Try These Exercises To Help With Your Alignment

Alignment in our posture refers to how the head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles relate and line up with each other.  If we have proper alignment this can prevent excess stress on the spine, joints and muscles which in turn will alleviate pain and reduce the likelihood of injury allowing you to use your muscles more efficiently.  And on an even more positive note, correct posture can boost your productivity and mood.

A recent study published in the journal 'Surgical Technology International' shows that when you are standing or sitting straight your head weighs, 10 to 12 lbs. on average.

A 45-degree angle dip and it feels like 49 lbs.

And when you are hunched over at a 60-degree angle i.e looking at a mobile device your head puts a 60 lbs. strain on your neck. 

So, what can we do to line up? 

This is a very good and simple exercise.  And once you have practiced it a few times at home you can practice it in queues, on the tube, anywhere really where you find yourself standing and waiting. 

The idea is to line up the whole body so each part rests directly above the part beneath:

•  Stand with your feet parallel and hip width apart. Bring your awareness to your feet and make sure your weight is equally distributed between both feet, between the balls and the heels. 
• Close your eyes (if possible) and take a breath, check that the hip, knee and ankle joints are loose and you aren’t holding on to any tension.
• Imagine the hip, knee and ankle joints softening and the weight of your body pouring through your legs into your feet and into the floor.
• Imagine the hips resting on the legs directly above the front of the ankles.
• Imagine the hips opening and widening.
• Imaging any tension in your lower back and buttocks just relax.
• Imagine the base of your spine dropping towards the floor and the rest of your spine lengthening up through the crown of your head.
• Imagine the ribs floating directly above the hips.
• Imagine the shoulders floating directly above the ribs.
• Imagine the shoulders opening and widening and the shoulder blades dropping gently down your back so your neck lengthens up out of your body.
• Allow the arms to hang free
• Imagine the head floating on top of the neck, directly above the shoulders and slightly lifted from the crown.
• Stay in this position for 2 – 3 minutes. Keep breathing, allowing a constant flow, making sure you aren’t holding your breath.
• Keep the position easy and relaxed.