Thursday: Yoga for Strengthening Bones and Achieving Perfect Posture

Thursday: yoga for Strengthening Bones and Achieving Perfect Posture

The robust musculoskeletal system is composed of bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. It is essential to properly care for our bones and muscles as they provide the fundamental structure for other organs and physiological systems to "reside" in. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are crucial for maintaining these necessary protective structures. Besides providing support and protection, the skeletal system also plays a vital role in the body's immune function, safeguarding it against microbial invasion.

State Test

If you often experience the following conditions, you need to focus more on improving your muscular and skeletal system:

1. Excessive flab in the upper arms (bat wings);

2. Sagging or outward-flared chest;

3. Protruding belly or "beer belly";

4. Loose thigh muscles;

5. Drooping buttocks;

6. Bulky calves;

7. Hunchback appearance;

8. Uneven shoulders;

9. Stiff shoulders and frequent lower back pain;

10. Walking with toes turned inward or outward;

11. Weight gain, flabby and untoned muscles;

12. Lack of enthusiasm for activities you were once interested in.

CHECK● The yoga exercises shown in the image above are designed to target the adjustment of the muscular and skeletal systems through practice. Regular practice can correct poor posture, improve various muscle stiffness and soreness issues, strengthen bones, increase muscle strength, enhance flexibility, slow down muscle and bone aging, prevent osteoporosis, sculpt perfect curves, and achieve a healthy posture. They also have a noticeable effect on eliminating excess fat.

Backbend Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Triceps, Glutes, Obliques

During the movement, keep your abdomen and buttocks tight. When lifting the upper body, avoid arching your neck, and keep your feet on the Yoga Mat. This pose is excellent for sculpting the curves of the posterior body.

1. Lie face down, with the forehead touching the ground.

● Lie on the yoga mat with your forehead touching the ground, place your hands on your hips, tighten your glutes, and slightly separate your feet.

2. Lift the upper body with force.

● Use force in the shoulders and neck, pinch the scapulae, and lift the upper body with strength.

3. Return to the starting position.

● Return to the position in step 1 without relaxing your body. Repeat the movement five times.

Starting Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Glutes, Hamstrings

When kneeling, extend your arms straight, and do not twist your elbows inward to avoid excessive pressure on the wrists. When lifting the knees off the ground, avoid raising the hips too high, maintain a straight back, and avoid slouching.

1. Hands and knees support, flat back.

● Kneel on the yoga mat, with all four limbs on the ground, hands and knees shoulder-width apart. Look down at the ground, relax the shoulders and neck, keep the back flat, and toes pressed into the mat.

2. Exert force with both legs, lifting the knees off the ground.

● Kneel on the mat. Use your hands to support your body, tighten your abdominal muscles, and lift the knees about 3 centimeters off the ground, as if you are about to start running forward.

3. Return to the starting position.

● Slowly return to the position in step 1. Do not slacken your body. Repeat the movement ten times.

Leg Lift Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Quadriceps, Inner Thigh Muscles

During leg lifting, keep your body straight, relax your shoulders, and avoid hunching. Clamping a small ball or towel between the ankles can help tighten the muscles on the inner side of the thighs.

1. Lie on your side, clamping an object between the legs.

● Lie on your side on the yoga mat, facing forward. Place one arm under your head as a pillow and the other arm in front of your body. Stretch both legs straight, and place a small ball or a rolled-up towel between the ankles.

2. Raise the right arm and both legs straight.

● Tighten the legs and lift them up. Raise the arm in front of the body, perpendicular to the ground. Keep the body steady without swaying.

3. Return to the starting position.

● Gently lower the arm and legs. Repeat the movement ten times and then switch sides.

Back Support Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Abdominal Muscles

During the seated position, keep your back straight, and raise your arms parallel to the ground, avoiding shoulder shrugging. When lying down, arch your back slightly, but not too straight.

1. Sit with your legs slightly apart and bent.

● Sit on the yoga mat, facing forward. Bend your knees with your feet resting on the mat. Place your hands in front of you with palms facing down, shoulder-width apart.

2. Lean backward with the body in an arc shape.

● Lean backward with the back arched but not lying down on the yoga mat. The upper body remains suspended, resembling a reclining chair. Hold for 5 seconds.

3. Tighten the abdomen and sit up straight.

● Contract the abdomen and legs, and sit up with the upper body. Repeat the movement ten times.

Dragonfly Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Triceps, Obliques, Deltoids, Glutes

When lifting the body, avoid shrugging the shoulders, tighten the abdomen, and use force in the head and back without lowering the head.

1. Lie face down, with the forehead touching the ground.

● Lie on the yoga mat with your forehead touching the ground, slightly separate your feet, keep the tops of your feet on the ground, and place your hands on both sides of your body with palms facing up.

2. Lift both ends of the body in an arc shape.

● Lift the head, neck, shoulders, chest, arms, and legs at the same time, forming an arc shape with the body and holding for 10 seconds.

3. Return to the starting position.

● Slowly return to the position in step 1. Repeat the movement ten times.

Swan Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps, Triceps, Obliques, Glutes, Abdominal Muscles

When lifting the body, relax your shoulders, avoid shrugging your shoulders, and feel your spine stretching infinitely. Regular practice of this set of exercises will make your back and buttocks lines more beautiful.

1. Sit with your legs slightly bent and apart.

● Sit on the yoga mat, facing forward. Keep your back straight, legs together, and hands placed in front of your body shoulder-width apart.

2. Bend the left leg back and lean forward.

● Bend the left leg backward, toes facing forward, heel lifted, and toes touching the ground. Bend the right leg, forming a lunge. Place your hands on both sides of the right foot. Look down at the ground.

3. Arch the back and lift the right leg.

● Bend the left calf backward, hold the left foot with the left hand, and hold the position for 30 seconds. Rest, then switch legs and repeat the above movements.

Side Stretch Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Triceps, Deltoids, Glutes

During the bending motion, keep your body stable, knees straight, and upper body not leaning forward. This set of exercises can quickly burn overall body fat, promote blood circulation, and eliminate toxins from the body.

1. Stand with your feet together and look forward.

● Stand on the yoga mat, look forward, keep your back straight, and place your hands on both sides of your body.

2. Turn your upper body to the left while keeping the lower body stable.

● Move the upper body to the left while keeping the lower body stationary.

3. Arch your upper body to the left as far as possible.

● Bend your upper body to the left, place the left hand beside the left foot, and extend the right arm vertically towards the ceiling. Look at your right hand. Return to the position in step 1, switch your foot position (turn the right toe out 45 degrees, and the left toe forward), and repeat the above movements to the right.

Rowing Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Lumbar Muscles, Hamstrings, External Oblique Muscles

This pose has significant benefits for the hip joint and the ligaments around the hip joint, promoting overall blood circulation and improving constipation problems.

1. Sit with your legs extended and together.

● Sit on the yoga mat with your legs extended and together, toes pointed, shoulders relaxed, and palms facing down, holding fists.

2. Lean forward with both arms extended.

● Exhale and bend forward as far as possible, keeping your arms extended.

3. Arch your body backward, bending your arms like rowing.

● Inhale and lean backward as far as possible, bending your arms and lifting them outside your shoulders. Repeat the above movements ten times in a continuous manner, as if rowing a boat.

Forward Bend Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Lumbar Muscles, Hips, Abdominal Muscles, Leg Muscles

During the knee bending, pay attention to keep the knees vertically aligned with the toes to avoid knee injuries. This pose can quickly burn fat in the hips and inner thighs, perfecting the lower body line.

1. Stand with your feet together, looking forward.

● Stand, looking forward, with a straight back, legs together, and hands on both sides of your body.

2. Step the left leg back and bend forward.

● Step the left leg back, toes facing forward, heel lifted, and toes touching the ground. Bend the right leg, forming a large lunge. Place your hands on both sides of the right foot. Look down at the ground.

3. Bend the left leg backward and lift it up.

● Bend the left calf backward, hold the left foot with the left hand, hold the position for 30 seconds, and then rest. Switch legs and repeat the above movements.

Side Leg Lift Pose

Targeted Muscle Groups: Glutes, Thigh Muscles

This exercise increases blood circulation in the legs and quickly burns fat in the buttocks and inner thighs, perfecting the lower body line.

1. Stand, lifting the left leg with a bent knee.

● Stand, looking forward, with a straight back, legs together. Place your right hand on the chair back and the left hand on your waist. Lift the left leg with a bent knee, bringing the thigh parallel to the ground, and extend the hip joint as much as possible. Hold for 20 seconds and then lower the leg.

2. Lift the left leg straight up.

● Straighten the left leg, lifting it sideways, making it parallel to the ground, with the foot facing forward.

3. Bend the left leg backward and lift it up.

● Bend the left lower leg backward, hold the left foot with the left hand, hold for 30 seconds, and then rest. Switch legs and repeat the above movements.