Mark and I started obé to democratize the at-home fitness experience. We both grew up in the ’80s watching our moms workout to Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons, associating at-home fitness with fun, levity and self-improvement. Flash forward 25 years, and we found ourselves working as talent agents at CAA, representing A-list talent and production companies, selling programming for a millennial-minded, female consumer. As exercise fanatics, we quickly realized large portion of this demographic was being underserved in the fitness category. The consumer wanted access to varied, premium fitness experiences led by the best talent in the business that didn’t come with a Park Avenue zip code or price tag. We set out to democratize the boutique fitness experience, while emphasizing accountability and community as key elements for success.
Here are a few of our favorite in-office yoga postures from one of our yoga instructors, Eve K, that will restore and replenish you between back-to-back meetings. You can do these at any point during your next work day:
1. Eagle Arms – This is a variation of Eagle where we only work the upper body. Wrap one arm under and around the other at the elbows, and another wrap at the hands allowing the palms to touch. This will open up your shoulders in a big way. For a deeper stretch you can send your hands up and back creating a micro-backbend. Make sure to do both sides.
2. Figure Four Legs – Sitting in a chair all day can tighten your hips! An easy way to open them up is to pull away from your desk a bit and keep one foot planted on the floor while the opposite foot sits on the opposite knee creating a figure four shape. From there you can start to fold forward getting deeper into the hip and opening through the spine. Remember to do both sides.
3. Abs – If a plank is out of the question, simple crunches certainly aren’t! Make sure your spine is super long and your shoulders are back. Think of lifting the heart out of the hips, then pull the pelvic floor up so you’re light on your seat. Knit the ribs together, pull the obliques in toward the mid-line, and pull the belly button back toward the spine.
4. Side Body Stretch – Raise both arms up high and grab the right wrist with the left hand and lean to the left. Pull up and out and really find length between the hip and the finger tips. Ground your right hip to get the biggest stretch. Then switch sides.
5. Counting Fingers Mantra – If you find you’re juggling too much and need a reset, set a timer for 1-3 minutes. Sit tall in your seat, and roll the shoulders up, back, then down. Lift the heart then slightly tuck the chin. Close your eyes, and count out to four touching your thumb to pinky, thumb to ring finger, thumb to middle finger, thumb to forefinger. Start over and see if you can inhale all four then exhale all four.