Best style of yoga to fix bad posture?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi all,

I’m just wondering if somebody can give me some advice on yoga styles to improve my posture.

Basically, I have a mound of tension in my hip flexors, lower back and thoracic region developed from years of lifting weights with bad form.

I have been doing power yoga for about 3 months but I have come to the conclusion that this is not the best style for what I am trying to achieve. Power seems to be too fast to allow myself to really sink into stretches and free my body up. I think I need a style that is more focussed on relaxing and lengthening/stretching muscles as oppose to an overall workout which power seems to be.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

#2

Hello Noel,

When I was a vinyasa teacher back some seven years ago I erroneously thought that style of yoga could do what you ask. But you and I, through different means, have come to the same conclusion.

It is not so much a matter of sinking into stretches but more a matter of moving some things and stabilizing other things. This cannot be done in the span of a half breath unless the practitioner has an incredible (read:superhuman) focus and body awareness. It simply takes time to a) release fascia and b) enlist muscle fibers.

Postural correction begins in Tadasana, which most students forsake because to them not enough is “going on”. It is appropriate to pursue an alignment-based asana program (which is not yoga but a sliver of yoga). We offer such a thing in Purna Yoga, you may also find Iyengar yoga, Structural Yoga therapy, or yoga therapeutics, may serve your purpose, assuming the teacher is well trained.

f you let me know where you are located I might be able to point you in a sound direction.

#3

Thank you for your wisdom IA. I will give Iyengar a try and see how I go.

I am in Sydney, Australia.

#4

Hmmm well we do not have a Purna Yoga teacher in Australia (yet).

Use some care in sniffing out the right Iyengar studio for you.
Unfortunately some of the teachers have not fully brought the concept of compassion into their teaching. So if you happen to stumble upon one of these teachers please do not throw the baby out with the bath water.

#5

hahaha…thank you for the advice!

#6

Would Bikram yoga be perhaps more beneficial in my scenario?

#7

My personal opinion on that would not be well received by Bikram practitioners so perhaps it is best to keep the bulk of my response limited to “no”. There are several reasons which I’ll not go into and of course the choice is yours but I do not consider the Bikram practice to be alignment-based or posturally corrective.

#8

I first heard of Bikram yoga on these forums. I only retained the heat requirement. During this hot summer, having 30+ Celsius at home, and office (no airconditioning) I found my asana practice is greatly enhanced. Now, when it is colder, all my aches are back again. :slight_smile:

#9

Practicing in the warmth is great, but I too would advise against Bikram.

#10

best style for bad posture,
whichever one you choose may I suggest that you practice every day, a little every day is better then a lot once in a while
enjoy the journey,
seeker

#11

[quote=tubeseeker;7038]best style for bad posture,
whichever one you choose may I suggest that you practice every day, a little every day is better then a lot once in a while
enjoy the journey,
seeker[/quote]

Namaste
Do you have some nice tip, how to practice regularly - I mean mental strength… I know what to do, but worse with the regularity.
Mark

#12

mark
I wake up earlier and start my day with it. I do not believe there is a better time of the day to do yoga then the morning. it is also the time my mind is the quietest. if you do yoga in the middle or later part of the day, you usually have to fit it in between two of the days activities. also, supposedly it is best to do yoga on an empty stomach so first thing in the morning for me takes the least amount of thought. dont have to sandwhich it between activities, dont have such a racing mind, dont have to worry about when I ate, etc…
just my thoughts
seeker

#13

i heard from everyone yoga therapy is very good and a proper method of treatment for any diease. i’m losing my weight and so, i think i’ll join yoga. But. i don’t know how much i will recover me from my problem.

#14

Hi Noel,

I start a class with at least 15 - 20 minutes of gentle stretching increasing the hold and intensity. Good stretching can make such a huge difference to correct your posture. What you need now is patience and a lot of perseverance as this is not something which will change in a flash, but it will take time.

Good luck, a good and gentle Hatha Yoga teacher in your region might also be able to help.

#15

Hello
I would agree with Inner Athlete.
What I heard about bikram yoga I would not recommend it.
It`s a lot of time not the question of the Yoga style but more a question of the Yoga teacher.
What the masters teach is one thing but what their students are doing is often an other thing.
All the best
Lars

Patanjali Yoga Schule M?nster

#16

Ciao Mark,
It all depends on what is out of line with your posture. in addition to a regular daily yoga practice others have suggested, you may want to find a structural yoga therapist. If this is not possible (it wasn’t for me), I got a copy of Mukunda’s book Structural Yoga Therapy and found what to focus on to rid myself of Lordosis. Whatever path you choose, I recommend you be patient because it can take some time. Just fill the bucket on drop at a time.

#17

I can only speak from my own experiences (16 years of it).

I have been to the most popular Yoga classes such as Iyengar,Ashtanga,Sivananda,Hatha,Bikram, with different teachers. They are all great and beneficial and I have got so much out of them. However I would recommend a Yoga style called ’ YogaDo’. Every class I have been to so far has left students (myself too) coming out upright without any effort. Whats more interesting our shoulders seem to drop naturally too. I have been to Yoga classes and was told to stand upright and bring shoulders down -which is an effort. However to be able to stand effortlessly in a good posture is amazing.

I know many other Yoga teachers who go to his classes too, who have also talked of improvement in their postures. I have chatted to the other Yoga teachers who come to his class about why they come etc. Some feel it is almost a secret or as if it’s some hidden teachings beyond Yoga. It certainly feels that way as I feel if I try any other style of yoga class again I will be stepping back. My posture has improved so much in sitting,standing and in Yoga poses. I feel so much more comfortable after taking up ‘YogaDo’ and my strength,flexibility and awareness is on a much higher level than when I was practicing the more popular Yoga styles.

As far as I know ‘YogaDo’ is presently only taught in London. However I know he has been to some parts of Asia too.

Love

#18

I am doing Iyengar for bad posture, and this is me as a person who is basically a sloth, I do not engage in sports and other health regimes aside from my usual walking everywhere.

My tutor is one of those ‘love to hate’ type tutors, he pushes us hard and does not relent until he has seen the correct muscle groups working the best they can, something which is I know, the most beneficial type of teaching.

The sessions up to now have all been to do with leg work, building strong foundations for some back work we now do.

Do you know what, I think it is working, as people I know say I move more fluidly and I am, I am aware unconsciously checking and correcting my alignment during day to day activities, like stand properly, constantly adjusting the way I place my feet when I walk and using the whole of the foot, not just parts of it to contact the ground.

For someone who wishes to change bad posture, I as a very surprised practioner, wholeheartedly recommend Iyengar.

#19

Postural correction begins in Tadasana

I started doing asanas only two years ago. Prior to that I had decided that I would be practising ‘just’ standing - finally, as I had always, as far as I could remember, found it exhausting to stand for long without constantly shifting position. A strange kind of fatigue would set in that would frequently make me feel weak, even dizzy. I used to blame it on life-long low blood pressure. At the point of deciding to practise standing I knew nothing of Yoga in general and Tadasana in particular. I would spend whole intervals standing, (listening to radio programmes, knitting countless pairs of socks for all and sundry…), in the hope that it would increase stamina and add strength to my troublesome lower spine. I did that for about a year before I decided to start with Yoga Asanas in Iyengar style.

Now, the interesting thing is this: One of my daughters who lives fairly close and thus is in a good position to notice any changes has claimed a few months ago that my previously very erect posture is still erect but aquired a pelvic tilt forward, meaning, to put it bluntly, that my bottom is now sticking out more than before. I hasten to add that my weight has not changed at all.
Obviously, having been alerted I now keep checking more than before, and I think she has a point.
Anyone have any ideas as to what could account for the change, please?

#20

Maybe I am wrong, but I read somewhere that with correct postural alignment, the pelvis should form a type of bowl for the internal organs to sit relaxed, maybe this is what you have achieved with your practice.