Posture Problems
Posture Problems
As babies, we just can’t wait to stand up straight. But after a few decades, some of us start to sag a little. osteoporosis, slumping in chairs and hunching over desks can put a painful pinch in perfect posture.
There’s no real definition of “good” posture. Basically, if you can stand naturally straight without making your muscles rigid and can sit with your back comfortably straight, you’re doing fine. But if the natural curves in your spine become exaggerated, all sorts of problems can crop up: back and neck pain, headaches, hip pain, fatigue, cramped internal organs and restricted blood flow and breathing, which can contribute to stress and feelings of helplessness. The natural remedy in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help improve posture, according to one health professional.
See Your Medical Doctor When...
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Yoga
To help improve posture, you need to stretch the spine and the tendons at the backs of your legs, says Alice Christensen, founder and executive director of the American Yoga Association. Two poses, the standing sun (page 607) and the boat (page 621), are especially good for this type of stretch, according to Christensen; she suggests including them, along with two or three other poses from the Daily Routine, which begins on page 606, in your daily yoga session. (Practice the half boat pose, shown on page 620, for about one week before moving on to the boat pose.)