Starting a new system of exercises to improve posture can be frustrating. We might expect a lot out of ourselves, especially at the beginning. We want instant results, and when we don't get them, we feel discouraged.
But if you keep incorporating these virtues into your practice, you will reap many benefits. You can make the exercises more effective, reduce your risk of getting hurt, and feel more contented with your practice. In this article, I will detail four important virtues that will help you deepen your practice. These virtues are usually present in yoga and tai chi, but we'll make use of them here, too.
1. Patience
The first week or two of a new exercise routine usually give you big results. You're working new muscles in new ways, so your muscle adapts relatively quickly. But soon you reach your muscle's capacity to change quickly, and you must slowly and persistently exercise it to see any gains. This can take time. The same works for your posture. You will see big gains at first, but then you must be patient and do the exercises correctly and consistently. Over time, you will notice an improvement in how you hold yourself up. So keep at it.
2. Modesty
We tend to overestimate our ability to recover from a workout. It is especially important when we are dealing with the spine and tendons. You shouldn't take a spinal or tendon injury lightly. Having a healthy, pain-free spine is important to your well-being.
You ligaments and tendons can only stretch 4% of their length before they start to get hurt. When you stretch, you should only apply a gentle stretch to your tendons. A good rule of thumb is that when your muscles begin to twitch, that is as far as you should go in the stretch. Your tendons are actually sending a reflex message to your muscles to avoid stretching too far.
3. Awareness
Paying attention to our own bodies is so important, yet we often just zone out and watch TV while we're at the gym. We could be feeling all sorts of pain from our body, but we aren't listening. When your trying to improve your posture, you absolutely must focus on your own body. How are you holding yourself? What is tight? What can I relax? By paying attention to our movements, we can do them more correctly, improve our enjoyment, and increase our quality of life.
4. Grace
A certain elegance helps any movement. Try to find the grace in whatever movement you are doing. Your exercises represent what you want to be. How you hold your posture symbolizes how you feel. Exercise with with your intention in mind. Let your purpose be present during each workout.
These virtues should help you not only get more benefits from your practice and help you improve posture, but also deepen your connection to your own body. A good posture exercise system will focus on these and similar virtues. Without these guiding principles, you may give up too soon or injure yourself. May they guide you to a new, radiant posture and excellent health.
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