Posture: It Doesn't Have To Be Hard Work!Posture. What does the word mean to you? A straight back? Effort? Hard work? If it does, it's no surprise really. After all, how many times were you told as a child to sit up straight, don’t slouch or to stand up tall?But what does yours say about you? When you catch your reflection in a shop window, do you get a shock? But when you try to stand up straight what do you do? Do you, like the majority of people, tighten your lower back and push your chest up? Can you hold that for long? I'm guessing your answer would be 'no' - because a) it's hard work, b) you'll forget to do it after a while, and c) it's not good for your back anyway. Take a look at the photos below.
Standing Posture Examples
I have placed a line down the center - notice where the line passes down the body in the image on the right. The weight of the head passes directly down the spine and through to floor requiring less work to maintain balance. Check my quick posture tip here to see how you can do this and see an instant improvement. Check which one most closely represents your standing posture – ask your partner to get the right answer! The 'attention' position shows the most common response when you ask someone to stand up straight. You might believe that if you are doing something wrong, such as slouching, you need to do something extra to correct it. However, have you ever thought that if you knew what good posture was, you would already be standing correctly? How do you suddenly know how to stand properly if you have not done it for years? In place of doing something to stand straight, how about learning to just stop slumping? Posture, Poise & PerformanceIn my role as a teacher of The Alexander Technique I see many people who suffer as a result of poor stature. I also see just as many who are suffering as a result of their attempts to correct it! Adding a little extra tension in order to stand properly will not improve your shape - it just adds to the strain on your muscles and joints. Rather than trying to stand and sit in a way you feel is correct, you can learn how to remove the unnecessary stress in your body and allow your postural reflexes to work as nature intended.This skill is called poise and for many is a lost skill from our youth. When you have poise you use far less effort and your body will support itself with ease allowing you to move, breathe and function more freely. Poise is evident in top athletes and performers. Think of Muhammad Ali or Fred Astaire in their prime and that gives you a great example of freedom in movement. I doubt if they used exercises to improve their posture! I have designed a program to help you become poised again that doesn't require exercise. It contains procedures to help you prevent inappropriate muscle tension that can be the cause of poor posture and many aches and pains. If you would like to know more about this program (now also with video!) please click here.
How To Improve Your Posture without exerciseThis 64 page ebook also comes with 10 short videos and has an alternative approach to improving posture that doesn't require time-consuming corrective exercises. A number of practical techniques will show you how to reduce the stresses you place on your body that cause poor body shape. Learn how to use less effort for standing, sitting and in all your activities and your body will naturally assume a tension-free upright position. A good posture is one that feels light and effortless - find out how to get one with this program. You are welcome to download my unique ebook plus three other posture related programs, plus get a posture check-up included. For more information about this product please see Improve Your Posture. A new window will open with the program details.
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More on Posture
If you think a good posture is about effort, exercise and 'standing up straight'
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Assess Your Posture
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