by Adam of shapeshifters.com
You begin the day with the best of intentions. And then you get a stressful phone call that sets you off… You know what comes next. You hunker down to write that report. And the next thing you know you’re hunched over the keyboard like Quasimodo pining after Esmeralda…
Very few people in our modern world are “hunch immune.” Commutes, conference tables, computer stations and La-Z-Boy chairs — they all conspire to reshape us in their own image!
And it’s a self-perpetuating cycle. The more you hunch, the more your pecs and biceps tighten up, and the more you get pulled into that hunch… Is there any escape? Calgon take me away….! (Adam: …psst…. that’s only for dishes… jeez, doesn’t he ever get into the kitchen???)
Thankfully, yes. You CAN have a straight back again, and you can re-learn how to walk with the sort of posture and poise that commands every room you step into. Even the lunchroom.
It’s simply a matter of releasing tight tissues periodically throughout your day while simultaneously awaking and activating their “antagonists” — the muscles of the rear shoulder and upper back.
Here’s our favourite Shapeshifter “hunch breaker.” It’s a movement that we use several times throughout the day:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pF_LONm2CNs]
Keeping your thoracic region open and well balanced is a key to improving your overall well being. You’ll breathe better by freeing up your lungs. You’ll look better — tall and proud — and people will interact with you differently. Your body language has a profound effect on your mood, so you’ll probably also notice an increase in positive feelings.
Best of all, you might find that chronic lower back and/or neck pain begins to fade away. Lack of mobility in the thoracic region can actually manifest as pain above or below those regions. That pain in the neck might not be caused by your boss after all!
Remember: Everything in your body is interconnected. Your entire muscular system is enveloped by a substance called myofascia. It’s a big web of connective tissue that transfers force and tension throughout your body. If it tightens up in one place, problems eventually start radiating out into other areas.