·Happy Valentine's Day!
5. The last but not least is positioning the head. This is the most important part since we are constantly flexing our head down, which puts too much pressure in our neck muscle (back of the neck muscles get too tight and front of the neck too shortened). The head is supposed to be in the middle of shoulders and on top of the shoulder if you look sideways. Imagine that there is a string pulling in the top your head upwards. And check your chest: don’t over-extend your thoracic spine, but pull those lower angles of scapulas down towards floor! Most people need to pull the chin slightly inward to rise up the front side of neck. Again, in my class I will guide you individually.
Those of you who already know me and my work, know how important
part a good and natural Posture in my work is. Majority of my Spine Treatment
is done in a seated position just to make sure that there is enough mobility in
the vertabraes. To keep up with the posture we supposedly achieve during the
treatment, it is essential to maintain the good spinal alignment by yourself.
Here are my tricks and these exercises are a part of the program that we are
doing in my Special Spine Stretching Class every Wednesday @11am.
Maintaining a good posture during your daily activities needs a lot
of concentration! Here are my tips:
1. Keep your feet a shoulder width apart, both feet at the same position toes looking forward or slightly outward. Feel your ankles, they should be flexible and feel equal to each other.
2. Think about your knees. They should be slightly bent to prevent locking of knee joints. Both knee caps (patellas) should be looking at the same direction (straight forward or slightly outward).
3. Concentrate on your hips. Hips are the most important piece of our standing structure and it is a huge challenge to give any individualized suggestions since our natural curvature of spine varies from person to person (this is the reason I want to see you in front of me). This is my trick: let your upper body ‘sink’ into your hips.
1. Keep your feet a shoulder width apart, both feet at the same position toes looking forward or slightly outward. Feel your ankles, they should be flexible and feel equal to each other.
2. Think about your knees. They should be slightly bent to prevent locking of knee joints. Both knee caps (patellas) should be looking at the same direction (straight forward or slightly outward).
3. Concentrate on your hips. Hips are the most important piece of our standing structure and it is a huge challenge to give any individualized suggestions since our natural curvature of spine varies from person to person (this is the reason I want to see you in front of me). This is my trick: let your upper body ‘sink’ into your hips.
SINKING
INTO YOUR HIPS: Stand on a
one leg and let your opposite side of the body sink down. This is not a healthy
way of standing on one leg, so please, bring your hips back at the same level
(hopefully you have a mirror in front of you) still standing on one leg. Try
the same thing with other hip. Now: pretend to do the exact same sinking and
rising both feet down! Play with it. Imagine your sacrum bone (that is the base
of the spine) sinking into your hips. That is sinking into your hips. You
should feel steady and balanced: rooted to the ground. Now your hips are
(probably) on a good posture.
4. Next step is to pay a lot of attention to your shoulder blades (that is scapulas). I don’t want you to contract abdominal muscles, but find (in your minds eye) the lower angles of scapulas. Then I need you to push those angles gently toward floor and ever so slightly closer to each others. That is enough to open up your chest! Don’t over-extend your mid back and relax your shoulders.
4. Next step is to pay a lot of attention to your shoulder blades (that is scapulas). I don’t want you to contract abdominal muscles, but find (in your minds eye) the lower angles of scapulas. Then I need you to push those angles gently toward floor and ever so slightly closer to each others. That is enough to open up your chest! Don’t over-extend your mid back and relax your shoulders.
5. The last but not least is positioning the head. This is the most important part since we are constantly flexing our head down, which puts too much pressure in our neck muscle (back of the neck muscles get too tight and front of the neck too shortened). The head is supposed to be in the middle of shoulders and on top of the shoulder if you look sideways. Imagine that there is a string pulling in the top your head upwards. And check your chest: don’t over-extend your thoracic spine, but pull those lower angles of scapulas down towards floor! Most people need to pull the chin slightly inward to rise up the front side of neck. Again, in my class I will guide you individually.
And the
thing is, You Need To Pay Attention To
Your Posture All The Time; not just when you stand or walk, but especially
when you are sitting or working. And, please, when you see my posture hunching over
while I'm working, say something!
SAY IT ALOUD since I struggle with my posture every day and all the help is
accepted.
I wish to
see you at my Wednesday Class! It’s Kata’s Way and Balanced is PainlessTM.
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