It’s no secret that we look at our phones too much. This post explains what happens when you are constantly slouching over your device and how it can affect your yoga practice.
I think it should fall into the category of “natural selection” when:
Someone gets hit by a car in a crosswalk while texting.
Or hurts themselves while riding a bike while texting.
Or spends more time at the gym staring at their phone than actually exercising.
Our daily behavior influences our posture, balance, and strength and I’m writing this to say that our habit of constantly staring at our little pocket computer is no different. It is literally hurting us.
At this point, there are numerous studies taking place outlining the deleterious effects of iPhone culture, so I won’t go down that rabbit hole.
However, I would like to discuss how your phone could be interfering with your yoga practice and making you worse off in general, both physically and mentally.
Crappy Phone Posture
Your body reinforces the movement patterns that you teach it. It’s really that simple.
This is why certain categories of athletes look a certain way, and also why they tend to have repetitive injuries in certain areas.
It’s also why people who stare at their phone all the time tend to have lots of neck problems and sit like Gollum hunched over their precious.
Check this out:
If you look like this when you text, there is probably a high likelihood that your yoga high plank position probably looks pretty similar.
If you have trained your body to look and act a certain way, that pattern will repeat itself. So you might ask why this matters.
In both positions, my head is jutting forward which is putting an added load on my neck and upper back. Over time this can lead to problems ranging from neck and back pain to muscle spasms and nerve impingement in the neck and shoulders. Have you ever seen an elderly person with severe Kyphosis?
This is the direction we’re all headed if we keep it up.
Next, in both photos, the position of my low back and hips will inevitably cause problems if keep this position up. There is an anterior pelvic tilt in my hips, which leads to added pressure on my lower spine (think slipped, herniated or bulging discs).
Not only that, having my hips thrust forward also puts unnecessary pressure on the big bundle of nerves and vascular structures located between my groin and my upper thigh. Again, nerve impingement, tingling, and various other unpleasantness can result.
Texting posture is hurting you, I’m arguing that as a result, it can literally make your yoga practice worse.
If sitting is the new smoking then texting is the new vaping.
So what can you do about it?
First, hold your phone up in front of your face while you’re staring at your Instagram feed.
Sure you might look like you’re taking a picture of the cashier at Starbucks while you’re standing in line ignoring your surroundings, but hey, at least your back doesn’t hurt!
Second, check the position of your hips and shoulders
Rather than sloppily letting your hips slide forward putting your back in danger, tilt your belt buckle toward your chin and engage your abs slightly. You can even think about bending your knees slightly and sticking your butt out a little bit.
Next, draw your shoulders back and down and “tuck” your chin toward your throat– just a little bit. If text neck means you are jutting your head forward, then try drawing it back in the opposite direction, lengthening the back of your neck toward the ceiling.
Bonus! Your phone habit is ruining your patience and concentration
If you are a yogi– unless you are a medical professional on call– and you insist on bringing your phone to sit next to your mat, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
Our phones BIGLY reinforce our impatience and our obsession with instant gratification. Since a certain orange jackass is obsessed with Twitter more than anyone else in the Universe, I figured it couldn’t hurt to throw him in the mix for this one because he’s about the least yogic person in existence 😉
Unless you are watching a class on your phone and practicing along, there is literally no argument for having your phone involved in any way with your yoga practice. It only shows how little you have actually learned from your yoga practice.
Do yourself a favor and put your phone on silent, outside of the room where you can’t get your fix until after you’re done being good to yourself.
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