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Is Yoga & Pilates Helpful for Postural Kyphosis

If you spend a lot of time at the computer, driving, or reading, you are usually a victim of kyphosis or bad posture. Yoga and pilates both help in postural kyphosis.

The rounded back and slouch characteristic of kyphosis can be countered by practicing exercises like the cobra pose (Bhujang asana). For this exercise you need to lie flat on your stomach. Place your forehead on the ground and the hands at shoulder level. Inhale. Slowly make your upper body rise. Your hands should remain on the ground. Gently return to original position, exhaling as you do so.

For kyphosis, the cobra pose would be varied a bit so that the movement is limited to the upper back and the elbows are pulled back and down, with the shoulder blades squeezed together to open the chest.

Mountain pose (Tadasana), is a basic yogic pose that helps in the alignment of the body and improves posture. The Locust Pose (Salabhasana) is another simple exercise that helps in opening the chest and strengthening the back muscles.

The back bending exercises in yoga help in countering kyphosis. While doing these exercises, the idea is to lift the breast bone away from the navel, and press the shoulder blades together to transform the posture. Focus the stretch on the thoracic spine, or mid-back. This way the cervical and the lumbar regions of the spine are not over worked. Yogic exercises stretch the space between the vertebrae to help us appear taller and straighter.

Pilates is another excellent way to learn exercises that help you improve your posture. Non-weight bearing exercises and body positions for better alignment are part of a pilates workout. In pilates, the mind is used to control the muscles. The pilates method utilizes the whole body instead of working on individual muscles in isolation. This training concentrates on the core postural muscles that help to keep the body balanced and support the spine.

Pilates incorporates breathing techniques and makes you aware of your body movements and how they affect posture. The stretching exercises of pilates help in opening up the body to give flexibility, balance and muscle control. The heightened awareness of the body learnt by practicing pilates is transferred to every day life.

If your practice your kyphosis awareness in a conscious fashion several times during the day, you will slowly change your habits of sitting and standing and thus improve your posture and your general well being.

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