Stop slouching! Don’t bend while standing! Sit straight! These are a few phrases we often hear from our friends and loved ones if u had bad posture.
In today’s lifestyle, we spend a lot of time in front of computers, bend to look at our mobile phones or desk jobs, and end up as hunchbacks.
Bad posture can lead to very serious issues such as back pain, heart issues, neck pain, digestion issues and change the curve of the spine, which creates a whole new level of back pain. An ideal posture means your back spine is in absolutely straight, the cheat is out, the stomach is in, chin faces upwards and shoulders are relaxed and squared. Simply when your body is in a straight line, it is a proper posture.
Yoga is a fantastic way to combat the negative effects of bad posture. Yoga has been known for centuries and regular practice of yoga asanas improves your mental and physical health include flexibility, fitness, balance, muscular and spinal mobility.
Practice the following asanas to correct your body posture and lead a happy life.
1) Tadasana or Mountain Pose
It is one of the basic asanas that forms a base for many other asanas. This asana is best to pose to learn the correct way to stand. It looks simple and practices it regularly to make it perfect you will realize that you were standing incorrectly.
Ground your feet into the mat, place your hips in the neutral position and tuck your tailbone just slightly. Slide your shoulder blades down and reach the crown of your head towards the sky.
2) Tree pose
This asana will improve your balance and teaches how to breathe. It strengthens the leg muscles, ankles, and inner thighs. This asana is good for beginners.
Start with your feet together, slowly lift your left foot and place on your inner right thigh or inner lower calf and lift your arms to the sky, palms together. Then hold 8-10 breaths, then switch sides.
3) Cat-Cow Pose
This asana stretches and massages your spine. It also helps in blood circulation and relieves tension in your torso, shoulders, and neck.
With your hands and knees to weight balanced evenly between all four points. Inhale and look up, dropping your abdomen down toward the ground. Exhale and arch your spine toward the ceiling and turn your chin into your chest. Repeat this motion for 1 minute to bring your spine in neutral.
4) Bridge pose or Setu Bandhasana
It’s another important pose for beginners. It improves blood circulation, helps to relieve stress. Lie on your back with your feet close to your hips and lift your hips and hold for 10 breaths.
5) Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana
This pose stretches the spine or straighten your back, opens your neck and neck, and decreases the stiffness of the lower back.
Lie on your stomach or flat on the ground with your hands under your shoulders, press down into the earth and place your hands under your shoulders. Take a deep breath by slowly lift your head, chest, and abdomen while keeping your navel on the floor. Repeat this pose for five breaths.
6) Forward fold
Lengthening your spine is a first step to start improving your posture. This pose stretch releases tension in your hamstrings, hips legs and glutes.
Stand with your toes touching and your feet hip-width apart, tilt the hips to fold forward. Plant your hands on the floor (don’t worry your hands not touch the ground, just do as far as you can )or grab opposite elbows. Bend your knees to soften your hip joints and allow your spine to lengthen.
7) Dog pose or Adho Mukha Svanasana
It’s a powerhouse pose and one of the first poses we learn in yoga. This pose makes muscles strong and flexible, it also opens hamstrings, back, chest and shoulders.
Heels width apart and reach down towards the mat. Press your palm on the ground and relax your head and neck, send your gaze towards your toes. Repeat for 5 breaths or 1 minute.
8) Bow pose or Dhanurasana
It is a very intense heart opener. It strengthens your back and feels amazing on the chest. Laying on your belly and bring your chin resting gently on the mat. Grasp your bent ankles with your hands. On each inhale, lift your heels higher and bring your front body further off the floor. Relax your breath back down to the earth.
9) Child pose or Balasana
This pose is good for stress, digestion, and relaxation of your body. If you find discomforting or difficulty in breathing move to a different position where you can relax.
Sit on your knees on the mat, like vajrasana (thunderbolt posture). For Shashankasana (hare) Lower your head to the floor with your hands stretched forward . for Balasana bring your hands back behind the hips in the way that you can see a child or baby sleeping.
10) Triyak Bhujangasana or Swaying cobra pose
It strengthens your spine, diaphragm and opens the chest and shoulders. Don’t do this pose when you have a headache or a back injury. Pregnant ladies don’t do this asana.
Lie on your stomach and place the palm on the floor with figures pointing forwards. Inhale and straighten the arms to lift the chest off the floor and arch heads your back to look over your right shoulder. Hold the pose for 30 seconds and come back to the floor with an exhalation.
11) Makarasana or Crocodile pose
This pose helps to relief from back and shoulder pain. Lie on your stomach on the floor, then lift your chest. Bring your elbows under your shoulder and place the palms on the cheeks, adjust both your neck and the lower back to get the same amount of pressure. You can also raise your left or right knees and keep alternating for 1 minute.
12) Boat pose or Paripurna Navasana
This asana requires you to balance on the tripod of your sitting bones and tailbone. This pose helps to improve digestion, stimulates the kidneys, thyroid, and intestines. If you have a neck injury or lower back pain, sit with your back near a wall to perform this pose. Don’t do this pose when you have a headache and low blood pressure.
Start with seated, bend your knees and leaned back, lift your feet until your shins are parallel to the floor. If you feel comfortable, straighten your legs, so your body is in a V-shape.
13) Fish pose or Matsyasna
Usually, the fish pose is performed with legs in Padmasana. Padmasana is beyond the capacity of most of the beginners, so we work with the knees bent, feet on the floor or with the legs straight on the floor.
This pose strengthens the hamstrings and opens the hips and rib cage. Lie and keep your feet on the floor , bend your knees. Lift your upper body, slide your hands under your buttocks and lift your upper back off the floor.
14) Cow face pose or Gomukhasana
This pose can be done at any time, even while at your desk. You can stretch every day at the office or leisurely sitting on the couch.
You can sit on the floor or chair, find a comfortable seated position. Lift the left hand upward and then bend your elbow, keep right fingers on your back. Wrap your right fingers on your back and grab left figures on your back. Hold for 5 seconds, draw both elbows back, lift the chest and breathe. Do this pose repeatedly by changing both arms.
15) Camel pose or Ustrasana
This deep backbend pose undoes all the hunching that happens when you sit at a computer desk for a longer period. This asana opens your heart, throat, shoulders and increases the lung’s capacity. This improves blood circulation and digestion.
Sit on your knees, with your knees and toes pointing backward like vajrasana. Beginners can keep the knees and feet hip apart. Lift your hips and bend backward hold your legs by your hands. Hold the posture for 10 seconds to 3 minutes. Exhale the breathe and relax in shashankasana.
This asana cannot be done by the people who have injuries or problems related to neck, knees or back. Consult your doctor and this poses under the guidance of a competent teacher.
16) Supported legs up the wall pose or Viparita Karani asana
This pose is fantastic for stress, resets the spine, helps the heart distribute blood throughout the body and reduces any inflammation in the legs.
Sit with your side close against the wall and slide the back of your legs up the wall, recline onto your back with your feet facing the ceiling. Make necessary small movements to inch your seat closer to the wall. Keep your hands either on your belly or spread out to a T with palms facing up. Close your soft eyes and relax for some time.
Following the above poses will not only improve your posture but help you lead a happy and positive life.
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