My name is Linda, and I am excited to be joining the Corporate Personal Fitness team.
2020 was a challenging year for everyone. However, with a lot of support and encouragement from the team, I achieved Active IQ level 3 qualifications in both Yoga Teaching and Personal Training.
I have worked in the fitness industry for over 30 years and my passion for health and wellbeing has never waned. In fact, my passion has grown stronger since achieving my qualifications with my new passion being Yoga.
Since qualifying, I have been teaching yoga regularly online and I am looking forward to teaching live online Desk Yoga sessions.
The human body is well designed for movement but all too often the modern way of working has led to more and more of us spending a lot of time sitting at desks. Also, modern lives tend to be more sedentary, even more so during the current pandemic.
Working at your desk, kitchen table or even on your settee for eight hours or more can lead to aching backs, necks, shoulders, and wrists. Hips and chest muscles may become tight and ankle and knee joints may become stiff. It’s important to keep moving. We may become more stressed or anxious while at work and although yoga may not eliminate stress, it is the perfect antidote to sitting at a desk all day.
I work in an office myself and currently I am working from home, so I know from first-hand experience the health problems long office hours can cause. Over the years I have experienced neck and wrist pain and I will certainly be including exercises that help alleviate stress and pain in those joints. I also used to often get that three o’clock feeling of extreme tiredness, but I now have a great easy exercise to wake up and energise the body and I will certainly be teaching that as part of my yoga routine.
Leaving the office or home to exercise may not always be feasible. So, with as little as half an hour of desk yoga, you can reduce discomfort, energise the body, relieve stress, and clear the mind leading to improved concentration and focus.
Over time you will become familiar with the yoga exercises and breathing techniques. This will give you the confidence, knowledge, and skill to perform individual exercises and techniques at times throughout the day that you feel your body needs. Even with just a minute of exercise, you can reap the rewards.
Desk yoga is suitable for everyone as the exercises can be adapted to benefit people of all ages, from the young and fit, to elders with arthritis, and everyone in between. It can be practiced in most work environments, whether working from the office or home and there is no need for any special equipment or clothing. Just ensure your clothing is not tight and restrictive. Wear comfortable clothes that allow freedom of movement.
Remember, the benefits of desk yoga are cumulative; the more you practice the better you feel.