Why slouching might be costing you your life
There’s so much more to good posture than we give credit for.
More often than not we hold ourselves tall, tuck in our bellies, and straighten our shoulders to look good in other’s eyes.
The reality, however, is that we need to aim for good posture for ourselves and our health.
This is yet another area where Yoga can help us significantly.
Before we get into that, let’s very quickly look at why good posture is crucial.
Affects the entire body
In very simple terms when we take care of our posture, we are taking care of all our body systems. Each and every organ can perform optimally. The respiratory, circulatory, digestive, excretory, and nervous systems are all affected by our posture.
Would you square your shoulders, push your chest out, and tuck in your stomach if you knew that these simple tweaks could result in getting more oxygen into your lungs and thereby to all your systems?
It’s true.
Aches and pains
As we age, and poor posture becomes habitual, then it could result in chronic aches and pain. The neck and shoulder girdle and the back are the areas most affected. The tendency to stoop and hunch forward results in a skewed center of gravity and this could lead to a lack of balance. Combined with poor muscle strength and tone, it results in an increased tendency to fall among the elderly population.
Affects your mood and mentality
Imagine you are an actor asked to enact a person who is depressed. Quite naturally you would round your shoulders and slouch, your head down, eyes downcast. You would ensure that your body language suggested someone lacking in self-confidence and self-esteem.
On the contrary, imagine a confident person. Or imagine you have just received a great compliment. Immediately your shoulders lift and you unconsciously stand taller.
This is how your feelings affect your posture. The opposite is also true. Poor posture can influence the way you feel. The reasons can be physiological. Poor posture results in poor, shallow breathing poor circulation, and poor metabolism and digestion and all these naturally affect how you feel. So next time you are feeling a little low, begin by squaring your shoulders, breathing deep, and tightening your core. This might just banish those blues.
And if there are worries and anxieties, even then try standing tall and facing them head-on.
Emotions are short-lived mental states such as love, joy, wonder, courage, calmness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust, each expressed in response to different situations. Positive emotions like love, joy, and wonder can provide immense pleasure, while negative ones like sadness, anger, and disgust contribute to unpleasantness and negativity.
At Pratimoksha Enlighten Yoga Center in Dubai, we offer specific Pranayama and breathing exercises aimed at managing these emotional fluctuations. Our yoga practices promote wellness and mental health, helping you maintain emotional balance and enhance overall well-being. Join us to learn effective techniques for emotional management through yoga.
Increases stress
As we mentioned above, poor posture has a direct impact on the way we breathe, the way our blood flows through our body, the way our lymphatic system drains toxins, etc. So not only does it place us under physical stress, but it translates to mental stress as well. So let’s do ourselves a favor by correcting our posture ASAP.
Yoga can help
As always Yoga can help.
Through a combination of Asanas (physical postures), breath work and meditative practices Yoga routines help condition the whole body-mind-spirit complex.
Through a combination of strengthening exercises and feel-good stretches, we work on all the major and minor muscle groups. Almost every Asana helps strengthen the core muscles. Yoga routines always combine standing, sitting, prone, and supine postures so that every part of the body is addressed. Moreover, many postures are paired with counter postures, so that there is no undue stress and strain on joints, muscles, and bones.
Discover effective joint mobilization exercises with our latest video from Pratimoksha Enlighten Yoga Center in Dubai. These simple techniques are designed to relieve joint pain and enhance flexibility, allowing you to achieve greater mobility right from the comfort of your home. Join us to start loosening up your joints and live pain-free!
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You might be dealing with myofascial trigger points, also known as muscle knots. These are hypersensitive spots within muscles or fascia, causing pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Common symptoms include localized pain, radiating discomfort, muscle stiffness, and weakness. Causes range from muscle overuse and poor posture to stress and injury. Need expert help? Look no further than Enlighten Yoga Center Dubai! Our personalized therapeutic sessions can help you heal from pain, injuries, and imbalances, unlocking your body’s natural healing abilities.
Yoga improves body flexibility. The benefit of this is more significant as we age and our bones become more brittle, and our muscles more fibrous. By preserving muscle flexibility, we can hope to keep ourselves by and large lithe and injury-free.
Yoga also places enormous emphasis on correct alignment while practicing postures. This prevents us from putting too much pressure on any one particular joint, possibly causing it excessive strain. Correct alignment also ensures one receives the maximum benefit from a pose.
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Embrace Sthira Sukham Asanam, the principle from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which means finding steadiness and ease in every pose. This guidance teaches that yoga is about stability and comfort, not forcing oneself into discomfort. Benefits include avoiding injuries through proper alignment, enhancing focus with a comfortable body, experiencing deeper relaxation, and developing a sustainable practice. Explore effortless ease at Enlighten Yoga Center Dubai and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and mindful movement in the heart of Dubai!
Let Yoga help you. Give it a shot … but under-qualified instructors.
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