Stretching exercises can improve posture and they are easy to do. The following exercises are designed to reduce body soreness and stiffness, and will also help with balance and body alignment.

Cat Stretch:

• Find a comfortable area on the floor, or place a mat under you.
• Rest on the floor on all fours. Your back should form a tabletop.
• Have your knees hip width apart. Keep your hands placed directly under your shoulders and flat on the ground.
• Look straight ahead, inhale, raise your chin, and tilt your head back. Let your tailbone raise up a little as your navel pushes downwards.
• Hold this position for a few seconds, breathing long and deep.
• Then, exhale and begin to lower your chin to your chest, arch your back as much as you can, and relax your gluteus muscles.
• To help with balance, imagine you are holding a glass of water in the middle of your back during this exercise.
• Hold for a few seconds again, breathing.
• Repeat each movement 4-6 times.

Neck Tilt:

• Tilt your head in each direction (right, left, back, forth) and hold the position while you massage the neck for a few seconds.
• In the past, this exercise was similar to the “neck roll,” an exercise you may have done in P.E. class when you were a kid, but since we now know that rolling the neck around can cause strain or injury, the neck tilt is the best way to stretch the neck.