Align Your Spine to Unlock Your Mind
Have you noticed how your posture affects your mindset? This post explores exercises to cultivate a healthy sitting posture and feel the difference in your own body.
First, note how you are positioned right now, without changing anything.
Where are your feet, legs, hips…? Are you leaning to one side or the other? Where are your hands, arms, shoulders? How about your neck and your eyes?
Take note of (1) your position, (2) your mindset (calm, energized, tired, irritated, etc.), (3) your breathing (flowing easily, stuck, shallow, deep).
Now let’s make some adjustments:
Find your sitting bones. You can do this by rocking your hips from side-to-side, then from front-to-back. Make your sitting bones even, so neither hip is higher. Place your legs and feet in any comfortable & stable position.
Create length in your spine. Take a breath in, and lift your chest and head towards the ceiling, becoming taller; release your breath and let your hips settle. Relax your shoulders, perhaps releasing them through a couple shoulder rolls. Maintain length in your neck - the front, back, and sides.
Soften your face. Release any hold over your tongue. Move your jaw from side-to-side, circles, and then let it go. Take a full, refreshing breath. Let your neck move from left to right, then up to down, and find a center point of stability. Maintain this position as best you can while you continue to read this article. 😉
Check in with yourself. What is your current mindset, and how easily can you breathe? Do you feel any strain?
If all has gone well, you should be able to sit in a more alert yet relaxed posture, with easier ability to breathe.
Sitting in Virasana, Hero’s Pose!
If you’ve never sat like this before, sit on a yoga block or two, or folded towel to make yourself comfortable.
This position makes it easy to sit taller and breathe smoothly — give it a try and notice how well you can breathe!
I suggest you continue this experiment on your own, exploring other postures. Use a meditative approach - close your eyes, sit in silence, and feel the effects of how your body is positioned, 1–2 minutes at a time. You can try all kinds of postures - comparing ones you normally use, with new ideas. Here are couple suggestions to experiment with:
Cross-legged
Lying on your back
Lying with your legs up a wall, or on the couch
Slouching
Leaning to one side, weight unevenly distributed
Military-like posture, sitting tensely upright, every muscle and bone positioned rigidly
In each posture, notice how you feel. Energized, or not? Alert, or not? Relaxed? Etc.
👋
Leave me a comment if you try this, and let me know what you learn or experience.
