1. Sit up tall in your chair, or if possible stand up. Stretch your arms overhead and interlock your fingers, turn the palms to the ceiling. Take a deep breathe in and on the exhale extend your side torso and take the tips of the shoulder blades into the body. Take another deep breathe and on the exhale stretch to the right, inhale come up and exhale stretch to the left.

2.On an inhale, lift your shoulders up to your ears and then exhale and let them drop. Repeat 3 times. Contract the trapezius muscle fully when you lift your shoulders up and then on the drop it will release more completely.

3. Stand (or sit at your desk) with your feet planted firmly in the ground. Inhale and raise the arms out to the side, palms down. Exhale and rotate the palms up, rolling the shoulders back. Take an inhale and on the exhale, bend the elbows in toward the waist. Inhale and on the exhale bring the palms to the belly. This exercise helps to open the chest and extend the upper back

4. Take your hands behind your back and interlock the fingers, stretching the shoulders back, opening the chest. Take several breaths. Make sure that your head stays in the mid-line and that your eye gaze is on the horizon.

5.Stand by the wall, extend your right arm and place the palm on the wall with the fingers up. On an exhale, turn your chest away, taking the shoulder blade into the torso.

6. Stand by your desk and place your palms on the desk top with the fingers pointing toward your body. Gently stretch the lower arm and wrist.

7. Wrap the right arm around the torso and place your right hand on the left shoulder with the elbow at chest height and facing forward. Put your left hand on the right elbow and on an exhale, stretch it toward the left, opening between the shoulder blades. Hold for several breaths and then release. Repeat on the other side

8. Reach the right arm into the air and on an exhale bend the elbow and reach your fingers down the back, between the shoulder blades. Place the left hand on the elbow and on an exhale gently pull the elbow to the left. Relax the ribs and hold for several breaths. Release and repeat on the other side.

9. Hug your arms around your chest and then put one elbow underneath the other, the hand facing toward each other and fingers to the ceiling. Exhale and slowly raise the arms so that the elbows come up to the height of the shoulder, keep the shoulders down. Repeat on the other side..

10. Sit on your chair and pull back away from the desk, resting your palms on the desk top and extend your side torso. Lift the ribs up, let the shoulder blades slide towards the desk, make sure the head is extended from the spine with the chin towards the chest.

11. Sit on your chair, feet planted firmly in the floor, sitting bones pressing into the chair. Extend the side torso, and twist to the right (on an exhale), one hand on back to chair, one hand on the side of the chair. Hold for a few breaths and then repeat the other side.

12. Sit forward on your chair and open the legs a little wider than the hips. Lean forward from the hips and drop your torso down. Let the head and arms hang down toward the floor.

13. Sit upright in your chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Press your sitting bones down into the chair and extend the side torso. Relax your shoulders. Place your palms on your knees and spread the fingers wide. Take a deep breath in and on the exhale extend your tongue to your chin; focus your eyes to your nose. Inhale and bring the tongue back into the mouth. Exhale and stick the tongue out again and this time focus the eyes up to your forehead. Repeat 3 times.

14. Sit upright on chair, relax your shoulders and extend the side torso up. Relax your facial muscles, the jaw and tongue. Circle the eyes clockwise 8 times and counter-clockwise 8 times. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few slow breaths.

Stay aware of your posture while you are sitting at your desk working and observe your attitude about task completion. It is as important to take care of the "tool", your body, as the task.

Do not eat your lunch at your desk. During your lunch break do an activity that involves physical exercise: walking, go to the gym, shopping.

Include full body stretches in your daily activity, emphasize the upper body. Stretch before you go to sleep at night.

Observe your sleeping position. Don't curl up your wrists or put your arm under your head when sleeping on your side. Make sure that you have the right pillow height for sleeping. The neck should be supported, but too many pillows will create problems as well. You want the head to rest comfortably. The neck should be in line with the rest of the spine.

Check that your work station is set up correctly. Monitor screen should be eye level or below eye level. New keyboards and mouse designs can help prevent strain. Develop an exercise program that includes upper body strength, so that you can sit comfortably in an upright position without slouching. The program must also include exercise for flexibility, to stretch out the contracted muscles of the wrist, arm, shoulder, neck and upper back.

If pain persists, go to a competent health-care professional who is experienced in treating carpal tunnel and repetitive stress disorders.

Practice sitting with an upright torso, the sides of the torso extending and the head resting comfortably on the neck. Bring your hands down to the seat of the chair and roll the shoulders back, bringing the shoulder blades into the back.

Some of the following poses can be done either standing or sitting. If you are seated, move forward on your chair and place your feet firmly in the ground, press your thigh bones into the chair and extend your torso upwards with your shoulders dropping down. If you are standing, remember to keep your feet planted firmly in the ground and your legs strong.

5. Opening the chest

Interlock your fingers behind your back with the palms facing the torso. Roll the shoulders back, but keep the ribs from poking forward. Stretch your elbows and arms on the exhale and hold it for a few breaths. On the exhale, bend your elbows and bring your wrists to the right side waist, gently pressing the right elbow towards the left. Release and do the other side, then repeat still again with the fingers interlocked with the opposite thumb on top.

.6 Opening the mid-back

Hug your body, placing the right hand on your left shoulder and left hand on your right shoulder. Breathe into the area between your shoulder blades. On the exhale, bring the lower arms perpendicular to the floor, the palms facing each other. Stretch the fingers up, and on the next exhale, raise the elbows up to shoulder height. Hold for a few breaths and then repeat on the other side.

7. Releasing the neck

Shrug the shoulders high up to the ears and then release and drop. Repeat at least 3 times.

8. Releasing the side of the neck

Sit forward on the seat of your chair with your feet planted firmly in the floor. With your right hand reach back to the seat back or the rear of the seat itself. Extend the torso and drop the chin into the chest. Pull diagonally to the left and place your left hand on the right side of your head, gently pulling the head away from the right shoulder. Hold and breath, stretching from the base of the skull to the shoulder. Repeat to the other side.

9. Twisting the torso

With the feet planted firmly in the ground, and the thigh bones pressing into your chair, exhale and lift and turn the belly to the right. Let your hands help you turn by pressing into the seat or the back of the chair. Gradually increase the twist and let your eye gaze turn to the right around your shoulder. Repeat to the other side. Remember to keep breathing slowly and deeply as you twist.

Bring your palms together in front of your chest in a prayer position stretching all the fingers fully. Relax your shoulders. Slowly stretch the heel of your palms down until they are the level of your wrists. If you can do this stretch without discomfort you can increase the stretch by moving the hands over to the right and holding for a few breaths. Repeat to the left. Stretch slowly and carefully, observing the sensations of your forearm and wrist.

11. Stretching the wrist

Make fists of your hands and place them, thumb up, on the desk top . Support your lower arm on the desk. Slowly stretch the fist to the right, without moving your lower arm, and then to the left.

Lift your arms off the desk top and make slow circles with your wrist, keeping your hands in closed fists. Circle both directions.

Release your fingers and place them, tips up, on the edge of your desk. Press into the desk with the fingers. Try this first with the fingers together and then spread apart

12. Stretching the fingers

Place the index finger on the edge of your desk, keeping your wrists straight. Gently push into the desk and hold for a few breaths. Repeat with all the fingers except the thumb.

13. Stretching the thumb

Place your right palm on the desk top with your wrist straight. Relax all your fingers. With your left hand slowly stretch the right thumb away from the forefinger. Hold for a few breaths and then release and do the other hand.

Turn your head right and left, looking into the far distance with your eye gaze. Close your eyes and take some deep, slow breaths with your belly soft.