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 Nancy Kelly is a yoga teacher and personal trainer who teaches hatha, vinyasa, prenatal, restorative and children’s yoga. She encourages her students to use their yoga practice as a method to improve their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. She can be contacted at nkelly1127@gmail.com. |
| Few things are as overlooked and yet absolutely critical to our health and well-being as our posture. Becoming aware of how we sit, stand and move we can start to make changes that can improve not only our posture but our health as well. Having good posture is not just about looking better but may prevent such problems as back pain, headaches, TMJ, muscle imbalances, as well as respiratory and circulatory issues. Yoga teaches us to focus on proper alignment of the spine by learning to stack our joints from the base up. Modern life makes having good posture difficult with so much time spent driving, sitting at desks, using computers and handheld devices. These activities can weaken the muscles in our upper back and put a strain on our joints, especially the cervical spine. In addition, when the chest is rounded forward, the lungs are not able to receive the breath fully which can lead to other problems such as depression and poor memory. The good news is that poor posture is a habit that can be changed through body awareness. We first need to notice our posture at different times during the day to see if we are out of alignment. If so, making some of these simple adjustments may help: 1. Keep feet firmly placed on the floor when sitting or standing. If you have trouble keeping your feet on the floor while sitting use a prop for support 2. Keep pelvis in neutral (not tucked or tilted) when standing and slightly tilted forward when sitting to support the natural curve of the lumbar 3. Keep Sternum (chest) forward; engage abdominal and upper back muscles 4. Roll shoulders back and down (they’re often elevated and rounded forward) 5. Bring head in line with the spine and keep chin parallel with the floor Here are some postural exercises to strengthen the muscles of the neck and shoulders that may help to keep the body in an upright position: Chin Tuck – Start with neutral spine and shoulders rolled back and down. While looking straight ahead, place two fingers on chin and move your head back, tucking chin downward (creating a double chin). Hold 3-5 seconds and repeat 10 times. Wall Angel – This works best against the wall but can be done sitting or standing. Bring arms up with elbows bent so that your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Squeeze shoulder blades together to form a letter “W”. Hold 3 seconds, 2-3 times. Chest Expansion – Stand or sit with arms extended behind you and interlace fingers or hold onto a strap. Relax shoulders and keep head in line with spine (be sure not to strain shoulder joints in this position). Hold 10 seconds taking several deep breaths. If we can begin to pay attention to our habits and make simple adjustments, we may be able to reverse some of our postural problems and possibly prevent health issues in the future. Our intention in yoga is not to achieve perfection but to become more aware of how we move and find alignment that makes us feel strong and comfortable in our own bodies. |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 