A very important yoga principle is practicing non- violence to oneself. Be gentle with yourself as you try to change. This refers to change often taking time. "Pain is no gain". The goal of doing any exercise in not to force your body to strain into any position that is uncomfortable or produces pain. Yoga teaches that by learning to gentler with oneself, the practitioner learns to be gentler with others.

Another fundamental yoga concept is that posture affects every aspect of our being: body, mind and spirit. With healthy posture our body operates optimally and thoughts are clearer and strong. We maintain our health and heal faster. Our most efficient posture( that can be seen from side view) is when our ankle joints are stacked under our knee joints, our knees are under our hip joints, hips are under our shoulders and our shoulders are aligned with our ears. This allows the body to deal well with the bearing down force that gravity puts on us. It also refers to both men and women having both a neck and low back curvature that is not too big or too small.

Inefficient posture decreases our energy flow within the body - leading to pain and dis-ease, and making one become more prone to injury. With unhealthy posture our thoughts become cloudy; our bones become poorly aligned- not supporting our body weight as well; muscles begin to tighten to help support our weight; joints misalign and limit our movement; digestion can become compromised; nerves can become impinged and may not send nor receive messages properly; blood nutrient delivery becomes compromised and some cells in the body can become malnourished. Such conditions as headaches, T.M.J., neck pain, rotator cuff problems, ear ringing, carpal tunnel syndrome, herniated disks, low back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, congestive heart failure, sciatica, knee and foot problems, often have their roots in unhealthy posture.

Yoga also teaches that by practicing one can develop consciousness of how more efficient body alignment feels. By understanding a healthier way of feeling- you can make a conscious choice to change your posture! With mindful practice, over time, you can train your body to maintain a better posture, allowing you more energy and good health.

Aristotle said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit." By changing your habits, you have the power to change your body! Here are a couple of concepts that may help you begin your journey into better posture:

1. Good standing posture actually begins in your feet! Striving for equal weight on both feet is ideal. When standing, think about each foot as having four corners. Two of the corners are located at the top of the heel on both the inside and outside edges of the foot. The other two are found at the bottom of the ball of the foot, again on the outside and inside edges- like a square. Try to equally press down on all four corners of each foot at the same time. Bring this increased awareness of your feet even when you're wearing your shoes! This can actually relieve tension in your knees, low back and neck areas.

2. Seated posture is as equally important as standing posture. When sitting, your knees should be about equal with your hips. You want to be actually sitting on your "sits bones "- they're the little bony protrusions in your buttocks. For those who may have extra fat here, you may actually have to move a bit of that out of the way so that you can feel those two bones. You don't want to be sitting on your tail bone which will affect your whole upper torso, usually rounding it forward, not allowing you to have good posture. This can relieve strain on your upper back and neck.

As you move forward into this New Year, I hope you give intention to pay attention to your health. Remember – better posture can help you achieve that!