Home Stretch

1 Ridiculously Simple Stretch That Will Help Improve Your Posture

Give your back a break with this easy move.
Image may contain Electronics Monitor Display Screen Human Person TV Television and Lcd Screen
Chad Springer / Getty

If you're not careful, the daily grind can really take a toll on your posture. When 3 P.M. rolls around, you're usually typing away at your work while hunched over your keyboard. You may be able to ignore that shoulder stiffness for a while, but it'll eventually become seriously uncomfortable—and that's when you should get up and stretch it out.

Thankfully you can, and with absolutely no equipment. This one simple move from Jenn Seracuse, Director of FLEX Pilates, is easy to do nearly anywhere—even in your office—and intended to improve posture. "We sit with our arms reaching forward at computers, and we're always texting," she tells SELF, and this stretch should help counteract that. It will open up your chest and "alleviate some of that tightness that comes with the mostly sedentary lives we lead," she explains.

Related: 6 Ballerina-Approved Stretches For Tight Hips And Legs

But that's not all: Though most posture stretches focus on opening the chest and shoulders, this move also gives some much-needed love to your hip flexors. "Tight hips affect posture because they pull the pelvis out of alignment and create a forward tilt in the hips," says Seracuse. Since the bones of the spine are all connected, "when one part is out of place it creates a chain reaction, sending the rest of the bones out of alignment to compensate." This move utilizes a lengthening technique that will open up your hips and help correct that imbalance.

Ready to get stretching? Check out the pose below and prepare to say hello to great posture.

Hip & Chest Opener
  • Start on one knee with your opposite foot planted in front of you. Make sure your legs are far enough apart that your back leg can be lengthened while your front knee remains stacked directly over your ankle, not past it.
  • Place your hands on your front knee and tuck your tailbone slightly to activate your glutes. Release the hip of your back leg forward and down toward the floor.
  • Clasp your hands behind your back and reach your arms down toward the back of your back knee, keeping your arms as straight as possible. Lift your heart to open your chest.
  • Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. Repeat on opposite side.

If you can't quite clasp your hands during the pose, says Seracuse, hold opposite elbows or use a towel instead.