Strike A Pose
The other day while I was playing cars with my son on the floor of his room, he said that he wanted to get me another car to play with. So he ran into the other room to get one but ended up getting distracted with more cars. He started playing by himself for a few minutes and I took this opportunity to…
Lie flat on my back on the floor.
I was reminded of how good it feels just to relax.
Yup. I got a good 4 minutes lying like that, and it was complete bliss.
Of course this is a very relaxing position, but it can also help you-
Realign your spine and improve your posture.
Whether you are spending most of your day at a desk, or running around town, or a combination of both, or you feel various aches and pains, this position can have immediate effects on your ability to stand up straighter and to move easier with less pain.
In yoga, many people are familiar with this position called Savasana (corpse pose) which is done at the very end of class. It’s meant to help relax and refresh the mind and body and it’s definitely my favorite part of a yoga class.
In terms of posture and alignment, one of the reasons striking this pose is so beneficial is that when you lie flat on a harder surface, such as a floor, your muscles are actually working and adjusting to keep your spine in place, to self-correct (to a degree) and it takes no effort on your part.
Not having to fight gravity allows your body to do the work for you. It's one of the best kinds of therapy you can do for your body.
Take a few minutes each day to strike this pose and you will feel more aligned, more focused, rejuvenated and less stressed. You may even walk a little taller and straighter.
Posture is one of the most common issues that I help clients with and I often end our sessions with this pose. When you are focusing on postural alignment it's important to bring awareness to the following points of your body that are making contact with the floor:
Back of your head
Bottom of your shoulder blades
Tailbone
We all know what it feels like when we are out of alignment especially when are necks and backs are speaking to us. Next time you find yourself on the floor playing, working or exercising, take a few moments to lie flat on your back. I promise you it will be both effective and pleasurable.