accidental goddess

Unless you spend a lot of time birdwatching, picking fruit, flying a kite, or stargazing, you are probably bringing your head out of alignment most of the day.  Where should it be?  Centered and balanced over your spine. Where is it?  Most likely too far forward.

It’s not just the ever-increasing time we spend on our mobile phones, other activities also contribute: reading, house cleaning, cooking, gardening, crafts, tending to children and pets.  Any time you are working with your hands, you are looking down and forward.  Unless you have an ergonomic configuration for your desktop computer (more likely in an office than at home), your head is probably forward.

Where is your head?

It’s not just lyrics from the old k. d. lang song, The Mind of Love; it is something I ask my yoga students to think about when we start almost every standing and seated pose.  You might also hear it in your yoga classes—head centered, chin level, steady forward gaze.  More importantly, it is something we should all think about every day.

Why?

Because every inch that your head moves forward from its natural position adds 10 pounds (!) of pressure on your spine.   Over a period of time, it can create rounded shoulders, a sunken chest, a curved and compressed spine, all of which can lead to neck and shoulder pain, headaches…and worse.

In their free report, Yoga For Posture Improvement, YogaUOnline cites a study by John Lennon, BM, MM. C. and Norman Shealy, M.D. published in the American Journal of Pain Management.  They summarize it this way, “Posture impacts all bodily functions, particularly breathing and thereby the oxygen supply to the body’s cells. Posture also affects the sympathetic function of the body, and its ability to regulate itself and maintain internal balance.”  And, it is known to get worse as we age,  In fact, it can lead to all the risks of osteoporosis.

Check it out

Are you curious about your own posture?  YogaUOnline suggest that you get someone to take your picture from the side and compare it to this drawing in their report.  It shows how you can wind up with a 42-pound head!

As part of my yoga teacher training, we used a plumb line hanging from the ceiling to check our own posture. Mine was good at the time but that was back in 2014.  I am due a photo check, for sure.

It is no news that posture, the structural integrity of the body, is important.  Our mothers admonished us to stand and sit up, to stop slouching. They were right!  Now we are learning that our posture affects our overall health in numerous ways.

What to do

There are several things you can do to improve yours.

1. Buy a device. You can get yourself a back brace and/or a weighted hat to help you hold your shoulders and head back. However, these are crutches– just short-term solutions that do not help you build muscle strength.
2. Exercise. Yoga is good because it emphasizes body awareness and alignment, improves balance, builds core strength, and lubricates the spine by moving it in all planes of motion (cow/cat, side bends, rotations). Yoga is available to everyone. Don’t want to leave the house? There are many free, accessible classes online. Can’t get up and down off a mat?  Try a chair class.
3. Be mindful. The most useful thing to do is to pay attention to your posture; really think about it; be conscious of it throughout the day. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

I agree with YogaUOnline that it takes time and patience to rebuild posture and regain your normal spinal curves. With practice and awareness, you can do it…and, hopefully, begin to feel better all over.

Namaste!