It is a very well-known fact that yoga improves physical and mental health. But there is always more!; yoga is much more than just a powerful way to relax. Appropriate yoga poses can also correct body postures in a very short period.
Yoga can improve mental health by calming the mind, and at the same time, breathing exercises and calming the mind leads to good health. According to some reports, regular yoga practice helps the body to learn good postures and distributes the muscle and ligament tension properly and at the same time makes sure that the bones are well aligned in the body.
But before discussing the role of Yoga in good posture, it is important to know why a good body posture is important anyway.
Importance Of Good Body Posture
The role of maintaining good posture might seem all about keeping the body in shape, but the importance goes much deeper than that. A good posture improves spinal health, assists in sleeping properly, and reduces several kinds of body pain, such as abdominal pain. There are several other reasons why one should obtain a good body posture:
- Make sure that the muscles are equated in a more appropriate manner. It helps the body to produce less energy hence eliminate muscle fatigue. Thus a person can easily be up for tasks for longer periods.
- Good posture allows the spinal joints to stay in their place. This way, there is less stress on the ligaments, and the spinal joints remain properly aligned; therefore, risks of injuries become minimal.
- Good posture keeps back pains and muscular pains away. A poorly relaxed body is most likely to suffer from pain than a body used to with good posture.
- As mentioned several times before, a proper posture is very good and keeps the spine and joints properly aligned. This is why body muscles can be used adequately so that no tear or wear occurs in the joints or the spine.
What Yoga can poses help with good body posture?
If you are one of those who are suffering from bad posture and associated problems, yoga is the easiest thing you can do to help you. Places like yoga schools separately focus on improving posture and teaching relevant yoga poses. Here are some examples,
· Cow Face Arms
Cow Face Arms or Gomukhasana is an everyday exercise, and it is a very nice stretch for the body. This yoga requires both of your arms to be at the back, and one arm needs to reach the other. Lift your right hand upwards and bend your elbow to reach your back downwards and wrap the left hand behind your back and try to reach the right hand.
· Camel Pose
It is an intense backbend asana and helps mitigate all the hunching during a long-term sitting. To practice Ustrasana or the camel Pose, one needs to sit upon their knees, making the lower part of the feet straight, and then bend the upper part of the body so that hands can meet the toes.
· Cobra Pose
Cobra Pose or Bhujangasana reduces sore back muscles and strengthens leg, arm, and shoulder muscles. The pose is being practiced while lying on the belly. One needs to place the hands beneath the shoulders and put a little force to lift the head, neck, and chest a little.
· Wide leg forward fold
The pose is very good for the spine. The first one needs to widen the legs and bow down as low as possible. The fingers need to be interlaced behind the back. The distance between two legs must feel good to your body, but typically it should be at least four feet apart.
· Supporting legs up to the wall
From the name, it should be easy to guess how the pose is being practiced. In India, it is called Viparita Karani. The pose is pretty straightforward, and one can practice it by lifting the legs with or without supporting them against the walls. The arms should be resting on your mat. There can be a little discomfort to the belly after a few minutes of practice, but that is exactly when you should understand that the pose is working. It helps the heart in many ways, strengthens it, and improves blood flow.
Several other yoga poses work to reverse bad posture. All of the poses include stretching arms and legs, and they strengthen the shoulder, chest, back, abdominal area, and most importantly, the spinal column. You need to keep in mind, i.e. breathing in a particular pattern equally important with accurate poses.
How Long Does It Take To Improve Posture?
According to researches, generally, 30 days is enough to make a difference. A few surveys showed that some people needed 3 to 8 weeks to improve their posture; however, it depends on the body’s type and underlying medical conditions, if any. Some of the Yoga poses can also be practiced sitting anywhere on the couch or at bed or sitting on a chair while working. Here, it is to mention that the course of yoga teacher training is an appropriate example where students are guided with proper training on such matters.
In the End
Improving bad postures is nothing like rocket science or something like that; remember, there is nothing like a good posture. Human bodies get habituated with bad postures due to their poor sitting habits. The main factors that affect the postures are completely under someone’s control, and all someone needs in this situation are just a little bit of practice and improvements inhabit.