How to Improve Neck Posture

Perfect neck posture not only contributes to bettering your overall appearance, it prevents you from having neck pain and bigger problems related to your back. As people age, the back is one of the first parts of the body to get weaker. Because the back holds up the neck, maintaining good posture in your neck will preserve your back longer. Certain steps must be taken to maintaining perfect neck posture while standing up and sitting down.

Instructions

Standing

• 1

  Familiarize yourself with what good posture is. When standing, evenly distribute your weight to both of your feet. You will probably feel like you are leaning forward and look strange, but it looks more normal than you realize.

• 2

  Align your hips, shoulders and ears. Your ears should sit directly above your shoulders, which should sit directly above your hips. These points should form a straight line your body. Again, this definitely feels weirder than it looks. You will get used to it.

• 3

  Stretch your neck and upper back every day. Tilting your head in all four directions over your shoulders, gently massage your neck (while tilting). Don't roll your head around your shoulders because it will cause further misalignment and strain.

• 4

  Master the mechanics of perfect posture. Stand with your weight on the balls of your feet, not your heels. Avoid locking your knees and keep your feet slightly apart (shoulder width). Let your limbs hang naturally to your side, standing as straight and tall as you can.

• 5

  Do yoga, ballet and other forms of moving meditation. The flow and direction of ballet and yoga are great for your posture and overall neck and back alignment. Dancing requires you to keep perfect posture. If you do it enough, you will find yourself standing like you should even when you're not dancing.

Sitting

• 6

  Align your back with your chair; avoid leaning forward. Keep your shoulders straight while sitting down.

• 7

  Align your neck, back and heels, keeping both feet flat on the floor. If your feet don't reach the floor for one reason or another, use a foot rest.

• 8

  Keep your head aligned with your shoulders and avoid slouching, unless you're performing stretches. Good posture is about making sure your body parts stay symmetrical, even in the toughest of situations.

• 9

  Breathe deeply and with fluidity. Your breaths should flow out in a smooth and relaxed manner. Effective breathing will reduce stress, and reduced stress will keep your mind centered and focused on maintaining perfect sitting posture.