Translating Intentionality Into Every Moment Of Your Life
5 Yoga Poses You Can Practice At Work
At the beginning of all yoga classes the instructor encourages the yogis to set an intention. During this time you are encouraged to quiet your mind, settle your body, slow your breath and think about what you want to accomplish during the class. Once your intention is set in your mind that becomes your focus and goal.
This intention setting is really allowing you to bring to your mind what your body is asking of it for that day. It creates a connection or bridge between your body and your mind. It’s an agreement your body and mind make with one another acknowledging each one’s needs, desires and abilities.
Practicing setting intentions and acting them out during your yoga class is a beautiful metaphor for life. During your yoga practice you are mimicking what you could and should do on a daily, and even hourly basis.
If you’re setting intentions for yourself on an hourly basis then that implies that your intentional time should include your moments at work. Your work time should not be an exclusion of your intentional living. You’ve been placed at your work for a purpose, and being purposeful during that time will bring you peace and make you more effective.
To be intentional at your work you can set your mind to practice some poses that will enable you to be more physically and emotionally connected with your work day.
The Breath is Life: 5 Yoga Poses to Practice at Your Desk
- Create space in your wrists. This will help if you are typing a lot during your workday. Begin the poses with your hands in prayer position (Anjali Mudra). Release your hands while turning the palm of your right hand away from your body. Grab your right hand with your left hand, so that your fingers are covering the little finger side of your hand. While holding the hand, gently pull your elbows away for each other. This movement creates space in your wrist joints. You’ll want to repeat this pose on the other hand to balance out both hands and wrists.
- Scale pose helps to engage your deep abdominal muscles. You’ll begin by sitting at the edge of your chair. Press both hands down on both sides of your hips. Raise your legs and bottom up off the seat using the strength of your wrists, arms and abdomen. Make sure you are keeping the tops of your shoulders down. You can hold this pose for a few seconds and repeat a couple of times.
- Ankle to knee pose will help stretch your hip flexors. Begin by placing your left foot over your right knee. Open your left knee out while keeping your back straight. Take some deep breaths and switch sides. You can also add a backstretch into this pose by leaning forward as you open each knee to its side.
- The High Altar Pose allows you to stretch your arms back and torso. While inhaling lift your arms and clasp your hands together. Invert your palms. Beginning by sitting up straight, lean to your left and hold it for some breaths, then proceed to the other side.
- Planking at your desk is a fun way to lengthen out your rounded back usually humped over while doing your seated work. Your hands should be shoulder width distance or wider at your sturdy desk’s edge. Step your feet back until your feet are under your hips. You should feel a nice traction for your spine during this pose. Hold it as long as you can and you can even set an intention to build your plank length time by 5 seconds each day. Try working up to holding it for an entire minute.
Your moments that you’re given each day are a gift. At Les Belles NYC, we want to help guide you toward intentional living with each and every moment. At work, we encourage you to practice intentionality.
At home, we encourage your to practice living a balanced life. One way to experience this balance is through setting proper dental intentions. Ensuring that you’re brushing your teeth carefully at least twice daily and flossing once daily will help your maintain a healthy balance between your physical health and your dental health. Each part of your body is depending on the other to care properly for the other. When one part suffers the others suffer as well.
Contact our office today. We are centrally located in Grand Central Station in New York City. At Les Belles NYC, we will offer you a moment of peaceful dental oasis intentionality in the middle of our beloved, yet bustling city where we’re all honored to work and live.
“Our Intention Creates Our Reality.” – Wayne Dyer
