Has sitting for long hours in front of a computer screen or watching your phone make a lump in your neck? You’re not alone.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many jobs to move to the work-from-home model, the problems of the situation have been on the rise. Long hours of sitting in a chair and staring at a desktop or phone can cause your neck muscles to line up in this particular way, which then leads to posture problems such as a stooped back.
The good news is that there are some yoga poses and exercises that can help you with your hump issue. Read on to find out more about it.
Vasisthasana and 4 more Yoga poses and exercises to correct humps
These five yoga exercises work miraculously to correct posture and reduce the appearance of humpbacks.
1) Dhanurasana
Improves back bend yoga poses and restores spine strength and flexibility. Dhanurasana has the potential to improve posture because we spend so much time hunched over our laptops and computer systems. This exercise helps get you back on track and maintain good posture by reducing the appearance of the hump.
Here’s how you can do this exercise:
- Lie on your stomach, feet slightly apart and roughly parallel to your hips, with your arms at your sides.
- Slowly bend your knees and raise your hands back to support your ankles.
- Inhale, lift your chest off the floor, pull your legs up, and extend your arms and thighs while feeling tension on your arms and thighs.
- Breathe deeply and hold the position for 12-15 seconds before slowly lowering your chest and legs to the floor.
2) Chakravakasana
This yoga asana, also known as the cow-cat stretch, targets the spine and abdomen by moving the spine from a rounded position (flexion) to an arched position (extension). This exercise is an ideal way to get rid of the hump obtained from sitting for long periods at the desk, as it increases the flexibility of the spine.
Here’s how you can do this exercise:
- Stand on all fours, forming a tabletop with your back, hands, and feet by the legs.
- Keep your arms perpendicular to the floor and your hands flat on the floor, just below your shoulders, with your knees hip-width apart.
- Bend your toes down and tilt your pelvis back so that your tailbone protrudes.
- Allow this movement to undulate your spine from the tailbone while allowing your belly to fall.
- Draw your navel and keep the abdominal muscles tight around your spine. Now, without straining your neck, look up at the ceiling.
- All of this arching was done while inhaling to pose the cow, now, exhale and release the twisted toes.
- Bend your tailbone, tilt your pelvis forward, and allow this action to move up your spine to rotate it naturally.
- Draw the navel toward your spine, then lower your head and look at the navel.
- Repeat the Cat-Cow stretch on each inhale and exhale for 5 to 10 breaths, matching the movement with your breath.
3) Vasistasana
The side plank in yoga asana is a miracle that provides both physical and psychological benefits. It enhances posture by tightening and strengthening the back, as well as opening the chest, shoulders and throat, and can help you reduce the appearance of a hunchback.
Here’s how you can do this exercise:
- Start in a high plank yoga pose.
- Keep your toes strong by keeping your wrists under your shoulders.
- Turn your body to the left and put your weight on your left palm and foot.
- Place your right hand above your head and try to keep your left leg straight and in front of you off the ground and above your waist.
- Look toward the palm of your left hand, hold for a few breaths, and then relax.
4) Utkatasana
Utkatasana is one of the best lower body exercises as it helps to activate most of the lower body muscles. However, it also works on your posture and can help reduce the appearance of a hump.
Here’s how you can do this yoga pose:
- Stand upright, feet together, arms at your sides.
- Take a deep breath and raise your arms straight, then fold them in front of your chest in namaskar mudra.
- Exhale and bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair.
- To get to the final position, straighten your back and push your tailbone to the floor.
- Try to hold this position for 15-20 seconds before releasing it. Return to first position while inhaling.
5) Parsfutanasana
We end the session with this mild inversion, a pyramid yoga pose that calms the brain and clears the sinuses. This yoga asana not only lengthens the hamstrings, lengthens the spine, and strengthens the legs and spine, but also aids digestion and improves posture, which helps reduce the appearance of humps.
Here’s how you can do this yoga pose:
- Inhale while bringing your right foot to the inside of your right hand in the downward facing dog pose, also known as the Adho Mukha Svanasana.
- Keeping 3 to 4 feet apart and draw your left foot at a 45-degree angle, with your right toes pointing toward the edge of the shorter mat.
- Align your heels, raise your torso, and face the same direction as your front foot. Exhale, reaching your arms behind your back.
- Firm each elbow with the opposite hand, or bring your hands behind your back in an inverted prayer position if your shoulders are more flexible.
- Maintain the length of your spine by extending the crown of your head forward and the tailbone behind you.
- Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds before releasing.
Include these 5 yoga poses in your daily routine if you want to improve your posture and get rid of humps that form when sitting and working long hours.
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