Do you spend several hours each day hunched over a computer screen? It’s no secret that sitting in front of a computer isn’t that great for your body, but a regular yoga practice can actually help ease the symptoms of “computer-itis”!
Many computer users struggle with back pain and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome as a result of sitting and typing all day. Carpel Tunnel is a potentially debilitation nerve disorder of the hand that is usually caused by repetitive motions like typing. Many computer users have found that the condition deteriorated to such an extent that it becomes too painful to use their hand!
So, how can yoga alleviate the symptoms of people who are suffering from Carpel Tunnel and other computer-related disorders? The stretching and twisting that is involved with a regular yoga practice helps to repair the nerve tissues that have been damaged from repeated computer use. Stretching the joints can also relieve compression and inflammation, and improve blood circulation to the damaged parts of your hand.
Computer users frequently tend to complain about the huge toll that computers take on their eyes. You might even get frequent headaches from straining your vision all day long. Here’s some good news for you: according to a study published in Head and Face Medicine, computer users who practiced yoga for an hour each day experienced improved visual comfort and reduced “dry eye”.
If you absolutely cannot tear yourself away from the computer screen to attend a yoga class, there are a number of seated yoga postures you can actually do at your desk! Try some of these poses to see if your body feels better—
1. Parvatasana: with your arms overhead, stretch your spine. Sit up and raise your arms.
2. Gomukhasana (cow face pose): place one elbow up beside the head, and the other arm bent back low below the palm. Try to hook the fingers together and follow with shoulder and neck shrugs.
3. Garudasana (eagle pose): put one upper arm above the other with both forearms entwined. Twist both sides, stretching under the shoulder blades.
