To offer an evidence-based approach in my new course, I have been researching sedentary lifestyle and its impact on our health. I became curious to find out how much time we actually spend at a desk. As I like numbers, I decided to calculate the answer using a typical UK working pattern:

• 25 days annual leave
• 8 bank holidays
• around 4 short sick days per year
• 7.5-hour workdays
• across a 40-year career
Most people work approximately 223 days per year, which is the equivalent of:
• 2,787 days
• 399 weeks
• 7.6 years of seated working time

From a data perspective, it’s striking how something that feels so ordinary — just sitting at a desk — becomes such a dominant physical experience when viewed cumulatively.

What’s interesting is that the body rarely reacts all at once.The early changes are subtle. A head that rests slightly further forward by the end of the day. Shoulders that round a little after hours at a screen. Occasional neck tension. A sense of tightness across the chest. Nothing dramatic. Nothing alarming. And that’s why most people dismiss it as “just part of work” or “getting older”.

But research consistently shows that this early phase is when the body is most responsive to change. Small adjustments as regular movement breaks, movement variety and conscious breathing can have a measurable impact when repeated over time.

This way of thinking is what shaped Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals: helping desk-based people move and breathe better within the reality of modern work.

If you’d like to explore how this applies to your own working day, you can still join the founder course which includes special, on-off benefits:

Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals

Please contact me directly if you have any unanswered questions.

I look forward to welcoming you and supporting you on this journey.

The post What 40 years at a desk really looks like appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

This course represents many months of work, research, and careful planning, and I’ll be honest — I feel both excited and a little nervous sharing it with you for the first time. It’s a project I truly care about, and I’m proud to finally make it available.

The course is designed to support desk-based professionals experiencing neck and shoulder pain, postural strain, and fatigue associated with long hours of screen use. It combines evidence-based research with practical yoga and breathing practices that can be applied in a realistic and sustainable way.

This first release is intentionally small. Keeping the group limited allows me to stay closely involved, offer guidance, and shape the course with feedback from participants as the content is released.

Access the course here:

Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals

If you have any questions or would like to check whether this course is right for you, please get in touch.

Thank you for your interest and trust — I’m very much looking forward to welcoming the first group into the course.

The post Enrolment is now open – Yoga for Desk Professionals appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

As I’m well known for speaking my mind, I had to tell him: “Baby, your posture is a poor advertisement for my Yoga for Desk Professionals course.”

Jokes aside, it’s a reminder of how hard it is to break the “desk-hunch” cycle.
Even when you live with a yoga teacher, the pull of the screen is strong. He’s currently struggling with the exact things I help my clients solve:

·       Chronic neck pain and shoulder tension
·       Persistent headaches
·       The afternoon energy slump

I’m on a mission to teach him (and you) how to transition from:
❌ The Desk-Hunch: Head forward, shallow breathing, and neck pain.
✅ The Power Posture: Aligned spine, open chest, and fewer headaches.

I’m using all my sales skills to ensure he finally lets me help him. In the meantime, my course doors are open for those of you who are ready to feel better now.

Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals

With the waiting list closing this weekend, I would like to explain why now is the best time to join.

– This is the first version of the course. The materials will be prepared and released week by week. Joining the founder launch offers you the opportunity to co-create the course with your input on what you need and would like to see more of, in order to maximise your results.

– You will have lifetime access to the course materials (for as long as the course exists on the Zenler platform).

– All future course updates will be available to you at no extra cost.

– A one-off special price will be offered to founder members. This price will not be available for future cohorts.

– You will have more time with the teacher and my personal support with any questions you may have.

– The number of places is limited, and people on the waiting list will be the first to have the opportunity to secure these benefits and purchase the course.

The waiting list will close at 5:00 pm GMT on Sunday, 08th February.

If this course feels relevant to you, I encourage you not to leave it until later. Many people wait until pain and discomfort starts to interfere with their work or daily life. This course will support you before that happens, when change is easier and more sustainable.

Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals

Is anything still unclear? Please feel free to get in touch. I will be happy to support you.

The post When your partner is your toughest client appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

The course is designed specifically to support people who work at a desk by focusing on:

1) Realistic integration: Practices that take minutes, not hours.
2) Science over trends: Research-informed movement designed to counter the side-effects of prolonged sitting.
3) Sustainable habits: Helping your body adapt to a modern digital workspace.

I am limiting the number of places for this initial Founder Version  so that I can offer an more individual approach and make sure that participants get best results.  A founder course also means that we can shape this course together, and your feedback will be considered and included in the lessons I will deliver. Because of this, I’ve opened a waiting list to give those interested priority access.

Joining the waiting list ensures you stay informed as the course develops and receive full details (including a one-time Founder’s rate) as soon as enrolment opens.

The waiting list is the only way to access this specific version of the program. If you’re looking for a sustainable, science-backed practice to support your body during the working day, you can join here:

Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals

I am very much looking forward to starting this journey with you.

If you have any questions, you can reach me via Email: info@yogapathwithin.com

Anita/Yoga Path Within

The post Founder Version of Evidence-Based Yoga for Desk Professionals appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

Over the past weeks, we have been discussing text neck and forward head posture: a postural pattern in which the head gradually shifts forward in relation to the shoulders and torso. This change alters the mechanical load on the cervical spine. Over time, it can increase strain on the neck, shoulders, and upper back and may contribute to pain, stiffness, headaches, and reduced mobility.

I would like to share a simple posture check that can give you an indication of your head position in relation to the rest of your body.

1. Stand with your back against a wall.
2. Allow your heels, pelvis, upper back (thoracic spine), and head to rest against the wall.
3. Keep your gaze forward and your chin parallel to the floor.
4. Notice how your head relates to the wall without forcing or adjusting the position.

If the back of your head can comfortably make contact with the wall while the chin remains parallel to the floor, this suggests a more neutral alignment of the cervical spine. In this position, the head is balanced more directly over the torso, and the load on the neck muscles and spinal structures is more evenly distributed.

If contact with the wall is only possible by lifting the chin upwards, this often indicates forward head posture. In this pattern, the head sits anterior to the shoulders, increasing the mechanical load on the cervical spine. To keep the eyes level and the head upright, the body often compensates through increased muscle activity in the upper back, shoulders, and neck, which can contribute to tension, fatigue, discomfort and pain.

This brief check is not intended to diagnose or correct posture. Its purpose is to increase your awareness of habitual alignment.

The post A 5-Second Alignment Check appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

The post Text Neck: Small Changes, Big Relief appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

When we lean forward, the load placed on the cervical spine increases dramatically. A head that weighs approximately 4.5-6 kg in a neutral position can exert up to 27 kg of force on the neck when tilted forward by 60 degrees.
Let that sink in: 27 kg of pressure for your neck, spine, and upper back to support.

To help visualise this, consider a simple experiment. Next time you are at the gym, load a barbell with 27 kg and try to lift it. Many of us would struggle to move it, let alone carry it. Now imagine this level of strain placed on your body every day through forward head posture and rounded shoulders.

Over time, this posture can contribute to significant health issues:
-Pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility in the neck, shoulders, and upper back
-Tingling, numbness, or weakness radiating down the arms and hands
-Changes to the curvature of the cervical spine, including thoracic kyphosis (also known as Dowager’s Hump)
-Reduced lung capacity and shallow breathing patterns

The good news is that, in most cases, the effects of text neck can be improved and often reversed with correct posture, mindful movement, and targeted exercises.

Curious to learn how? Stay tuned for the upcoming posts.

The post Have you ever heard of “text neck”? appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

After the initial laughter, this moment made me reflect on how often we take things for granted and assume everyone understands something that seems obvious to us.

Let’s take breathing as an example. Breathing is an automatic process that keeps us alive, and you would expect that we all know how to do it correctly, right?
Yet I often see people breathing only through their mouth, keeping the breath shallow, not expanding the whole ribcage, or even pausing their breath when they feel anxious or stressed. These patterns are very common and usually happen without us realising.

So what does this have to do with posture, which we discussed in the previous post?

Imagine your lungs are like a balloon you want to inflate inside a box, but at the same time you keep narrowing the box from the sides. Inflating the balloon becomes much harder.
The same thing happens in your body: when the head and shoulders hinge forward, we reduce the space the ribcage and diaphragm need to move. This limits how easily the lungs can expand and makes breathing less efficient.

Take a moment to notice how you are sitting right now. Take three breaths in and out. Then adjust your posture as mentioned in the previous post, and try breathing again.

This is a simplified explanation of how posture and breathing influence each other, but I firmly believe that real progress begins with understanding the basics—and knowing why these small changes matter.

The post “You have birthday too?” appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

Same thing happens to me when I am observing people’s postures – I have a big desire to approach them and correct their neck and shoulders alignment.
As soon I mention this to someone, they straighten their back and open the chest. Admit it, did you do the same? :)

In following posts I will be sharing more tips about the posture and what can you do to improve it and release tension in your upper body.

In the meantime, try out this two simple things:
– Whenever you remember, lengthen your neck and hold your chin parallel to the floor. Relax your shoulders. Repeating this movement will assist you to build a new habit.
– When you use your phone again, hold it closer to your eye level to avoid hinging forward.

If you have any specific questions, please get in touch. Or stay tuned for more information.

The post Will you do the same? :) appeared first on Yoga Path Within.

I am setting up a new class starting from 28th of Septembre 2023 which will be a blend of two specialisations I hold – adapting Yoga for people living with cancer and Yoga for digestive health.

Gentle Yoga class with focus on interoception (how the movement feels). The class is suitable for everyone who enjoys slow and mindful practice leading to deep relaxation and rest.

If you are a cancer patient, cancer survivor or a cancer patient carer this class will offer you a safe place to practice, deal with some side effects of the treatment, changed body image or emotional implications of living with cancer. Practice will also include breathing techniques and postures arising from the belly area to allow you to connect to this vital part of our body and support digestive system function.

Whilst honouring your body you will be safely guided through the practice with a choice to take a break whenever you need it. Majority of the class will be on the ground but we will also practice sitting or standing. To attend the class you should be comfortable to lay on your back and independently come back up to standing position.

Schedule:

Every Thursday from 07.00 to 08.00 pm

Location:

Online

Price:

£12 drop in class

£34 for a 4 classes package, validity is 6 weeks from the purchase date

Bookings are non-refundable and non-changeable.

By booking and attending the class following terms and conditions apply:

https://www.yogapathwithin.com/waiver-of-liability/

Offer:

If you never practiced Yoga with me first class is free of charge so that you can check if my teaching style suits you.

Booking:

Booking a spot is essential. You can claim a free class via following link: https://www.yogapathwithin.com/book-now/

To book a class please click following link: https://bookinghawk.com/events-overview/yoga-path-within/859

Please contact me if you have any questions. I will be happy to assist.

Anita / Yoga Path Within

The post Gentle Hatha Yoga appeared first on Yoga Path Within.