During the past couple months under social distancing guidelines, many of us have spent a lot of time working at home. As we try to make our couches into offices and spend an increasing amount of time hunched over screens for online meetings, our posture is suffering. The shoulders round forward, the upper back's kyphotic curve becomes more pronounced, the muscles of the chest tighten and our necks often begin to feel tight, stiff or painful as a result.

Luckily, the antidote for this slumped posture created by spending too much time on the couch is actually called couch pose (paryankasana.) Completely inspired by the tension in my neck, this 65-minute vinyasa class builds towards couch pose, with a lot of opening for the shoulders, calves, quadriceps and hip flexors along the way. As a bonus treat, there are no chaturanga dandasanas (push ups) in the sequence (it is still challenging, though!) Towards the end, I included some conditioning exercises to help those working towards forearm stand (pincha mayurasana) make some progress.

To get the optimal experience out of class, you will want at least one yoga block. A blanket to pad the knees may also prove very useful. Please reach out if you get lost or have questions!