It’s week 3 of Fix Your Posture Challenge! Questions about week 2:
How did you like the back extension poses?
Did you get a chance to try it once a day for 7 days?
Were you sore along the back after some days?
If so, the soreness is just like after a workout and it means the postural muscles were properly engaged! This week’s challenge will focus on including the lower body. Strengthening the glute muscles and pelvic floor will help support the spine.
Let’s begin!
Challenge #3: Bridge pose and/or Camel pose.
These exercises should be done in order of Bridge pose first, followed by Camel pose. If you’re a beginner, stick to Bridge, you can eventually progress to Camel at the end of the week. If you’re used to Camel, I would still recommend warming up with Bridge.
What to do:
Bridge:
Start by lying down on your back with the knees bent, legs parallel to each other.
Bring your heels closer to your glutes until the tips of your fingers can touch the backside of your heels.
Inhale, press the feet, arms, and shoulders into the floor, getting ready to lift the hips off the floor.
Exhale, engage the legs and glutes to lift the hips up. Lightly squeezing the knees towards each other (without touching) to keep them hip-width apart.
You may have your hands on the floor with palms facing down, or if you’re comfortable enough the clasp the hands under the bridge, do so while tucking in the scapulae one at the same time. Weight is across both shoulders, avoid pressing into the neck. Also avoid looking left or right to protect your neck.
Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths.
To release, exhale (get the scapulae and hands out of the way if clasped) and slowly roll the spine back to floor, one vertebra at a time.
Repeat for a total of 3x.
Camel:
Once you’re warmed up, move onto Camel pose to get a deeper stretch.
Start on your knees with your legs hip-width apart. Stack the hips over the knees, creating a 90-degree angle at the back of the knees.
Place the palms of your hands on your sacrum, engage your core and squeeze the glutes to protect the lumbar spine.
With the glutes engaged, inhale to lower the palms of the hands onto the soles of your feet. (Only if it’s accessible, if not, it is perfectly ok to stay with the hands on the sacrum. Another alternative would be to flip and flex your toes, which brings the heels higher up and more accessible to grab onto.)
Keep the chest up, chin tucked in, toes pressing into the floor.
Once you feel supported, you can lower your head, gazing between the eyebrows to stimulate the posterior chain muscles and ligaments.
Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths.
To come up, inhale, tuck the chin back in, place the hands back on the sacrum/glutes to support your lower back, and lead with your chest as you come up slowly.
Repeat for a total of 3x.
That’s it, you’re done!
Don't get off the floor too quickly, come into a tabletop position once you're done. From there either push yourself up to stand slowly or sit back to rest for a while if you don't have to rush off.
Do one or both exercises everyday for the next 7 days until the next challenge comes out next week.
Type “Yes” if you’re joining the challenge!
Keep me posted on your progress and enjoy!