After Sitting All Day

The evening undo for eight chair-bound hours.

12 minutesGentlebeginnerNeeds: Mat, Wall

Eight hours of sitting leaves a predictable signature: shortened hip flexors, a rounded upper back, compressed lungs, and legs that have done nothing while the back did too much. This sequence reverses each item on that list, in order.

It's designed for the first fifteen minutes after getting home — before the couch, because after the couch it doesn't happen.

The sequence

  1. 1
    Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
    Legs Up the WallViparita Karani

    3 minutes

    First, drain the day out of the legs.

  2. 2
    Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
    Low LungeAnjaneyasana

    8 breaths per side

    The direct antidote to hip-flexor shortening.

  3. 3
    Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
    Standing Forward FoldUttanasana

    8 breaths

  4. 4
    Extended Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)
    Extended Puppy PoseUttana Shishosana

    8 breaths

    Opens the chest the desk closed.

  5. 5
    Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
    Bridge PoseSetu Bandha Sarvangasana

    6 breaths, twice

  6. 6
    Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
    Supine TwistSupta Matsyendrasana

    8 breaths per side

  7. 7
    Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
    Happy BabyAnanda Balasana

    8 breaths

Breath

Long exhales throughout — the day's pace is exactly what you're breathing out.

To finish

Lie flat for a minute. Now the couch, guilt-free.

Prints clean — pin it where you'll practice.

Where this fits

For feeling flexible · restored — works home.