As you may know, poor posture has the effect of making you shorter than you really are, can permanently impact your spine and other muscles to the point where they contract, making you shorter, and also has a negative impression on those around you, depending on how poor your posture is.

The good news is that poor posture is rather easily remedied with a number of different posture exercises to help strengthen your muscles and increase your flexibility and height. Some of these exercises, specifically ones that target your shoulders and neck are detailed below.

1) Shoulder Release - Sit in a comfortable straight backed chair, with your feet on the floor. Let your arms hang down loosely by your side. Take a deep breath, and while doing so lift your shoulders up near the level of your ears. Hold them in this position for a few seconds, then release, exhaling at the same time.

This exercise is one that imparts immediate benefits, and you’ll likely feel the results after just one sitting. The muscles in your spine and shoulders get stretched out as a result of this posture exercise, increasing height and flexibility.

2) Turkey Stretch - As above, sit with your back straight, and feet flat on the floor. Keep your eyes fixed beyond the tip of your nose, and hold a hand to your chin. Now breath in deeply, keeping the hand pressed firmly enough on your chin so that you don’t lose posture. You should feel yourself rising up as you fully inhale. This routine is also great for stretching out the back. Perform this a few times each sitting.

3) Turkey Stretch and Turn - Like the last one, but with some slight differences. This time you’ll want to bury your chin into your neck, while maintaining the rest of your posture as well as you can, back straight and hands at your sides. As you breathe deeply this time, slowly turn your neck and head to one side, as far as you can.

Holding this through your next breath, release your neck and head back to a forward facing position on your subsequent exhale. Repeat this to the other side and back again, and do this whole routine 3-4 more times each sitting. This is particularly good for stretching out the neck and shoulders.

Easing tension and stretching out the muscles of your shoulders and back are the hallmarks of these relaxing posture exercises. If you make it a habit of performing at least one of these each time you’re sitting down, you’ll blessed with the results very quickly and for years to come.