7 Beginners Poses of Yoga to Improve Posture And Alignment
The importance of good posture for good health can never be ignored. Maintaining proper posture while standing, sitting or lying down is one of the important determinants of good health as it can make you look better and feel better, and most importantly, it makes you confident. A good posture helps us become more alert with more energy, as well as avoid fatigue caused by unnecessary tension in any part of our body. But now the question arises, “How to correct posture?” Here are some yoga asanas to improve posture.
No matter how many benefits a good posture has, our body tends to fall into a bad posture, a bad posture compromises the overall health and efficiency of the body. Good posture means more than looking good. It helps you become more aware of your body and increase and improve your core strength.
With yoga, your awareness begins to increase within a few weeks. You are critically conscious of your posture at all times. Regular yoga practice helps you develop body strength, flexibility and balance. And this makes it easier for a person to correct his posture.
Yoga will help you in whatever condition your body is in. Correct your body posture by practicing the following asanas with awareness.
Practice These 7 Yoga Poses to Improve Posture
In today’s modern lifestyle, keeping the spine bent for a long time makes it stressful. Aggressive jobs, long working hours, excessive use of mobiles and laptops, driving for long hours make our body hunched over and shoulders crooked.
If you find yourself bending over too much, some yoga asanas can help you assess and improve your posture.
1. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
During Tadasana, you have to stand by keeping your body in a straight line. During this, your spine is straight and in the correct posture. This is a beneficial and effective asana to correct your posture. Although balancing in this posture can be a bit difficult because you have to keep all the weight of the body on the feet, but if you practice regularly then your balance starts improving. Start slowly. Keep increasing the time first 2 minutes, then 5 minutes, and so on.
How to do:
To do this, stand with the legs straight together and keep both hands beside the body. While inhaling, raise both the hands above your head and at the same time raise your heels. Stand on your feet and pull your body in the direction of the sky. This asana allows maximum stretching of your body and thus keeps your spine straight.2. Tree Pose
2. Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
Vrikshasana requires standing for long periods of time with your spine straight, your legs strong, and your upper body straight. This will help you in improving your body posture.
How to do:
To do this asana, open two to three inches between the feet and stand straight. Now, bend your right leg and keep the toes of the right leg straight on the thigh of the left leg. After balancing the body, take a deep breath and slowly move both the hands above the head, and do the posture of Namaskar. Stabilize the body and keep breathing in and out normally. Keep the body stable as per convenience. After keeping the body stable for some time, slowly stand upright by keeping the hands down and the left foot on the ground. Breathe in and out normally. Now do this sequence with the left leg.
3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
This asana is called downward facing dog asana because while doing this asana, as the dog bends forward and stretches its body to remove the fatigue, a shape is formed. Adho Mukha Svanasana is an essential part of Surya Namaskar.
Rest assured, this is one of the best asanas suggested for stretching the body. Adho Mukha Svanasana helps in relieving stiffness in the shoulders and lengthens the spine and helps in keeping the legs straight.
How to do:
First of all, lie down on your stomach. Now press on your feet and hands and raise your knees and hips. Make sure that the body turns into an inverted ‘V’ shape. Press the hands towards the ground and try to touch the chin to your chest. Try to focus your gaze on the navel. Stay in this position for 30 seconds.
4. Vajrasana (The Diamond Pose)
Vajrasana helps in making the spine dynamic. Its extensions help warm up the spine and calm the body and mind. It is effective in correcting and maintaining the posture of your body. Practice this asana for 10 minutes every day.
All yoga is often supposed to be done with an empty stomach, but this yoga can easily be performed after having a meal.
How to do:
Vajrasana is very easy to do. First of all, get down on your knees. Slip back a little and sit with the hips on the heels. Keep your head straight and place your hands on your knees. Do not keep the body tilted. Now close your eyes and focus on inhaling and exhaling. In the initial days, practice the asana regularly for 5 – 10 minutes and later gradually increase it to 20 – 30 minutes.
5. Child Pose (Balasana)
Balasana is an effective stretch for improving physical posture, strengthening the back muscles, lengthening the spine, and relaxing a tired back.
How to do:
First of all, you have to sit in Vajrasana posture. Now you have to raise both your hands up towards the sky, keep in mind that the palms of both hands should not be mixed with each other. Again both the hands have to be brought down towards the ground. And touch your head on the ground. Try to stay in this position for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. In this position, your hips should touch the feet. And try to stretch the waist and hands according to the strength. And while breathing again, repeat it again.
6. Staff Pose (Dandasana)
Benefits of Dandasana improves body posture, helps in making the spine straight, strong and flexible. This asana is done while sitting and it is very easy to do.
How to do:
Sit on the mat in a clean and quiet environment. Extend both the legs in front and keep them close to each other. Keep both hands beside the buttocks. Straighten the knees and arms. Straighten the back, shoulders, and neck. Look ahead and focus. Keeping the body still, inhale and exhale normally. Dandasana can be done from 30 seconds to 40 seconds.
7. Cow Face (Gomukhasana)
Gomukhasana stretches the spine and removes the stiffness from the neck, arm, and shoulders. It helps to open the thorax and shoulders; and also makes the waist strong. This is a great posture to make the spine more flexible.
How to do:
Come in Dandasana. In the state of Dandasana, feet are straight, hands on the ground, and eyes in front. Now, By turning the left leg, bring the heel under the buttock and sit with the right buttock on the heel. Now bend the right leg and bring the heel to the left buttock. Try, your heel goes under the left buttock. Bend the left hand from the back and keep the palm outward and bring it upwards. Bend the right hand upward and with the elbow straight, hold the fingers of both hands against each other. Stay in this position for a while. Now do this by bending the right leg from the other side and taking the right hand down and the left hand from the top. Keep attention, the neck should be straight, and focus on Anahata-Chakra.
Conclusion
Yoga to improve posture will prove to be very helpful especially for beginners. Practice these poses of yoga at home and get maximum benefits of the physical posture. A correct body posture makes you smarter and more confident while keeping your body in the right shape for a long time.
