Many of us today have a hectic 9 to 5 job which requires us to sit on a chair for most of our workdays. Therefore, adopting a wrong posture actually starts from sitting in the wrong pose for a long time. Practicing yoga poses to improve body posture is one of the best ways to solve our problem.
The lifestyle today is quite different from the lifestyle of people which existed a few decades back and it is of no surprise that these lifestyle modifications have made certain inevitable effects on our health. One such noticeable change in the human body these days is the posture of the human trunk.
10 Yoga Poses To Improve Body Posture
These yogas have been proven to improve your posture remarkable in a matter of weeks or a month.
1. Virksasana (Tree Pose)
This pose helps you to keep your body balanced, mind alert and focus on your body’s position and also keep your spine erect.
In this yoga posture, all you have to do is stand erect and by taking a long deep breath in bend your left leg keeping it on the support of your right leg.
Then, exhale slowly and taking another deep inspiration put your hands in a namaskar position and aim it towards the sky. Repeat the pose with your other leg as well.
Pro tip: As a beginner, focus your eyes on something to help maintain your balance. For the advanced level yogis, try doing it with your eyes closed.
2. Cow Pose (Bitilasana) – Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)
Famously known as “Cat cow posture”, this yoga pose is one the best yoga poses that will help you to maintain the normal anatomy of your spine by arching it and rounding it at the right time.
Moreover, you need to stay in a crawling position and then on inhaling you need to arch your spine and on exhaling you need to round your spine. This yoga is very beneficial for your vertebra and back muscles like trapezius, quadratus, and lumborum.
The gentle flow of cow and cat starts with a flat back, kneeling with all joints in line; the arching Cow Pose coincides with the inhale, while the rounded Cat Pose follows with a deep exhale.
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
Uttan-asana literally means bending and the other name for this yoga is also “standing and bending forward”. Basically, this yoga helps to stretch your back in such a way that your back muscles are relaxed and your back posture is maintained well.
All you have to do in this yoga is that you need to stand erect and bend your hip lower as far as you can with your hands trying to reach the floor or touching your feet.
Then, grasp elbows with opposite hands and try to maintain that posture for a few seconds. Slowly come back to the standing posture.
Also, this posture is very good to relieve lower back pain. However, one should be careful while practicing this yoga pose, as it isn’t exactly for beginners.
4. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose)
This pose is also known as the ‘Downward-facing dog’ and is a continuing squeal of the “Surya Namaskar”. The main benefit that we can achieve from this yoga is that it helps to strengthen your core muscles, as strong core muscles are very important to achieve a good posture.
Firstly, you need to lie in a prone position, and slowly bring your feet towards your hands without bending your knees.
Secondly, you need to lift your trunk and with every inhalation, you need to try to bring your navel inwards towards your spine. Maintain this posture for a few minutes with long deep breathes.
Additionally, this is the best yoga pose for footballers as it the best when it comes to stretching the hamstrings.
5. Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Also known as the “cobra pose”, it is one of the most essential poses in yoga. This posture actually helps you to keep your spin firm and erect. Moreover, doing this pose on a regular basis can help you to gain the flexibility of your spin and have a good posture.
Firstly, you need to lie in a prone position and then slowly lift your chest up to the navel region. Secondly, both the palms should be firmly kept on the ground.
Additionally, this pose is also good to strengthen your arms and stretch your spine, abs and thigh muscles.
6. Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Also known as the mountain pose, this is a simple but highly effective yoga pose to improve body posture. In this yoga pose, you simply have to stand on your feet and stretch your arms, as simple as that.
Stand on your feet with eyes looking forward. Taking a long deep breath raise both your arms straight above your head and interlock your fingers. Interlocking fingers of both your hands, face your palm upwards and stretch them.
Now, take long deep breathes and try to stretch a little bit every time you inhale and relax your body while you exhale. Hold this posture for a few minutes. Also, this is an easy yoga pose to improve balance, stretching the whole body and increase height.
7. Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
The word “Dhanu” literally means bow (arrow and bow) and “asana” means posture. Moreover, this yoga basically means to flex the body in such a way that it looks like a bow and keeps it still for a few minutes.
This posture is very good to stretch the spine, muscles and improve body posture. Additionally, ‘bow pose’ has been used as a yoga pose for weight loss programs as well and its benefits are praiseworthy.
Firstly, you need to lie on your belly and then with both the hands grip the ankle of the same leg. This might appear to be cumbersome in the beginning but trust me the more you get into it, the more interesting you are going to find this yoga.
8. Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose)
Sitting in a Vajrasana pose keeps with the overall spine erect. Additionally, it makes over spine strong, loosens our stomach and digestive system, which as a result, helps us with proper respiration and digestion.
Vajrasana is probably the easiest yoga poses of all. In fact, for many people, especially for Japanese people this is the normal sitting position. sitting normally. To sit-in Virasana pose, all you have to do is sit keeping your legs in kneeling position and sitting with your back on top of your heels.
Additionally, you make take deep breathes and while sitting in the posture for 3- 4 minutes a day, and slowly increase the sitting during as the days pass. As ones who aren’t used to sitting this way may find it difficult to sit so for long hours.
9. Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose)
In order to get relief from the stiff shoulders and to have a flexible spine, this posture is believed to one of the best ones that you can try. In the beginning, it may appear tough but as you do it, day by day you will surely find changes that you were so eagerly waiting for, from the beginning.
Firstly, you need to sit up straight with legs spread in the front, touching each other. Secondly, you need to place your left buttocks on your right foot by folding your knee and then fold the other leg and stack it on top of the right foot.
Thirdly, stretch your left hands on the back (folding it backward) now try to grab it with other hands. Trust me, in the beginning, it might seem impossible but with time and practice, you will surely master it.
10. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
Also known as seated forward pose, and this pose comes with lots of benefits that are beyond our expectation. It helps to align your back in a straight line, improve your gastro-intestinal motility and most importantly helps to correct your posture.
All you have to do is sit up with your legs in the front, and try to grab it with both your hands without bending your knees. Now, slowly lower your spine and try to make it parallel to the ground.
In Conclusion
Thankfully, practicing yoga has proven to improve not just our postures but the overall body and mental functions. However, with numerous Yoga postures and techniques, one can easily be confused form where to start.
Well, its best to start your yoga session from ‘Surya Namaskar‘ as it will definitely help with your body posture and strength. Also, it is highly powerful with overall yogic effects, easy and consists mosts of the poses mentioned above already.
References: DoYouYoga | Stylecraze | Yoga Journal
