Why is having good posture so important?
A good posture is a sign of good health. Imagine yourself with an elongated spine, symmetrical shoulders, and an open chest; all allowing for proper breath, vitality and a positive mood.
Now picture yourself with a poor posture, where your shoulders are rounded, your neck is dropped, closing in on the diaphragm, which can cause difficulty breathing, pain, and a terrible mood. Our posture can answer a lot of questions about what is happening to us, including our happiness.
Posture is an indication of the overall state the person is in. An aligned state allows for proper biomechanics in the body to function, allows for proper circulation and breath to flow, increasing oxygen to the brain, ultimately having the effect of a calm and clear mind.
The opposite is not so pleasant; a rounded, deviated, or twisted state immediately affects the diaphragm, the breath is shortened or halted, which allows less oxygen to travel to the brain therefore, becoming more susceptible to irritability, headaches, fatigue, stress and an overall bad mood.
What causes the body to change in posture?
Attitudes and habits define the position of the person because posture is a manifestation of the overall state the person is in. Typically a person's behaviour, mindset and patterns all have an effect in the way they line-up in relation to gravity. We must activate our core and our muscles to hold up the body's structures against gravity. This is mainly true for our habits, our routines, our repetitive movements and how the body holds up against doing the same actions every single day.
The attitude or mood that you're in during this habit can have a significant impact. For example, the common story of someone bending down to pick up something and their low-back "blocked." A husband and wife were making their bed together, a very normal daily task, however the husband was being passive aggressive towards his wife but clearly because of his own reasons. So, when she asked him to hand her one of the pillows (again- an everyday, very light action), his bad attitude combined with a repetitive movement sent an electric shock sensation to his lumbar spine and he felt a pinch! In that moment, the body absorbed the negative energy from his bad mood, and it reflected into the physical action he was performing. Now, because of a simple moment of losing mindfulness of his posture because his behaviour took over, he has to deal with finding relief, and hopefully fast! Of course, it is plausible and fair to assume he already had some lumbar tension and that is why the tension increased in that area at that moment.
Had he been in a good mood and stress-free at that moment, the act of passing the pillow would have gone unnoticed and perhaps would have even had a lovely day.
Emotions obviously play a big role in our attitudes but we must learn to recognize and control them. Let's leave that for a whole other blog post!
Different types of postures
When we hear the word posture we immediately think of the upper back. It is the most common visualization, even I started you off with that image. However, when determining the different types of postures for all the different body parts, the numbers are endless. We can look at the posture of the entire body from different views such as lateral, posterior, anterior, sagittal and transversal.
Then we can break down the relationships between each body part, for instance cranial and cervical alignments, shoulder levels and rotations, costal and spinal curves, hip levels and rotations, knee and ankle rotations, down to each digital alignment in the hands and feet.
Different types of poor postures include forward head posture, hyper-kyphosis, hyper-lordosis, scoliosis, anterior or posterior tilts of the pelvis, hyperextension of the knees and deviated ankles.
How to correct poor posture
With all the different types of cues to think about, having a good posture can be overwhelming. Luckily we can correct poor posture through bodywork such as massage therapy and fascia therapy, and aim to release the areas where soft tissue is stuck. Then specific stretches and exercises must be performed, to balance and stabilize those changes. Practiced on a daily basis will help keep your posture in check.
Looking at the hips, we can determine that a strong pelvic floor will allow for a strong and elongated spine. One of my favourite exercises for the pelvic floor is Bridge pose. Bridge pose can be done as repetitions squeezing the glutes up and down. It can also be held actively for up to 10 breaths or it can be done passively by placing a yoga block or foam roller under the sacrum. Once the hips are aligned and the glutes have been activated we can move up the spine.
Turning over into a table top position, perform a few repetitions with breath of the yoga asana called Cat/Cow, creating waves up and down the spine and shoulders.
Finally, we can open the chest and flatten that rounded upper back back by creating an extension in the spine. Stand up, reach back and clasp your hands together (see if your palms can touch, if not just start with where you can reach), maintain a slight bend in the knees. Take a few deep breaths filling the lungs up with air and opening the front of the body which is habitually closed in. At this point the cervical spine can elongate, and visualize the head rising as if a string is pulling you up to the sky!
This small routine of breath and exercises is just one of many combinations that can be used to reinstate proper alignment. It is enough to address the whole body and ease restrictions caused by our daily attitudes and habits. Lastly, because of our daily repetitions, some form of breathwork, stretching, exercise, or bodywork should be also be repetitious.
For more exercises on how to correct your posture, visit The Body Blog's Fitness board on Pinterest!
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