We have heard it before: pull your shoulders down and back for the best posture. For some people, however, especially those with “sloped” shoulders, this can aggravate neck tension and may even cause tingling down into the arms.
When attempting good posture, we often “pull the shoulder blades back.” This usually feels good, because it counteracts our forward bending and slouching tendencies.
But if we add one more piece of awareness–the position of the spine–we can add length and space to the mid-back, making it stronger and less prone to injury.
Back pain is the result of too much movement in the spine relative to the surrounding areas. It can be from too much flexion (forward bending), too much extension (backward bending), or too much rotation during our everyday lives. Yoga can decrease your back pain if you learn to perform the poses in a way that promotes stability of the spine. Doing the poses the wrong way can contribute to hypermobility and pain.