Doing This Simple Yoga Pose Daily Reduces Back Pain and Makes You Feel 10 Years Younger, According to Physical Therapist
One thing is certain: Slouching and poor posture will eventually catch up to you. Speaking as someone who is constantly rolling their neck and shoulders around just to get temporary relief, having a few go-to exercises and stretches that undo the damage from years of hunching over your phone is worth it. One move that comes highly-recommended by physical therapists for exactly that is a simple yoga pose called the cobra.
"Cobra helps to address and improve the deleterious effects of years of slouching—which involves spinal flexion—by gently moving the body into the opposite direction—spinal extension," says Karen Thomas, PT, DPT, of Venture Out Wellness. "This involves gently stretching the muscles on the front of the body—particularly those across the chest, abdomen, and hips."
And don’t roll your eyes at the fact that it’s a yoga pose! Even if you don’t fancy yourself a yogi, the ancient practice has been shown to offer a laundry list of benefits, like reducing stress, increasing mobility, and improving posture. In practice, regularly doing stretches like cobra counteracts the forward-rounded positions most of us live in during daily working hours.
Related: Physical Therapists Shares 3 Mobility Exercises to Instantly Unlock Stiff Hips
Cobra pose also mobilizes the spine into extension, encouraging movement in joints that rarely get used in that direction. Over time, this can help reduce tightness, soreness, and even certain disc-related issues caused by prolonged sitting and poor posture. Motion is lotion, as the saying goes.
"Cobra helps to strengthen the muscles in the posterior chain and reverse the effects of poor posture," Thomas adds.
How to Do Cobra Pose
James Michelfelder
- Lie face down with palms under your shoulders and elbows tucked in.
- Press your hands into the floor and lift your chest while keeping hips and legs grounded.
- Roll your shoulders back and down, opening your chest as you rise.
- Hold for a few slow breaths, keeping your neck long and chest proud.
Related: Struggling With Bad Posture? This Simple Exercise Can Undo Years of Slouching