the right iliac region. From it we move along the “right flank”, hypochondrium and descend along the “left flank”. As a result of this effect, the gastrointestinal tract is stimulated and metabolism improves. IN abdominal cavity blood and lymph often stagnate, and acupressure It just helps disperse the liquid. Abdominal massage is performed on an empty stomach. There are contraindications to it - inflammatory diseases of the abdominal organs and tumor processes of any localization.

To the above self-massage techniques, I’ll add one more, which is most convenient to practice at home. This acupuncture. Founded this system on biologically active points of our body. According to ancient Eastern theory, certain areas on the feet correspond to different internal organs(Fig. 5.65). So, by massaging your soles, you influence other organs and systems, healing them and activating their activity. It's like you're pressing buttons on a remote control remote control and “turn on” different systems body. Do you think Indian and Chinese monks just walk around barefoot? No, they massage their feet - after all, there are constantly small pebbles and bumps on the road that have a positive effect on active points. In our cities, you are not particularly barefoot - the climate is not the same, and there is a lot of garbage, so I recommend working according to the laws of acupuncture, sitting at home and pressing your fingers on the skin of the foot.

Now you know which organ a specific point on the foot corresponds to. Guided by the scheme, you can easily cope with emerging ailments. When it is difficult to find a specific point, you can massage the entire foot, treating each toe, interdigital spaces, metatarsal bones and Achilles tendon. In any case, this will not be superfluous. Please note that in fig. 5.66 shows the main directions of massage movements. At the same time, you can rub not only with the pads of your fingers - when they get tired, you can massage the foot with the heel of your palm.