Do You Have Bad Posture? These Poses Can Help!
These 3 Poses Will Set You Straight!
It seems everywhere we look today we can see things that have a negative influence on our posture. We live in a connected world where information is at your fingertips instantly. Smartphones, laptops, and TV are wonderful tools, but they also can lead to bad posture since we are not always paying attention to what we are doing when we are engrossed in our devices. That slouching on the couch, or sitting behind a desk, really impacts your posture in a negative way.
One of the best ways to fight these posture-killing habits is with yoga.
The following poses will open your chest and shoulders, allowing you to lengthen your spine and stretch your back. Doing these poses 4 times a week will lead to some great improvements in your balance and posture,
See the poses below and please pass this along to those slouchers in your life! They will appreciate you later!
1. Vrksasana (Tree Pose)
A slumped over posture makes balancing poses very difficult, as when we slouch our body weight tends to carry us forward. When we learn to stand tall and balanced in Vrksasana, we can carry this feeling into our every day posture.
To Do This Pose:
Stand up straight and shift your balance onto your right foot. Place the sole of your left foot onto your calf or inner thigh, if you can. Once you feel balanced, raise your hands to your chest in Namaste. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your head in the same position as in Tadasana. Keep your eyes fixed on a point in front of you for better balance. Hold for 1 minute and repeat on the other side.
2. Plank Pose
Sometimes our slouching stems from having a weak core that lacks the strength to hold us upright. Plank pose will strengthen your core, which will take some of the stress off your spine, allowing you to hold yourself up straight with ease.
To Do This Pose:
From table top pose, tuck your toes under and move your feet backward so that your legs are straight out behind you. Check that your wrists are underneath your shoulders, that your shoulders are away from your ears, and your body is in one straight line. Hold for 1 minute.
3. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
Cow face pose is an intense chest and shoulder opener that will quickly lengthen all the muscles. This helps relieve tightness after long hours hunching over a desk and steering wheel.
To Do This Pose:
Keeping your back straight, raise your left arm above your head and bend it behind your back. Keeping your right arm down, bend your right elbow and reach your right hand up to meet the left. Try to join your hands together. Use a belt or strap if you can’t reach. Keep your head held high and look straight in front of you. Hold for 1 minute and switch sides.
Do these poses every day and you’ll find your posture improving very fast. As your muscles stretch, strengthen and lengthen, you may even find you’ve ‘grown’ an inch or so!
See the full list of poses from yoga.com here.
To Your Health & Wellness!
