Don’t slouch! Try these 7 expert-recommended yoga poses to un-hunch your shoulders

From sitting on the desk all day to having adapted the wrong body posture through the course of life—there are a variety of factors that can lead to our precious shoulders bearing the weight of worldly responsibilities getting hunched.

The result? Well, there’s no doubting the fact that the bent or the arch can ruin your personality. But that’s not it.

According to Ms. Sankalp Shakti, yoga expert, Goodways Fitness, Delhi, the hunching can cause problems in the lungs because when one sits with round neck or shoulder, there is not enough space for the diaphragm to spread and shrink as you breathe because of the bent shoulders.

Additionally, it can even lead to back pain and consequent back problems in the long run. Hence, taking preventive measures such as practicing these yoga postures recommended by Shakti can be your biggest saviour and give you your correct body posture back:

1. Bhujangasana

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• Lie flat on your stomach, keep your hands on the sides and ensure that your toes touch each other.
• Now, placing your body weight on your palms, inhale and raise your head and trunk.
• Hold the asana for about 15 to 30 seconds while breathing normally.
• The deep backbend can make the spine stronger and more flexible while giving your lungs, shoulders, chest, and abdomen a good stretch.

2. Naukasana

• Again, start by lying flat on your stomach with your arms beside your body and feet close together.
• Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, lift your chest and feet off the ground, stretching your arms towards your feet.
• Hold for a few seconds and exhale while coming back to the ground slowly and relax.
• This asana can strengthen the back and abdominal muscles as well as tone the leg and arm muscles.

3. Ushtrasana

• Kneel down on the yoga mat and place your hands on the waist.
• Make sure that your knees are in line with the shoulders and the sole of your feet is facing the ceiling.
• As you inhale, draw in your tail-bone towards the pubis as if being pulled from the navel.
• Simultaneously, arch your back and slide your palms over your feet till the arms are straight.
• Hold for a few seconds, exhale and slowly come back to the starting position and repeat.
• This asana works wonders when it comes to correcting your posture and improving flexibility of your spine.

Also, read: 5 power yoga poses which burn more calories than running on a treadmill

4. Gomukhasana

• Sit on the yoga mat with your back straight and legs extended in front of you.
• Put your feet together and place your palms next to your hips.
• Bend your right leg and place the right foot under your left buttock.
• Bring your left knee over your right knee, raise the left arm above your head, and bend the elbow.
• Simultaneously, bring the right arm behind your back and interlock both hands.
• This wonderful exercise can help you get rid of stiffness in your shoulders, elongate your spine, and correct your posture.

5. Dhanurasana

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• Lie on your stomach with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by the side of your body.
• Fold your knees, take your hands backwards, and hold your ankles.
  
• Breathing in, lift your chest off the ground and pull your legs up and back.
  
• Hold on for a few seconds and get back to the starting position slowly.
  
• Doing so can strengthen the back and the abdominal muscles and can also relieve constipation and menstrual disorders.

6. Chakrasana

• Lie flat on your back on the floor.
• You may bend your knees so that the sole of your feet are hip-width apart, closer to your buttocks, and in contact with the floor.
• Place your hands behind your shoulders, ensuring your fingers are opened up and pointed towards your shoulders.
• Then, press your feet and palms, and lift your entire body off the mat. Let your head hang comfortably.
• Be slow and gentle while you come back to your starting position after holding this posture for 15-30 seconds.
• This asana also gives strength to your abdomen, buttocks, spine, shoulder blades, lower back, and arms and can also cure infertility, asthma, and osteoporosis.

7. Marjari asana

• Sit in vajrasana first and then stand on the knees to lean forward and touch the ground with both your hands.
• Make sure that your hands fall linearly with the knees and that your arms and thighs perpendicular to the floor.
• This is your starting position. From here, take a deep breath in, raise your head up, and push your spine downwards so as to form a concave shape with your back.
• Hold it on for 15-20 seconds and get back to the starting position.

Practicing this asana on a regular basis can improve the posture of the body, strengthen the muscles and joints, and boost blood circulation in your body. What more do you want from life?