Question:

I sit at a desk all day and as a result have a sore lower back and tight hips. What yoga exercises do you recommend that I could do daily to counteract my desk job?

Answer:

Professional sitter syndrome, as we call it, is very common with many corporate-type jobs. The main muscles we are concerned about here are the iliopsoas muscles that attach from the lower back to the top of the upper leg. They are responsible for flexing the hip forward and lifting the leg up. When we sit all day you can see how these muscles easily get tight.

All lunging poses will target this area and also a lot of the side standing poses, such as triangle, crescent lunge and side-angle pose. Back-bending poses will also be great for this muscle group but make sure your core is braced so as not to compress spinal joints.

I believe that a gentle sequence each morning incorporating sun salutations, crescent lunge, side-angle and triangle will have a huge impact. But it would be great to complete full routines to ensure the body is balanced. Remember, movement is like medicine to someone who sits for long periods each day.

Duncan Peak — yoga expert
www.powerliving.com.au