Yoga
Lee Kennedy
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Part 2
The first thing people notice about you is not your eyes, or your hair, or what you are wearing, it’s your posture. When you stand up straight you give off an aura of self-confidence and grace; when you slump and stoop you can look like you’re embarrassed to be taking up space.
Walking may seem like the most basic thing in the world, but paying a little attention to how you do it will pay off in the long run. By learning to walk optimally with good posture, your body will feel more ‘at ease’ with every step it takes, and muscle and joint pain can be relieved or avoided.
A jutting head or chin can throw your neck and spine out of alignment, which can cause strain. To tackle this, try lengthening the spine and the back of your neck to bring your shoulders to the proper position, allowing your spine to unfurl.
A weak core, which puts excess pressure on the discs between your vertebrae, causes compression in the spine that can result in disc degeneration over time. Toned abdominals can reduce pressure on your discs, safeguarding against possible back injury. Try gently drawing your navel in toward your spine to strengthen and stabilize your core muscles.
Better alignment in the pelvis, spine, and rib cage protects your knees and lets your skeleton support your body more efficiently. Focus your energy forward and keep hips, knees, and ankles in line by taking narrow, straight steps. Those bigger steps or strides can cause your leg muscles to work too hard, and also forces the knee into hyper-extension, which can degrade the joint over time.
The moral of the story? Mind how you go.
