Want Better Posture: 8 Strengthening Exercises
- You've been hearing about good posture since you were a child, including the generic advice to "stand up straight." You're also familiar with "bad" posture habits: caving your...
- as much as you've heard about good and bad posture, you still might find yourself confused about what, exactly, good posture means.
- simply defined,posture is the way our bodies are held in space.And contrary to popular belief, it isn't only one static position.
Published January 15, 2026 11:00AM
You’ve been hearing about good posture since you were a child, including the generic advice to “stand up straight.” You’re also familiar with “bad” posture habits: caving your chest and drooping your neck forward as you scroll on your phone, hiking your shoulders, and rounding your back on your daily commute.
as much as you’ve heard about good and bad posture, you still might find yourself confused about what, exactly, good posture means.
simply defined,posture is the way our bodies are held in space.And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t only one static position. “The best posture is one that moves,” says Anji Gopal, yoga teacher and the BackCare Expert. “So, not sitting or standing for too long in any one shape.”
It’s ironic, then, that you could spend hours at the gym or on the yoga mat attempting to correct the minutiae of your posture in Down Dog or Warrior 2; but if your inner desk gremlin returns the second you’re sitting down again, those changes won’t feel sustainable.
That’s why yoga isn’t just an incredible tool for improving posture on the mat-but in your everyday life as well.
Why Posture Matters
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Many people already know they need to work on their posture. The issues poor posture can cause in the body include pain, stiffness, and muscle spasms. For instance, continually hunching your shoulders when you feel stressed can cause back pain, shallow breathing, weak upper back muscles (which are key postural muscles), and more.
Another common pitfall is tucking your pelvis, which easily happens when slouching on a couch, desk chair, or car seat. “When the pelvis is tucked, the entire spine is pulled out of its natural alignment,” says Esther gokhale, L.Ac., founder of the Gokhale Method, a system for improving posture. “This seemingly subtle distortion is actually at the root of many othre, more recognizable posture problems.” These include rounded shoulders, a forward head (ever heard of tech neck?), and a rounded upper back.
Swaying the back, which is often done as an over-correction to slumped posture, is another hazard.
“The meeting place of the ‘behind’ and the back frequently enough becomes stiff after years of tucking the pelvis,” explains Gokhale. This gentle backbend helps restore mobility.
How to: Lie on your belly and press the tops of your feet into the mat. Plant your palms on either side of your ribs, with your elbows pointing back. Inhale and lift your head and chest slightly off the mat, while pressing your hip bones into the mat and drawing your front ribs together in Baby Cobra. Stay here for 5-10 breaths, then release.
3. Upward Salute
This pose, also known as Urdhva Hastasana, is a staple in Sun salutations and the foundation for many standing poses. It looks simple, but it’s anything but.
“urdvha Hastasana is a great posture to realign, to center, and to ground, and also to stretch,” says Gopal.
How to: Stand at the front of your mat with your feet together or hip-distance apart. Visualize pointing your tailbone toward the mat as you inhale and lift your arms overhead, with your palms facing each other in Upward Salute. Stay here for 5-10 breaths.
Wide-Legged standing Forward Bend: A Spine-Friendly Pose
Prasarita Padottanasana, or Wide-Legged Standing forward Bend, offers increased spinal mobility and promotes safe bending techniques both during yoga practice and in everyday life. The pose emphasizes pelvic rotation and a flat back to protect the spine during forward folds.
How to Practice
Begin by facing the long edge of your mat with your feet positioned 3-4 feet apart. Place your index and middle fingers on your hips. Inhale to lift your chest, then exhale and hinge forward from your hips, maintaining a flat back and avoiding rounding. Slightly turning your feet outward can create additional space to lower your chest comfortably. Bring your hands to the mat or use blocks for support, as demonstrated in this guide on Yoga Journal.
