Five habits that fix your posture in a week

Posture is not a pose — it is a habit. Most dancers who arrive at our studio carry the same three patterns: rounded shoulders from a phone, locked knees from standing still, and a head that drifts forward of the spine. The good news is that all three respond to the same five minutes a day.

1. Wall sits for the spine

Stand with your back to a wall, heels six inches away. Let your head, shoulder blades and sacrum touch the wall. Breathe. Two minutes, twice a day, and your spine remembers where centre is.

2. Shoulder rolls, slow

Ten forward, ten back, with the breath — not the momentum — driving the movement. This is the single most useful thing you can do for a dancer's upper back.

3. Foot articulation

Standing, roll slowly through the foot — heel, ball, toe, and back. A dancer's posture starts at the foot, not the neck. Do this while brushing your teeth.

4. The chin tuck

Gently draw the chin straight back, lengthening the back of the neck. Five holds, five seconds. It resets the forward head without strain.

5. Lie on the floor

Two minutes flat on your back, knees bent, feet flat, arms out. Let gravity remind your body what neutral feels like. The floor is the cheapest teacher in the studio.