You strained your back trying to replace the water cooler bottle, and the hours you spent hunched over your computer have left you with sore wrists and a stiff neck. You can't wait to race home and recoup, but you're dreading the bumper-to-bumper traffic that will keep you pinned to your car seat for another hour or more.

Desk jobs (and the commute) can place serious demands on your physical and mental well-being. Your body is built for movement and when you're glued to a chair for long hours, you inevitably feel the effects. This cramped position freezes the legs and restricts blood flow, causing stiffness and cramping in the lower body, especially the lower back. Plus, an office environment produces a special brand of emotiona stress. "If something upsets you, you cannot have a tantrum;, burst into tears, or do whatever you might do if you were at home to release the tension," says Miriam Freedman, coauthor of Yoga at Work (Element Books, 1996). "You must suppress your feelings and try to keep working."

Medical research on the mind/body connection has shown that pent-up frustrations take their toll on the immune system, creating a breeding ground for illness--just as grappling with physical aches and pains can wear you down emotionally. "Tight shoulders are a case in point," explains Elise Miller, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based yoga teacher who regularly conducts classes at Silicon Valley corporations. "When we work, we do it with our hands and arms, and this is obviously connected to shoulder pain. But there's also that whole connection of taking the weight of the world on your shoulders. It seems like this is the area of the body that's metaphorically tied in with responsibility."

But rather than reaching for a stiff drink or telling off your boss, consider yoga to help assuage your work-related tension. Now we're not suggesting you sit in full lotus position at the next staff meeting on practice headstands in your cubicle. But a few quick stretches, tailored specifically for the office, may be just what you need. They take only minutes to do and don't require a lot of space; and most don't even require that you stand up. Dawn Groves, author of Yoga for Busy People (New World Library, 1995), calls these modified postures "yoga bits," or one-minute refreshers. "You return to the task at hand without missing a beat."

Because sitting at a desk creases tension in the neck and shoulders, we've focused the following poses on the upper body. Feel free to adjust and experiment with each one. Using your breath as a guide, gradually move deeper into the stretch each time you exhale, and stop to make any minor physical adjustments as you inhale. Never strain or force your body into any stretch or you may injure yourself.

And don't worry about stretching every hour or even every day. Start small and work yourself up to a level that makes you comfortable. No matter what stretches you manage to squeeze into your schedule, a little yoga goes a long way.

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This pose is a great antidote for less-than-perfect posture--something that's certainly not helped by sitting crouched over a desk for hours. If you only have time for one pose at work, says yoga teacher Elise Miller, this is it.

What to do: Stand about four feet behind your chair with your feet a hip-width apart. Keeping knees straight, place your hands on the back of your chair. Bend slowly from the waist, lowering your upper body until it forms a right angle with your legs. Straighter' your arms, aligning them with your back. Look down, keeping your head and neck parallel to your arms, and your back as straight as possible. Take a few deep breaths in this position, and then slowly roll out of it, one vertebra at a time.

Hint: Try not to round your back in this pose. Bend your knees slightly until you are able to lengthen your back if tight hamstrings prevent you from straightening it.

Forward bends, such as this one, also aid the digestive system and help reduce menstrual cramps.

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If you find yourself sitting blankly at your desk, uninspired by the task at hand, a spinal twist may help. Twisting allows you to momentarily turn away from your work, granting you a fresh perspective. Twists also help squeeze the muscles around the vertebrae, increasing blood flow to bring oxygen and nutrients to the area. These poses exert a cleansing, sponge-like action on the internal organs--especially the digestive system.

What to do: Sit up straight in your chair with your feet flat on the floor about a foot apart. Breathe in. Exhaling slowly, turn your head and then your shoulders to the right. For support, grasp the top of your chair with your right hand and place the left hand on the outside of your right thigh. Each time you inhale, lengthen the spine; each time you exhale, twist a bit further to the right. Stay in the position for a few breaths and then come back to center slowly. Repeat on the other side.

Hint: Be careful not to swing quickly into or out of the pose or twist so severely that your spine cracks into place. Doing this stretch slowly and steadily ensures that you twist only as much as needed to enjoy the benefits.

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This classic back bending posture is a good remedy for a bad day. Ancient texts suggest that it helps awaken your "serpent power" (how you use it is up to you).`This stretch strengthens the back muscles and expands the chest to allow deeper breathing.

What to do: Sit in your chair with feet firmly on the floor about a foot apart. Place your hands on the desk, arms slightly bent and elbows in toward your body. As you inhale, slowly begin arching your back. Take your time, tilting the head up and back each time you exhale; rest in the position each time you inhale. When you arrive at your maximum arch, let your jaw drop and look up. Stay in the pose for a few breaths, then slowly come back to the upright position.

Hint: Back bending positions can occasionally cause lower back discomfort because we're so used to hunching forward. As a counterpose to release your lower back, bend at the hips from your seated position and lower your head toward your knees.

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Taking frequent stretch breaks from typing or other repetitive tasks helps keep the muscles in your forearms, wrists and fingers from cramping. Wrist stretches also decrease your chances of succumbing to tendonitis or Repetitive Stress Disorder.

What to do: Start by rotating your hands in a circular motion to increase blood flow to the wrists. Experiment with clockwise and counterclockwise motions, fingers together and fingers splayed.

Now place the right thumb in the crease between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. Press the right thumb gently down toward the forearm with the left hand, until you feel a good stretch in the top wrist. Hold the stretch for five seconds and then release.

Hint: Of all the office poses, wrist stretches can be practiced anywhere. Make use of your commute home, an elevator ride or the walk to your coworker's office to get in some stretch time. Practice gently, your wrists are delicate.

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When the phone never stops ringing, your in box is piled high and your office anguish is collecting in your neck and shoulders, the following posture can lengthen and stretch those muscles to increase blood flow to the area and release tension.

What to do: Sit up straight with arms hanging at your sides. Begin by rotating your head three times slowly in a clockwise direction and then counterclockwise. As you breathe in, raise your right arm overhead, reaching with an outstretched palm. Lean your head to the right. Bend your right arm and place the palm of your right hand over the left side of your head near the ear. Gently pull the head to the right with a flat hand, increasing the stretch on the left side of your neck and shoulder area. Breath into the pose, reaching downward with your left arm. Then come back to center and repeat the pose, reversing sides.

Hint: Julie Friedeberger, author of Office Yoga (Thorsons, 1991), offers this advice: "Remember not to tug at your head; the arm is there only to add weight and gently increase the stretch."'

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Endless starting at the computer screen, dry office air, dust, poor lighting--all of this can contribute to eye strain. These exercises will strengthen your eye muscles and give them a needed refresher.

What to do: Sit upright and think of your body as the center point of a compass. Moving just your eyes, look north toward the ceiling. Then look south toward the floor. Look east, then west; look northeast, then diagonally down to southwest; look northwest, then southeast. Repeat the sequence two more times.

Now rotate your gaze slowly in a circle clockwise, then counterclockwise. Finally, rub your palms together until they are warm, then close your eyes, cover them and rest in total darkness.

Hint: With the exception of the palm pose, some yoga teachers advise against practicing these exercises if you wear contact lenses. Gauge your comfort level with the first two stretches before incorporating them into your regular routine.

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The staff meeting starts in 10 minutes, and you're nervous about the proposal you're going to present. Calm yourself with this anti-anxiety exercise based on a technique called Progressive Relaxation. Take a big breath in, and shrug your shoulders toward your ears. At the same time, clench your fists, shut your eyes tight, wrinkle your forehead, clench your jaw and purse your lips, creating a "lemon" face. Hold your breath, count to five, then release all the clenching and tightening with a generous exhale. Now, go wow them!

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* "But I'm too busy to be doing office yoga. If you can't imagine remembering to stretch during the chaos of the work day, try an alarm. Setting your clock to go off every hour or two will help you remember to stretch no matter how hectic your day turns out to be. You can also practice yoga at the same time each day--after morning meetings, during your lunch hour or in place of that 3 p.m. chitchat.

* "How can I do yoga dressed like this?" While office yoga doesn't require you to wear sweatpants to work, practicing yoga in comfortable clothes does feel better. Do what you can: Loosen tight collars, ties and belts, and if your shoes have heels, take them off to get more out of the stretch.

* "`What will my coworkers think?" Former NBC News producer Garol Dickman recalls that her office yoga routine prompted others to ask what the twisting, bending and stretching was all about. A few started to join her, eventually forming a group that practiced every day. Now she is a yoga instructor and has a series of yoga audiotapes, including Seated Yoga: For Office, Home and Travel (Yoga Enterprises, [888] YES-YOGA or [212] 956-23271. Who knows, maybe you'll start a similar trend.

Jennifer Barrett is associate editor of Yoga Journal who lives in San Francisco.