bikram yoga

We have all heard the saying
“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Those words are extremely profound
when thinking about correcting poor posture and alignment. It takes years to create poor alignment.

Therefore
poor posture cannot be corrected in a single day. A more appropriate saying
when thinking about posture and alignment might be
“The leaning tower of Pisa cannot become straight in a week.”

However
improvements to posture can be made through Chair Yoga exercises and through daily “posture awareness.” In my classes
I refer to posture awareness as “homework.” It usually draws a chuckle from students
but they also know that class time is the time to learn and practice Chair Yoga together.

Time away from the Yoga class is when you put the principles you have learned
in motion
and adapt them into your lifestyle. I cannot promise Chair
Yoga is a “cure all
” but you will see improvements in every aspect of your life. However
practicing your homework separates the fantastic success stories from those who see some modest improvement.

So
what is posture awareness? This is taking the time to be aware of your posture
on a daily basis. The first thing you want to do in order to open your awareness is look at your side profile in a mirror and any photographs of yourself. At this point
look at your spine from top to bottom.

Do you see slumping
forward tilting of the neck
or extra large curves? Your spine should be aligned so that it is fairly straight at all times. During a number of daily activities such as: Standing
walking
reading
eating
sitting
lying
typing
and more
you should make a conscious effort
to keep your head and back straight.

Now
we can all remember a schoolteacher who preached
“Keep your back straight
” but now we know that he or she was absolutely correct. Take the time to adjust your spinal alignment
from this moment on
and every time you can remember to do so.

If possible
you should also attend any workshops about Chiropractic and
Orthopedic medicine. Educate yourself about your body
your spine
and your choices. You can usually find these workshops and many more valuable meetings at your local senior center. These workshops are usually free
you are under no obligation
and it makes for a good “Fact finding mission.”

The alignment and posture principles
you learn in a Chair Yoga class
can be as simple as
“Pain or no pain.”