How to Correct Your Body’s Alignment and Posture

Most of us experience aches in different parts of our body such as in the cervical area, lower back, or upper back area at some point in our life. The ways we sit, stand, bend or do any work says a lot about us and impact our physiology as well as psychology. In this ever evolving world of technology most of us are driven by technology so much that it has started to impact our physical as well as psychological health. Due to excessive use of computers, smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc our body alignment is deteriorating and most of us aren’t that much aware of it and those who are aware of it seldom know how to improve it. Let’s see the impacts of incorrect body alignment;

Incorrect body posture leads to –

Stiffness in the cervical region, upper back (thoracic) & lower back (lumbar)
Shoulder pain
Indigestion; which further leads to constipation
Obesity
Muscular pain
Nerve compression
Improper blood circulation
Insecurity about how we look
Low self confidence
Low self esteem
Mediocre personality

Now before we figure out how to correct our body’s alignment, we first need to know which body alignment/posture is incorrect.

Slouching or sitting with a hump formed on the upper back area
Sway back posture
Flat back posture
Sitting with neck in the forward which leads to cervical problems in the future
Tiled body while sitting or standing
Tilting the neck while talking on the phone.

Correcting the body’s alignment

We often see people doing Pranayama/ Meditation with a straight neck & straight spine. But do we stop to think about why do they do that? Most of us do not.

The science behind keeping our lower back or lumbar region erect is that it doesn’t lead to compression of the abdominal viscera thus leading to a better digestion. The erect spine leads to a richer blood supply for the pelvic region thereby toning up the coccygeal and sacral nerves and helping the awakening of Kundalini in coordination with other Yogic practices. Minimum production of carbon dioxide in the body results in slowing the activity of the lungs and the heart, and excluding the body consciousness from the concentrating mind. Sitting with an erect spine leads to increased focus which is very essential while doing an important work. So the next time you sit with a hunched back remember that what it is costing you. Just become aware of your position and make a habit of sitting with a straight back.

How to sit properly?

Apart from sitting with a straight back, it is also essential to keep your feet on the ground or a foot rest to prevent any nerve compression. However good it may feel to sit with crossing your legs it’s just not doing you any good. Don’t cross your legs while sitting for uninterrupted blood circulation.
Most of us while sitting and doing a work keep our shoulders stressed which results in stiffness at the end of the day. So just keep your shoulders relaxed and your forearms parallel to the ground.

The last and the most important thing is – Don’t sit in a place for a long time. Give your eyes and your back a much needed rest and walk around for a few minutes before hopping down on your comfy chair.

How to stand properly?

Standing properly not only makes us look attractive but also makes us feel confident. You all must have seen some people standing or walking with a little hump on their back right? That’s because due to continuously sitting and walking in a slouching manner they have made it a habit to sit and walk like that. They are not even aware of it until someone else points it out. Are you one of those people? If so, then it is necessary for you to walk and sit consciously. While standing focus on these points –

Bear the weight of your body on the balls of your feet
Keep a gap between your feet
Keep your upper back erect of straight, don’t slouch
Some people keep their hands awkwardly or fold their hands in front of their chest or abdomen which indicates that they are not very friendly and probably stressed or anxious about something. So, let your arms hang naturally down the sides of the body for a relaxed look.
Don’t push your head back or forward as it will create stiffness after sometime. Keep your head and neck in a straight line.
If you have to stand for a long time you can shift your weight from one foot to another but don’t shift your weight on one foot for a long time otherwise your foot might get all cranky.

Are you lying properly on your bed?!

Do you ever wake up with a stiff neck or shoulder pain and it kind of turn your good morning into a bad one? This might be happening because you are not lying properly on your bed! Let’s see how to properly lie on your bed:
Don’t sleep with a pillow. Many studies have found that people who don’t use a pillow while sleeping wake up with less neck stiffness as compared to people who sleep on pillows. If you are not able to do so then buy pillows which are helpful in postural problems.
Don’t sleep on your stomach it might do you more harm than you can possibly imagine. Sleeping on your stomach slows down the digestion process even further which leads to indigestion and constipation which are definitely not good for our physical health.
Sleep on your left side or right side as it is more helpful in back pain. While sleeping on your sides place a pillow between your legs.
If you are lying down and you need to get up then always get up by your left side.

Some exercise to improve your body alignment:

There are various stretching exercise for improving your body alignment. Many yogic postures help the body to align in the right way. Yogic postures fill our body, mind and soul with prana or energy and make us energetic, improving our overall wellbeing. There are a few yogic asanas and exercises which are useful in correcting our body’s alignment. They are –

Hasta Uttanasana – Stand straight with a little gap between your feet. Slowly bend backwards while inhaling. Keep your hands on your back for support. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then return to the standing position.

Hasta Paadasana – Stand straight with little or no gap between your feet. Slowly bend forward while exhaling until your hands touch the ground. Don’t bend your knees while bending forward. Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds and then return to the standing position.

Tadasana – Stand straight with no gap between your feet. Keep your neck and head straight. Slowly open your arms and interlock your hands and place them on your head with palms facing down. Slowly raise your hands while raising your body and put all your weight on your toes. Focus on a stable object in front of you so that you don’t lose your balance. Hold the posture for as long as possible or 30 seconds then come back to the base position and start the process again.

Chest Stretch – Chest stretching can be done using an exercise ball. Sit on the exercise ball, then walk your legs forward until your back is against the ball. Keep your neck parallel to floor and extend your elbows back so your arms are parallel to the floor. Your back should be draped over the ball. Gently pulse for a count of 20 seconds.

Wrong body postures are a result of our bad habits which we do mostly unconsciously which results in incorrect body alignment. Incorrect body alignment further leads to an unimpressive personality leading to difficulty in our professional and personal life. Now that we know how to correct our body alignment, why not use it to our advantage to enhance our personality and our appearance. Physical and psychological benefits are a plus eh? So don’t forget to try out these amazing and easy exercises folks.

References
1. http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3124
2. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/posture-power-how-to-correct-your-body-alignment.html