By Susi Hately, B.Sc. Kinesiology, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist

At work, are you a sloucher? Or do you perch on the edge of your chair? Do you sit on your foot or cross your legs? If even one of these is your habitual pattern, it can lead to distortions in muscle balance, weaken core stability and create neck or jaw tension, shoulder pain or back pain.

By shifting the way you sit, you can alleviate many of these work-related pains and strains.

How to know if your sitting posture is right for you:

• Uncross your legs and place your feet on the floor or on your foot rest.
• Grasp your right butt cheek with your right hand and your left butt cheek with your left butt cheek (Yes, I did just say that).
• Lean over to your left side and gently pull the flesh of your right butt cheek to the right and slightly back. Sit back onto your right butt cheek, and remove your hand. Then lean over to your right side and gently pull the flesh of your left butt cheek to the left and slightly back. Sit back onto your left butt cheek and remove your hand.
  It will have felt as if you spread your butt cheeks (Yes I did just say that).

In this position your pelvis becomes more neutral, not rounded back or forward or tilted to one side. By doing this, the muscles that connect from your pelvis to your spine will be able to come back into balance. A number of people say that this position alone has helped reduce their back pain, strengthen their abdominal muscles and reduce the pain in the shoulders and neck.

If you want to see if it works for you, commit to sitting this way for the next 2 weeks, every time you sit. Yes, every time.

Here’s to feeling way better when you are working at your computer.

Enjoy,

Susi

Your body changes from day to day, and you alone know your body best. Please be responsible with it, move with awareness and in a range that doesn’t increase pain.