THE RELAXATION POSITION
Taking 10 minutes a day to relax
in this position can make a huge
difference to your posture. It allows
the spine to lengthen out and your
shoulders to open and relax.- STARTING POSITION
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet
hip-width apart and parallel. Have
a flat, folded towel under your head.
Check that your pelvis is level (neutral),
your spine retains its natural curves.
Take a few deep breaths, allowing
your ribs to expand fully on the in
breath and close on the out breath. - TO CONNECT TO YOUR CORE
MUSCLES
You can use this core connection
when you need to control your
alignment and movement.
Breathe in wide and full.
Breathe out, and gently squeezing
your back passage, bring this feeling
forward to your pubic bone. Then
gently draw these muscles up inside.
Breathe in and hold this internal
‘core’ connection.
Breathe out and fully release.
Try a few more times just to become
aware of this core connection.- REVERSE THE HUNCH
This is a great way to reverse a
hunched posture. Support your head
with a folded towel and take another
rolled towel and place it along your
upper spine while in the relaxation
position. Stay over the towel for up
to 10 minutes before slowly rolling
on to your side to come off.
‘The body
should work in a very
natural way and in the
way it’s intended to. Your
core needs to be able
to cope with the strains
that life puts on it,’
says Lynne.Pilates for posture
Often, knowing how you should be standing or
sitting, and being able to put your body in that
position for longer periods of time, are two very
separate things. ‘Pilates is a great exercise to
improve posture because it gives you awareness
of the body along with the general strength and core
stability to physically make those changes,’ explains
Lynne. ‘With bad posture, you might have some muscles
overworking and some underworking so it’s all about rebalancing those too.’According to a study by the University
of Auckland, straightening up can
promote better self-esteem, confidence
and mental wellbeing, compared to
slumping, which was found to increase
stress levels, negativity and sadness.
Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy
also believes in the power of posture
on the mind. She kicked-off the craze
of ‘power posing’ when she gave a TED
Talk stating that, ‘Our bodies change
our minds, and our minds can change
our behaviour, and our behaviour can
change our outcomes.’
Her studies revealed that putting the
body into ‘high-power’ positions for at
least two minutes can create positive
feelings and assertive behaviour.Wellbeing boosting
to check its position. The optimum
‘stand tall’ posture recommended by
British Chiropractic Association (BCA) is
ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles
all in a straight line, with the belly
button pulled in towards the spine.
AND... BREATHE. ‘Place your hands
on your abdominal area and feel your
belly move as you inhale and exhale.
Do this as many times a day as possible
to improve your posture and overall
spinal health,’ explains spinal surgeon
Dr Ken Hansraj.
STRAIGHTEN UP. Elongating the
spine is so very important as we get
older. ‘Lengthen up through your spine
by imagining a balloon on a string
attached to the crown of your head. It’s
not about holding yourself tightly, so
don’t pull your shoulders back or force
your body into position,’ says Lynne.
WORK IT. ‘The deep stretching of the
muscles that can be achieved in a yoga
or Pilates class is beneficial – even just
once a week, and swimming or dancing
are posture-improvers too,’ says Claire.
The posture pros
If you feel like your posture needs
professional help, body-work therapy
can realign, rebalance and reverse
bad habits in the body.
ROLFING Ballet dancers use this
hands-on therapy to improve posture
and gain flexibility. In a rolfing session,
your practitioner will manipulate
and move the body structure back
into its correct position muscle by
muscle, via the inter-connective
tissues. The aim is that the body
will recognise the realignment
and retain the corrected positions.
To find a certified rolfer, go to
rolfinguk.co.uk
THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
In this one-to-one taught practice,
you’ll gain understanding and
awareness of your body – from
how you stand to the way you hold
your neck – to improve posture and
encourage healthy movement. The
Alexander technique is now available
through some NHS outpatient services
to help back pain, or visit paat.org.uk
to find a private teacher.