Posture for Engineers by Marylou Lenhart

Konnichiwa, YAPC Asia!

Our Future :C

Posture! Body is adaptable, tries to be efficient Bad posture causes some muscles to be overworked, some to be weakened Bad posture pulls vertebrae out of alignment Seemingly unrelated symptoms can be due to spinal misalignment

Chiropractic! Your spine: the center of everything If a vertebra in the spinal column is out of place, it puts pressure on nerves Nerves connect to every part of the body

However! Chiropractic works best combined with Exercise Strengthening muscles helps _keep_ bones aligned correctly Otherwise you will just keep going back and never improve! As it turns out, it is not so difficult to strengthen our posture-related muscles daily

Body Image Every body is different Participation is encouraged, but entirely _optional_ “The posture (asana) for Yoga meditation should be steady, stable, and motionless, as well as comfortable…” 
 (2.46 of the Yoga Sutra)

Standing Desks? Great stuff! But we still have to use our muscles while standing Engaging thighs and calves, grounding through feet to strengthen arches, slight bend at knees

Tadasana (Mountain)

1. Forward Head Posture Arrow from ear should line up with center of shoulder Weight added to sternocleidomastoid muscles: overworks them Trapezius muscles between shoulder blades are weak in this condition

Exercising the Trapezius muscle Sit up against a wall or flat surface, shoulder blades flat against it Allowing the crown of the head to reach upward, keeping head/gaze completely level Move head forward for 4 counts, backward for 4 counts

Another related muscle is the Serratus Anterior: it helps keep the shoulders relaxed down the back

Chakravakasana (Cat/Cow)

2. “Extension” of the abdomen Weak/overstretched ab muscles Chronic lower back pain Tight hip flexors

3. Anterior/Posterior Pelvic Tilt “flat back” reduces natural curve in lumbar spine (lower back) tight abs, shortened hip extensors, weak hip flexors “weak lower back” pelvis forward and down (more than normal) weak abs, shortened hip flexors, weak gluteus maximus

Exercising the Abdomen _NOT CRUNCHES_ Sit on an exercise ball! A couple of the following exercises…

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Star Open/Close

Anjaneyasana variation (Crescent Lunge)

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Ardha Uttanasana (Halfway Lift)

So let’s avoid this…

Thank you!

Sources http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/09/yogis-be-careful-with-your-joints-charlotte-bell/ http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/sep/27/fit-lose-duck-feet/ http://www.appliedmma.com/training/donald-duck-syndrome-might-be-whats-causing- all-your-lower-back-pain/ http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/neck_pain/neck_pain.htm http://deansomerset.com/collapse-the-ribs-if-you-live-in-extension/ http://www.thankyourbody.com/do-not-do-crunches/ http://www.thankyourbody.com/core-strengthening-exercises/ http://www.exrx.net/Kinesiology/Posture.html http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/science-says-foam-rolling-increases-rom- and-does-not-decrease-strength

Image credits pittsburgh: "Downtown Pittsburgh from the North Shore" by Theeditor93 - I took the photo myself.Previously published: Facebook, deviantART (http://eldru.deviantart.com/art/Pittsburgh-from-the-North-Shore-375922428), Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Pittsburgh_from_the_North_Shore.png #/media/File:Downtown_Pittsburgh_from_the_North_Shore.png bad posture: http://livewellchiro.com.au/bad-posture-equals-bad-health/ chiropraction: http://edmondsshorelinechiropractor.com/chiropractic-for-any-age/ more chiropraction/posture: http://drsalfakhoury.com/chiropractic/ knee hyperextension: http://www.somastruct.com/genu-recurvatum/ tadasana: http://www.mrsfitness.com/do-the-yoga-mountain-pose/ forward head: http://www.chiro.org/LINKS/Forward_Head_Posture.shtml trapezius: "Muscle trapèze" by Berichard - travail personnel (own work) d'après Atlas de Bonamy (1854). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muscle_trap%C3%A8ze.png#/media/File:Muscle_trap%C3%A8ze.png cat-cow: http://www.mindfulbody.com/mind/yoga/signature-mindful-practice-yoga-sequence/daily-practice-detailed-instructions chair cat-cow: Cat- Cow Stretch in a Chair - © Barry Stone http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/ss/catcow.htm extension: http://deansomerset.com/collapse-the-ribs-if-you-live-in-extension/ serratus: Draws scapula forward on chest wall (pulling shoulders down) (picture of serratus anterior) "Serratus anterior" by Bildbearbetning: sv:Användare:Chrizz. * compressed with pngcrush. Original uploader was Chrizz at sv.wikipedia - Transferred from sv.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serratus_anterior.png#/media/File:Serratus_anterior.png navasana: http://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-boat-pose-in-yoga spinal balance: https://www.scripps.org/news_items/4363-keep-your-back-healthy star open close: http://www.thankyourbody.com/core-strengthening-exercises/ pelvic tilt: http://bretcontreras.com/why-do-i-anterior-pelvic-tilt/ high lunge: http://www.yogajournal.com.au/pose/high-lunge-variation-2/ halfway lift(s): http://blog.lifestart.net/post/4263955842/are-some-yoga-poses-harmful-part-5 forward fold: http://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-standing-forward-fold-in-yoga posture evolution: http://www.salveotherapy.co.nz/good-posture-good-health/