Q: I am a software professional and my work timings are tough. I just manage to do some yoga in the morning and that also I miss many times. My lifestyle is not very active. Please suggest what exercises I can do sitting in the office which will burn some calories. Also, tell me is yoga enough to maintain healthy living.

A:Yoga is an excellent way to improve many aspects of your life. But for it to be effective, it should be practiced often and with sincerity. If you keep even 20 minutes aside, the benefits of regular practice are worth the effort. Here are some exercises you can do at your workstation, but they are more for releasing pent up tension rather than reduce the effect of calorie build up. Good postural techniques can help in preventing normal wear and tear but the following quick stretches done anywhere, throughout the day can help alleviate some of the pain associated with tiredness and fatigue. There should be no jerks or sudden movements when doing these exercises. Do each of these a few times, holding the pose for a few seconds each time. Neck rolls: Start by looking directly in front of you. Now gently take the chin towards the chest and hold there for a few seconds Come back to starting point and slowly bend the head to the side, with the ear on top of the shoulder. Come back to center and do the same with the other side. Shoulder rolls: Slowly take your shoulders upwards and roll them back and then down. Do this a few times and reverse the direction. This works like a gentle massage. Shoulder Stretch: Interlock the fingers of both your hands and face them upwards as your arms go upward to the sky. Keep your shoulders down without lifting them. Hold there for a few seconds and then repeat. Upper back stretch: Interlock your fingers, face them away from you and stretch out your arms in front of your chest. Try to stretch the area between your shoulder blades. Chest Stretch: Interlock your fingers behind your back, face them inwards and stretch the arms out behind you, as high as you can comfortably go. You can also hold on to the back of the chair (when you are sitting on it) and stretch your self forward. Spinal twist: Twist your torso in such a way that when you are sitting on a chair, you either hold on to the back of the chair, with the opposite hand or the arm rest of the opposite side. That is you take your right hand and hold on to the left arm rest/back of chair, in front of you and then twist yourself gently. Do the other side.