Open Up!

You know how I love my computers.  Instant access to information; frequent, succinct messages between my daughters and myself; the fun of getting email every day!  As a yoga teacher, though, here is my warning:  Sit up straight! 

Computers, phones, mp3 players, and all our other fun and exciting devices have our whole society curling forward.  We hold our smart toys at waist height and round our shoulders as we click away.  We strain toward the computer monitor and lose our perfect posture as we melt toward the machine.  This brings us into a protective stance, curving our bodies inward and making it difficult for our heartspace to beam out the way it wants to.  Our breath becomes constricted, which puts our nervous systems on high alert:  I can’t breathe, why I am protecting my vital organs; what’s happening to me!!!

Open those shoulders.  Raise that iPhone to shoulder height. Put a timer on your computer that alerts you to pay attention to your posture.  Use a lumbar pillow.  Learn some chair yoga (hey, the computer’s right in front of you -- Google it!).  Join a yoga class. Shine that heart out and notice the vitality that flows through you even when you’re hard at work.  

Don’t let your devices drain your batteries!