Yoga mat exercises for better posture

We sat down with Stormy Brockbank, manager of FS8 Port Melbourne, to discuss simple yoga mat exercises that can improve your posture over time.

Stormy has 16 years experience in classical pilates and 12 years in functional training. Her passion is Form (with a capital F!) and she fiercely believes that keeping true to good form leads to a more beneficial workout.

Here are Stormy’s Top 3 Yoga Mat exercises for better posture:

#1: Bridge

Strengthening the back body (especially the buttocks and hamstrings) will help correct a slouched or round-back posture and help you maintain a tall spine while seated.

1. Lie on your back with the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms at your sides.
2. Press into the feet and feel the shoulders widen.
3. Lift or roll the pelvis off the floor. Don’t go so high that your lower back pinches; imagine a straight line from your knees to your hips to your shoulders.
4. Roll down one vertebra at a time.
5. Repeat three to five times.

#2: Chest Opener

Stretching the pectoral muscles reverses our habitual forward rounding posture (think driving, texting and gazing at a computer screen). If you sit or stand with rounded shoulders, this will feel great.                                                                    

1. Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart. Hold a yoga strap or a belt (a bathrobe belt works perfectly!) behind your hips with palms facing away from you and thumbs facing one another.
2. Raise the belt or strap towards the wall behind you and up. If you need to grasp the belt with a wider grip, do so. As you lift the belt away from you, your chest will feel a stretch.
3. Lower the belt and repeat three to five times.

#3: Abdominal Lift

A strong, stable, core supports the rest of your body, including your pelvic girdle, as you move through your day. As you get older, exercises that strengthen these muscles groups and keep them flexible can improve body posture when walking, standing or sitting.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Make sure your legs are parallel—lined up so that your hip, knee, and ankle are aligned—and the toes are pointing directly away from you. This is a neutral spine position. The natural curve of the lower spine should create a slight lift off the mat.
3. Keep your shoulders down and bring your hands behind your head with the fingertips touching. Keep your elbows open and allow your hands to support the base of your skull.
4. Take a few deep breaths as you take a little survey of your body. Is your body balanced? Is your neck relaxed? Are your ribs dropped?
5. As you exhale, slowly pull your belly button down back toward your spine. Let your spine lengthen out as your lower back comes down to the mat.
6. As you lengthen your spine, tilt your chin slightly down. Keeping your neck long, slowly lift your upper spine off the mat, leading with the front of your chest (breast bone). Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed. Don't let your legs tense up.
7. When you reach the top of the move, inhale, drawing the abdominal muscles in deeper.
8. Exhale as you slowly lower back to the mat. Start with your shoulders, keeping your abdominals drawn in, then your neck. The back of your head should reach the mat last.
9. Take a deep breath in as you release your abdominal muscles and return to neutral spine position.
10. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

We’ve been doing Stormy’s exercises 4 times a week for the past month – we feel longer, stronger, prouder in our postures. A big thank you to Stormy for her wisdom!

For the above exercises, a comfy, sturdy yoga mat is a must. There’s no shortage of Australian yoga mats on the market, but try to choose one that looks after both you and the planet. Pure Practice’s eco yoga mat will do just that – it will give you the stable base that you need for your exercises, while also being a sustainable yoga mat.