Quite a number of persons amongst you may ask if they could rectify the wrong positions of their body; or ii they could correct their posture.
Our answer would be “Undoubtedly”. You can set right your posture by effort and continuous practice. The older the habit of keeping the different parts of your body in a wrong position, greater will be the effort needed to get rid of it.
So it means that our posture becomes wrong due to our carelessness or ignorance. But if we exercise a check on it and strive to practice the correct posture, the wrong posture can be set right.
Several people, on the suggestions of their friends, walk with a stiff head or a protruded chest and think that they are following the correct posture. But they are mistaken. The posture does not become correct by making any part of our body stiff. For this we require systematic movements and regular practice. Tension is aroused in our body, when we make it or any of its part stiff artificially. But if we maintain a natural posture, our muscles become elastic and strong. The normal posture keeps our body and its parts healthy and dynamic.
Why is correct posture essential?
Our posture is directly related to the activities of the internal parts of our body. Wrong posture hinders the right functions of heart, lungs and circulation of blood. The curves in the spine, fallen shoulders and drooping head do not allow the heart and lungs to function properly. You can very well realise that if the heart and the lungs do not /unction properly, what will he the consequences thereof. You are thinking correctly. If the blood circulation will not be right, our body will become weak and its parts will tend to be loose. There will be pain in certain parts of the body, while stiffness will be found in others. The man will become tired and his hands and feet will become benumbed. The cumulative effect of all these will be that your posture will become all the more defective. Consequently your stature will become still shorter.
Examination of the knees
(1) The knees of some persons often rub against each other.
(2) The legs of some children are bent in the shape of an arrow.
(3) The knees of some persons are bent. These three states are the outcome of putting up with wrong positions of the different bodily parts for years together. They can, however, be overcome with diligent efforts.
The first and the second defect can be removed by walking regularly for five minutes, both in the morning as well as in the evening, after adopting the correct position of knees. The third type of defect can be detected with the help of a vertical line. If the line touches your ankles and passes touching the middle part of your knees, you should conclude that the position of your knees is perfectly all right. But if the knees are observed coming out of the line, you should infer that your knees are bent and are defective.
The technique of correcting the bent knees
(1) Sit erects on a chair and stretches your legs. Keep them on a stool, placed at a short distance from you.
(2) Stretch your right leg straight and remain in this position for 4 seconds.
(3) Now stretch your left leg in this very manner.
(4) Repeat this movement eight times for each leg.
When the wrong position of the knees is corrected, the posture improves and the height increases.