A: I see these people, too, in the neighborhood near Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland. There are several high-rise retirement buildings in the area, and a lot of the residents are out and about on busy Piedmont Ave during the day, doing errands and getting some activity in. I am amazed by some of the postural changes I observe in some of these men and women. Not only do they seem to be flexed at the hip joint, but there usually there is also a pretty noticeable increase in the normal curve of the upper back area, which is referred to as “kyphosis.” This kyphosis of the thoracic spine can cause a corresponding collapse of the front chest. (See Friday Q&A: Kyphosis for information on kyphosis and dowager’s hump.) One of the main things I worry about for these folks is the limitation in their ability to stand up straight enough to see around their environment well, as their posture tends to leave them looking down at the ground and not very far in front of the themselves.
If you happen to be dealing with such changes in your body, on a small or large scale, or if you work with older students in your classes, here are a few things to consider:
1. Working on improving mobility at the hip joint is likely going to be easier and safer to address before the upper chest (more on that in a bit). A good starting place is to try some reclining hip movements, such as our Dynamic Reclined Hip Stretches series. If getting down on the floor is not possible, you can even do these while lying in bed.
More specifically, the muscles at the front of the hip joint are certainly going to be tight and shortened, so gradually doing poses to lengthen these muscles, such as part of the quadriceps group as well as the psoas and iliacus, are a good starting place. Working on High and Low Lunge Pose (see Lunge Pose) addresses these areas nicely, and if your flexibility makes it hard to get into these poses as an able bodied student might, you can start with doing variations while sitting on a chair.
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| High Lunge |
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| High Lunge with Chair |
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| Low Lunge |
And, in all likelihood, the muscles at the backs of hips and legs are going to be tight as well, so doing Reclined Leg Stretch pose to work on lengthening the hamstrings, gluteal muscles, and calves should help as well.
2. The increased curve of the upper thoracic spine and collapse of the front chest may take more finesse and time to address. This is partly due to the fact that if you have any history of osteoporosis (see Healthy Bones for Men and Women Alike), the kyphosis could be due to the presence of wedge fractures in the thoracic vertebrae (chest spinal bones). Although that may limit how much straightening can happen with yoga practice, you may still be able to slowly work in improved mobility in this part of the spine. If you are in this camp, do check with your doctor to get the OK to do yoga.
One easy, passive way to work with this condition is to do Savasana variations to open the chest. At first, that may mean simply lying on your back, probably with a folded blanket under your head, which often cannot normally rest on the floor due to the extreme curve of the upper back. Five to ten minutes in the pose, adding in some breath awareness practice to keep you centered, should be a good starting time.
You can add in dynamic arm movements to help to take the upper back into some gentle back bending, which is what you want to work towards. Take one arm up and overhead as you inhale, and bring it back to your side on the exhale. Alternate your arms for a five to six rounds. As your upper back starts to change shape, you may be able to add in a Supported Reclined Backbend with a small blanket roll, cross-wise at the level of the lower tips of your shoulder blades, under your chest. Again, staying for 5-10 minutes is a reasonable goal.
3. To open the entire length of your body, you can work on Mountain pose while standing with your back to wall. Stand with your heels about six inches from the wall and the backs of the buttocks on the wall. Press down into your feet as you lengthen upward toward the crown of your head. With regular practice of a few minutes a day, you might eventually find that you can straighten your legs more and maybe even get your shoulder blades to rest more evenly on the wall.
Whether you are doing these kinds of practices for yourself or your students, please be patient. It took many, many years for a body to get into this state, so it may take a while to affect some good changes!
—Baxter
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