Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Wake Up & Stretch for Office Workers

Episode Date: August 29, 2022

This morning, wake your mind and body with mindfulness and yoga designed to alleviate common mental and physical issues for office workers. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up Premium Feed. Hey there, good morning. Welcome to Wake Me Up and to this Wake Up and Stretch episode, where we'll get out of bed and prepare the mind and body for a great day. This episode is designed specifically for office workers, to alleviate the common issues of sitting at a desk for long portions of the day. We'll give special attention to the neck, shoulders, wrists, and low back,

and some of the mental aspects of it as well. But even if you're not a desk worker, this episode will be helpful. These are things we all deal with. They're just more pronounced in those of us living the office life. I recommend you start this episode in bed, but if you're already up and about, Don't worry. That's just fine. Wherever you find yourself right now, just pause for a moment.

And let's take a couple of deep breaths. So inhale, fill all the way up. Hold and release. Once more, even deeper. Inhale, hold at the top. And exhale, just let it all go. Now let's do a couple of really easy, gentle stretches, we're here too. If you're in bed, then roll over on your back. And if you're already up,

just find your way to the ground, a soft place ideally, and lay on your back. Once you're there, inhale, bend your knees and bring them into your chest. Wrap your arms around them, and as you exhale, give them a big squeeze. Hold that squeeze while you inhale again, and then exhale and let your knees fall over to the right. Keep your shoulders flat on the surface beneath you. And just let your legs fall over as far as is comfortable. Some may get all the way over, some may not. It doesn't matter.

Whatever feels right to you. We're just opening up the hips and the lower back here a little, so keep it nice and easy. On your next inhale, bring your knees back to center. And then when you exhale, let them fall over to the left. Same thing as before, just on the other side. Keep it nice and gentle. No need to push it.

And while you're here, just enjoy this moment of quiet to yourself. Now on your next inhale, bring your knees back to center. Give your legs one more big squeeze into your chest. Hold this for a moment. Having your legs above your chest like this, helps to get the blood flowing and to wake you up. While you're here, why not think about one thing you're looking forward to today?

Work, school, and life in general. These things can become mundane at times. But there's always something to look forward to, even if it's just a lunch break or climbing into bed at night. So now that you've got something to look forward to, let's get the day started. Take another big breath in, and as you exhale, roll over, and make your way to standing up.

All right, now that we're all up and out of bed, let's do some more stretches. And as always, just a quick word of warning first. Don't do any stretch if you're not able or if you have an injury. My stretches are just suggestions. You can always do something different. If you would ever like to see a visual guide, you can find a link to do that in the show notes. First things first, we're going to roll. out our wrists. That's a really common issue we have as desk workers. So start with your right

wrist and just roll it out in big, slow circles all the way around. And if you have some creaks and pops while you do these stretches, that's all right. If it hurts, back off. But if it feels okay, just try to work through it. Sometimes we get that build up as we sleep. Now pause and roll your wrist in the opposite direction a few times. Now let's switch to the left wrist. Again, just rolling it out in big, slow circles. Really feel for any areas of tension and try to work through them. Don't avoid them.

All right. Now pause and roll your wrist in the opposite direction a few times too. Okay. Now relax both hands back down by your side. And let's do some arm circles. We'll start with the right side again. Just take your arm. and move it around in a big circle,

all the way around your range of motion, like your arm's a windmill. Nice and slow, and again, if you notice an area of tension, try to work through it instead of avoiding it. Once you've done a few circles in one direction, pause, and do a few more in the opposite direction too. All right, you can relax your right arm back down now,

and let's switch to the left side, doing the same thing, drawing those big circles, all the way around your range of motion. Now pause and do a few circles in the opposite direction. Fantastic. Now relax both arms back down and just let your shoulders drop. We're going to loosen up the neck a little bit.

And to do that, all you need to do is look forward, reach the crown of your head towards the ceiling, and then let your head fall over your right shoulder. You'll feel a stretched on the left side of your neck. As you do these stretches, make sure you keep breathing. It's really important to deliver oxygen to your muscles. That helps to bring life back to them. Now come back to center, crown of your head towards the ceiling again,

and then let your head fall over your left shoulder. Feeling that stretched on the right side of your neck now. Nice and easy. Again, no need to push anything. All right. Now bring your head back to center, crowned towards. towards the ceiling. And our last stretch will be a good old forward fold.

So inhale and reach your hands up. Reach all the way to the sky. And then on your exhale, fold forward at your waist. Let everything relax towards the ground. Nice and easy. Just relax. Breathe. You can even close your eyes if you'd like.

Appreciate this time to yourself. And take a moment to remember why you do. what you do with your days. Maybe you work to feed yourself, to provide for your needs. Maybe you have a family to support. Maybe you're learning something. Learning is always worthwhile.

Maybe you even find special meaning in what you do. Whatever applies to you, think of those deeper meanings. When life gets routine and mundane, coming back to these reasons can renew your drive and your sense of purpose. And every day is a good day to live with purpose. Now slowly begin to roll all the way back up to standing.

And when you get there, let's do two rolls of the shoulders, up, back, and down, and again, up and down, and release. Great. Now it's time to get out there and make the most of this day. I hope you're awake and ready to take on the world. I'll see you back here tomorrow for this week's meditation. And until then, go out and have a fantastic day.