6 Yoga Poses for Hyperkyphosis That You Can Do Every Day

Photo: Andrew Clark

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We know that spending countless hours hunched over our computers, looking down at our cell phones, and lounging in lazy positions while watching TV isn’t conducive to proper posture. While we’re aware this can cause short-term aches and pains, slumping also primes the body to develop the excessive forward curvature of the thoracic spine colloquially known as dowager’s hump and more formally diagnosed as hyperkyphosis.

There are many other contributing factors to hyperkyphosis, including osteoporosis, disk degeneration, and regular aging. It’s important to speak with your healthcare provider to learn the type of hyperkyphosis that you have and its recommended treatments. But if you know that lifestyle factors played a role in how it formed, some yoga postures can help offset the symptoms.

Having strong back extensor muscles—including the erector spinae—has been shown to be inversely correlated with hyperkyphosis, meaning the more developed those muscles are, the easier it is to manage and reduce your kyphosis. Multiple studies on yoga as a treatment for hyperkyphosis suggests that it can be a safe way to improve your posture, reduce scapular protraction, enhance your awareness of bodily alignment, and increase your strength and flexibility. The back muscles, core, and shoulders together act in a way that’s integral for your posture.

How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: In Tadasana, you roll your shoulders back, open your chest wide, and reach through the crown of your head. Doing so directly counteracts the slouched shoulders of postural kyphosis. Years of excessively slouching can pull your vertebrae out of alignment, resulting in the rounded upper spine. To be sure that you’re standing up straight in Mountain Pose, you can stand with your back against a wall and try to rest both shoulder blades and the back of your head against the wall.

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How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: Focus on your alignment in Easy Pose to practice good posture. In the pose, your torso will be similar to that of Mountain Pose except you’ll be seated instead of standing. Easy Pose can be a space to meditate for as long as feels comfortable while keeping your back straight and chest wide, strengthening the ligaments and muscles of and around your paraspinal muscles.

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How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: This is an active posture that strengthens your shoulders and erector spinae while stretching your abdominals to counteract excessive slouching. Your legs and glutes will also be engaged in Cobra Pose as you press the tops of your feet into the mat, and they play a role in your posture as you stand and walk.

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How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: Locust Pose is an active posture that engages your upper back, abdominals, arms, and legs. It’s a backbend that encourages lengthening through the spine while expanding the chest. Your abdominals help keep your torso upright and stable as you sit, walk, exercise, or do daily activities, so having a strong core improves your ability to hold and maintain any proper, non-slouching position.

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How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: We recommend modifying Fish Pose by placing a rolled blanket underneath the curvature of your lumbar spine for added comfort and support. Fish Pose brings a slight arch to the shoulders and upper back as your neck and chin stay somewhat supported in extension, which provides the much-needed opposite of the forward bending experienced in hyperkyphosis.

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How the pose helps with hyperkyphosis: This variation keeps your spine long and head and chin in extension. Your shoulders and torso will be reminiscent of Cobra Pose, allowing your chest to expand which releases tension across your sternum and upper back in Camel Pose.

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Kyle Houseworth is a former editorial intern and assistant editor for Yoga Journal. He is currently an active certified flight instructor. He received his BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder.