Follow Me For Tension And Stress Relief Now

If you’re reading this you’ve probably been sitting at your desk for at least half an hour by now. Whether you’re sucked into Facebook or finishing up your dissertation, everyone needs a movement break. Follow me for instant stress relief…

1.) Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. Don’t try to control it, just watch it. Notice any tension in the body and try to quiet your thoughts. Imagine a string is attached to the top of your head and it’s pulling your spine straight up through the ceiling. Sit up nice and tall… no slouching! On every exhale imagine a shower of water running from the top of your head down the neck, shoulder, all the way through the finger tips. From this relaxed place follow along…

2.) Hold on to the seat of your chair and drop your shoulders down the sides of the body. Take your right ear to your shoulder. Hold and breath. Repeat on other side. Turn it into a flowing motion… Inhale the head center, exhale right ear down, inhale head center, exhale left ear down.

3.) Keep a hold on the seat and open the collar bones a little wider. Turn the head to the right and hold (slightly drive the left shoulder down and collar bone more open). As if the chin is on a shelf take your head through center to the left. Hold here and drop the right shoulder down and collar bone open. Turn it into a flowing motion by inhaling the face center and exhale to either side.

4.) Take the right ear down to the shoulder and drop the chin and focus to the chest. Hold and breath on each side. Drop the opposite shoulder down the back.

5.) Go into full head circles. Chin down, right, back, left…etc. Drop and anchor both shoulders down stabilizing the torso and breath.

6.) Shoulder shrug. Inhale shoulders up as high as you can, exhale let em’ drop heavy to the earth. Finger tips reaching to the floor.

7.) Roll the shoulders forward, reaching toward the computer, then pinch the blades in the back. Inhale roll, exhale pinch.

8.) Then find center (not pinched or rolled forward…collar bones open and wide) with the shoulders down as though you are pressing down on a table top.

9.) Clasp fingers behind the skull and drop the chin to chest. Wrap and squeeze the elbows around the head. Drop the shoulder blades down the back and open the collar bones. Slight pressure down on the skull. Hold and breath. Let the mid back and neck open…ahhhh

10.) Hold onto one chair arm and side bend the spine away from that arm. Keep the pelvis planted evenly on the chair. Hold and breath. Other side.

11.) Kneel on the seat of the chair and sit on your heels. Let the back rest against the top of the back of the chair right under the bottom tips of the shoulder blades. Support the skull with the hands. Extend the spine over the back of the chair and let the elbows fall open to the floor. Keep the abdominals engaged and pulled in. Hold and breath. FYI: Make sure your chair won’t tip backward before doing this!!

12.) Keep the kneel and hold onto the front of the seat. Round the spine like a cat, pulling the belly in. Curl the tail bone under and try to make a perfect “C” with the spine. Hold and breath. Let the head hang.

13.) Sit back on the seat. Keep your pelvis square to the computer and twist the spine to the right. Use your arms to help pull you around. Sit tall and image your spine is a barber poll spiraling. Try to square off the ribcage and collar bones to the right wall. Hold and breath. Go left.

AAHHHHH…don’t you feel better?!