Are you suffering from back pain every morning?
If you are the one who suffers back pain or stiffness every morning, then poor posture might be one of your culprits.
Good posture indeed helps you to look good, but it also develops strength, flexibility and balance in your body. It also helps in reducing muscle pain and energises you throughout the day.
To get good posture you can adapt a combination of yoga, stretching, and exercises designed to stretch and lengthen the spine.
In this article, we will discuss 8 exercises that will help you keep your posture in good form:
Child pose: Child pose helps you to keep your spine flexible. It also stretches and lengthens the glutes and hamstrings.
Direction:
- Sit on your shins, your knees and toes touching together, and your heels splayed to the side.
- Walk your hands out in front of you as you fold forward at the hips.
- Reposition your hips so they are closer to your feet. A folded blanket or pillow can be placed beneath your thighs if they don't go all the way down.
- Gently place your forehead on the floor facing down.
- Rest your arms along your body or keep them extended.
Cat-Camel: Cat-Camel pose helps relieve tension from the torso, shoulders and neck. Additionally, it also helps to improve the mobility of the spine.
Direction:
- Come onto your hands and knees.
- Drop down your abdominals towards the ground, look up and inhale as you extend your spine.
- Then arch your spine, tuck your chin into your chest and exhale.
- Continue this movement for 1 minute.
High planks: High planks help to relieve stress from your whole body. It also helps to develop balance and strengthen your core.
Direction:
- Come onto all fours, straighten your legs and lift your heels and hips.
- Keep your back arched and engage your abdominals, arm and leg muscles.
- Hold this position for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Pigeon pose: Stiff glutes and hamstrings could be one of the most common reasons for your back pain. This movement helps to relieve stress from the glutes.
Direction:
- Get on your hands and knees and place your hands a little bit in front of your shoulders, knees below hips.
- Put your right knee behind your right wrist with your right foot angled out to the left.
- Rest the outside of your right shin on the floor.
- Straighten your left knee and rest your left thigh on the ground.
- With your arms extended in front of you, lower your torso slowly to rest on your inner right thigh.
- Hold this for 1 minute and repeat on the opposite side.
Isometric pull: Isometric pull works for your shoulders, arms and back. It also helps to maintain a good posture.
Direction:
- Stand straight on the floor and keep your back arched.
- Lift both your hands straight in front of you so that they are parallel to the floor and make a fist with both hands.
- Draw your elbows toward your shoulders and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you exhale.
- Hold this position for 10 seconds and breathe deeply.
- With an inhale, slowly release the position.
- Repeat this movement for 1 minute.
Cobra pose: Cobra pose strengthens erector spinae (lower back muscles).
Direction:
- Lie down on your stomach with arms at your side and palms flat on the floor.
- Extend your legs straight behind you, and press the tops of your feet into the floor.
- Exhale strongly, lengthen out your spine and slowly raise your head and chest off the floor, using only your back muscles.
- Keep your hips on the floor.
- Slowly lower back down.
- Repeat this for 10-15 times.
Glute bridge: Glute bridge helps to strengthen your glutes and lower back.
Direction:
- Begin by lying on your back and placing your feet on the ground.
- Create a 45-degree angle with your knees, tighten your core and bring your hip up to create a straight line between your knees and your shoulder.
- Hold this for 3-5 seconds then relax by returning your pelvis to the ground.
- Keep your back always tight.
Wall angles: Wall angle is an excellent move for your spine. It helps to improve mobility in your spine.
Direction:
- Stand with your back against a flat wall, with your feet 5 inches away from the wall and knees slightly bent.
- Bring your arms up to shoulder level, with the elbow making an angle of 90 degrees and your bands resting against the wall.
- Slowly move your arms up and down and keep your hands and elbows in contact with the wall at all times.
- Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
