destress |
Teachers, this is your opportunity to destress! Every week during the school year, Edu-Wellness provides you movement tips that you can perform at your desk and a meditation that we hope you implement throughout your school day. You will have access to recorded videos created solely for you!
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movement |
Sitting at your desk for long periods of time can develop poor posture, in addition to poor mental health. Teachers, take breaks! Stand up every 30 minutes and move for 1 minute. Movement will provided every week by Edu-Wellness or guest instructors.
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EYES, Head + neck
neck stretches- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- place your thumbs on your shoulders as a reminder to keep your shoulders from lifting or moving - keep your eyes, nose and chin level with ears aligned with your shoulders - slowly move your head side to side, forward and back, around in a circle |
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- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- place one hand on the opposite shoulder, other hand on your lap - slowly bring your ear toward your shoulder of the bent arm and hold - breath into the areas that are tight - switch sides |
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- sit with a straight back in your chair with feet planted on the ground
- slowly let gravity bring your ear towards your shoulder - if comfortable for you, place your hand on the top of your head and allow gravity to help bring your ear toward your shoulder - breath into the areas that are tight - switch sides |
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eye work- sitting in front of you computer can be tiring for your eyes
- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground - with your head level and ears aligned with shoulders, place your index finger within a foot from your nose - use your index finger as a guide for your eyes to follow from top to bottom, left to right, and around a clock - go as far as you are comfortable - try this with both your dominant hand and non-dominant hand |
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shoulders + CHEST
shoulder shrugs + rolls- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- raise your shoulders to your ears then release - rotate shoulders forward and backward - do as many repetitions as comfortable (e.g. 3 sets of 10 shoulder shrugs = 30 total) |
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shoulder rotations- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- raise your arms - keep your shoulders down - engage your core - rotate arms forward for 30 seconds then backward for 30 seconds note: If you begin to lose form stop. |
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shoulder stretches- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- bring one arm across the front of your body and hold your forearm or tricep area (not your elbow) for a few seconds for a dynamic stretch - with slow control, switch to the other side - play with the rotation of your shoulder |
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desk chest dips- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- place your hands on the edge of your desk - bend your arms and slowly lower your chest toward the desk then slowly push hands away so that arms are straightened, but not locked out - think about time under tension and do this move slowly - play with the angle of your arms to feel the different muscles used |
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shoulder + chest opener- grab a prop like a towel, strap, belt, tie, or t-shirt
- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground - hold the prop in one hand, fold your arm at the elbow and bring the prop behind your back - grab the prop in your other hand and gently tug - keep your spine lengthened as you stretch - this is a good exercise to do if you are bent over your keyboard for a long period of time |
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wrists + Hands
hand grabs + flicks- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- rotate hands at the wrist clockwise and counter-clockwise - sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground - open your hands with all fingers spread out, "grab" the air as quickly as you can |
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- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- from a closed hand with fingers and thumbs touching, quickly flick fingers wide |
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wrist stretches- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- extend one arm in front of you as if you want to tell a student to "stop", use your other hand to deepen the stretch by pulling your fingers toward you - with your arm extended, point your fingers down and, again, use your other hand to deepen the stretch - switch sides |
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Biceps + triceps
biceps- sit with a straight back in your chair and feet planted on the ground
- bend your elbow, keeping your bent elbow close to your side, palm facing up - use your other hand as resistance and raise your bent arm against that resistance - switch arms |
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desk tricep dips- face away from your stable/fixed desk, standing close enough to your desk to touch the edge
- feet hip width distance apart from each other - place the palms of your hands a touch wider than shoulder width apart on the edge of the desk - while holding onto the edge of the desk, lower your bottom several inches then raise up focusing on your triceps |
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meditation
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3 minute kindness + patience meditation
3-5 minute meditations will provided every week by Edu-Wellness or guest instructors. |
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meals |
Edu-Wellness provides teachers nutrient dense meals every week during the school year. For the hours outside of class when you think about eating healthfully, start small - eat more vegetables and fruit (vs. processed foods), if that's available to you. For more information on healthful eating, go to myplate.gov
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before you start |
Yoga and exercise can be strenuous physical activities with risk of injury. Edu-Wellness recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. Your participation in our movements is voluntary and at your own risk. By participating, you agree that you are solely responsible for listening to your body, participating at your own pace, and modifying instructions or suggested physical adjustments to your level of ability and physical as well as mental condition.
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