A Yoga Practice To Cure Your Desk-Job Ailments (VIDEO)

We've all heard that sitting is the new smoking -- the American Medical Association has warned of the possible dangers of prolonged sitting, which includes a shorter lifespan and increased risk of disease. But the reality is that most office jobs require a long day parked in front of a computer. The remedy? Get moving with some stretching and strengthening yoga poses to counteract "desk body" tension.

In the above video by Shape magazine, Heidi Kristoffer of New York City's Strala Yoga demonstrates a series of poses to combat tightness in the hips, back and shoulders -- the main areas affected by too much sitting.

"As we sit throughout the day, the energy in the spine gets stuck and stagnant," Vyda Bielkus, yoga instructor and founder of the Health Yoga Life studio in Boston, recently told The Huffington Post. "So when we elongate the spine, it energizes the nervous system. That's why the back bends are so invigorating. And when you're moving in a back-bending way, you're also bringing more emphasis to the heart and opening up the chest muscles, which really opens up the body."

Try the sequence of yoga poses demonstrated in the video at home before or after the work day -- or during a break if you can sneak it in -- and click here for the best yoga poses to combat work stress.