10-Minute Yoga & Guided Meditations to Try in the Workplace

September 21st, 2022

All you need to do is carve out 10 minutes of your day...If you just told yourself “I do not have 10 minutes to do yoga,” keep reading.

This might be what’s missing from your work day. The benefits of yoga can enrich your daily life. Not just at work but in overall well-being and mental health. Some of the benefits of yoga at work are:

Reduced work stress
Increased energy
Increased focus
Increased creativity
Increased productivity
Less absenteeism

So frequently we go through the workday without taking time for ourselves. How many of us have worked through lunch or brought work home with us? The purpose of a “quick guide to yoga in the office” is to hopefully help make the work day more manageable as well as provide you with an increased mood and the ability to improve your well-being while at work.

Many workplaces have transitioned to working from home or limited time in the office and/or restrictions on the number of staff. This is an added bonus for some that may not have a private space at work. If you work from home, you may have the benefit of more personal space and privacy.

A Quick Guide to Yoga and Guided Meditation

Having a yoga session in your office or workspace might not be as difficult as you might think. One of the many benefits of yoga is no equipment is necessary. Although there is equipment to assist or offer more difficulty to poses it is not needed. Yoga can be modified and can be done with minimal space.

While yoga has many variations and poses, this guide will include beginner-level poses. If experienced in yoga feel free to add more advanced poses or create your own routine.

Below is a set of beginner yoga poses followed by a sample yoga flow that can be used or recreated to what works best for you:

Mountain Pose

Childs Pose

Downward Dog

Cat Pose

Cow Pose

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Standing Forward Bend

Cobra Pose

Puppy Pose

Seated Forward Bend

Seated Wide Angle Straddle

Extended Side Angle

Raised Hands Pose

10-Minute Yoga Flow

Begin in mountain pose.

Next, reach your fingers up to the sky in a raised hand pose for 30 seconds. Make sure to take deep breaths throughout the poses. Inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

Next, you're going to slowly bring your fingers down from the sky to your toes. If you’re unable to reach your toes feel free to put your hands on your knees or shins. You should now be in a standing forward bend pose. Hold this for 30 seconds.

Next, walk your hands out away from your toes so that you are in a downward dog pose. From there lower your knees to the floor in a tabletop position. Here we will alternate between cat and cow pose 10x total. Ex: (Cat, cow, cat, cow...) Remember to breathe through these exercises.

Now, sit back and extend your arms as you enter into child's pose. Your head should come down towards your chest and extend your hands outward into child's pose.

Now walk your hands back so that you are in a tabletop position. Walk your hands out in front of you and raise your body into a plank position.

Next, bring your right foot in between your hands, you should be in a low lunge. (Hold for 30 seconds). Alternate legs.

Now raise your chest up and enter into warrior 1 pose. Bring your back leg forward to stand. Inhale deeply and exhale deeply.

Repeat the yoga flow one more time.

Once completed, take the remaining time to meditate or visualize your day.

Meditation at the Office

If yoga is not possible, guided meditation can be another way to help provide calmness and focus to your day.

Guided meditations can reduce stress and improve mental health as well as physical well-being. Guided meditations can be a few minutes to hours. We will keep ours to 10 minutes. (We do have to return back to work)

Another plus to guided meditations is they do not require much space. There are many types of guided meditations that can be done in a seated position. A guided meditation that activates the mind and body is “muscle relaxation or muscle activation.” These can work great to help alleviate stress and activate muscles while in limited space.

While listening to your guided meditation be in the present moment. These practices offer great benefits to help reduce stress and frustration. Give it a try and see how your day goes.

Written by: Samantha Espinosa, MA.

Clarity Clinic

At Clarity Clinic, we have highly trained staff who specialize in therapy and psychiatry services. To learn more about how we can support your mental health, call Clarity Clinic at (312) 815-9660 or schedule an appointment today.

Schedule Now