Many back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems can be caused or made much worse by poor posture, something that yoga can very effectively improve. Think of your head as a big bowling ball, big and round and heavy. When that ball is balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for the neck and back muscles to support it than when it’s held several inches forward, a common postural habit….leading to back pain, headaches, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even fatigue. Studies show poor posture leads to premature death; those with poor posture were 2.4 times more likely to die of conditions like heart attacks – which puts poor posture up there in line with the risks associated with smoking and high cholesterol. Your lungs have less room to expand if you are hunched over – which means you can’t bring as much oxygen into your body – the fuel your heart depends on. (Source: Timothy McCall, M.D.)
- Follow Cultivating Ourselves, Together on WordPress.com
Resources
Reading Room
- Autobiography of a Yogi
- Bikram Yoga, Bikram Choudhury's Book
- Bringing Yoga To Life – The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living – by Donna Farhi
- Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
- Foundation
- Hatha Yoga: The Hidden Language, Symbols, Secrets & Metaphors
- In An Unspoken Voice – How The Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness – by Peter Levine
- Intuition, Knowing Beyond Logic by Osho
- Live in a Better Way by Dalai Lama
- Living, Loving & Learning by Leo Buscaglia
- Striking Thoughts – Wisdom for Daily Living – by Bruce Lee
- The Deeper Dimension of Yoga by George Feuerstein
- The Four Agreements
- The Four Elements of Change
- The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikarchar
- The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
- The Reflective Life by Ken Gire
- The Sacred Yes
- The Seeker's Guide – Making Your Life A Spiritual Adventure
- The Untethered Soul
- The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz
- The Wisdom of Insecurity
- Yoga & Ayurveda, Self-Healing & Self-Realization by David Frawley
- Yoga Gems by Georg Feuerstein
Movies