We are used to thinking that good posture means standing up straight with our shoulders pulled back. You might have heard that from your parents or you might have even had someone stand behind you pulling your shoulders back to teach you how to do it.
But posture is much more than that.
What is a good posture
Posture is characterised by the relationship of the various parts of the body (i.e. joints and body segments) to each other. We can also describe it in terms of muscle balance or imbalance.
People are different, so there is no such thing as one “good” posture. So any “proper alignment” is more an ideal and everyone will differ to some degree from this standard.
What is considered to be “good” is essentially the posture that optimises the functioning of the body. The key characteristic of good posture is that it manages to distribute the pull of gravity evenly between all the parts of the body. In this way it involves the least amount of stress and strain on the joints, muscles and ligaments, and the body can move with maximum efficiency. This, in turn, minimises the wear and tear on the body from daily living.
What are some of the main principles of good posture
- Finding pelvic neutral
The pelvis is the centre of our bodies and also base from which the spine rises up. Any tilt or hike or twist in the pelvic bowl will affect the hips, torso, the shoulders and the neck. Also the knees and the feet. The whole body alignment depends on keeping the pelvis neutral. - Stacking the three centres of gravity
These centres are the pelvis, the upper back with the shoulders and the head. Good posture emerges from that balance. The gravity centres depend on each other – misalignment in one will lead to misalignment in others. If the the relative position of the gravity centres of the body is in good alignment, we can maintain our upright position with minimal muscular effort. In that way all parts of the body carry equal load and there is no extra muscular effort to resist gravity. - The spine retains its curves and its integrity
There are several curves in the spine. Some people say they are three – in the low back, the upper back and the neck. Others add – two more the curve at the back of the head on top and at the tailbone on the bottom of the spine. These curves are connected and if one of them changes, all are affected.
What causes poor posture
- Modelling after friends and family
- Habit
- Compensations – when certain parts of our body are challenged, the body will compensate to redistribute the load of gravity.
Compensation as a fix to bad posture
One of the first things that happen when we try to correct our posture is that we go from one compensating pattern to another.
There are certain compensations that tend to occur again and again and the key to avoiding them is to be aware of them.
Improving posture isn’t something you can just do overnight.
Poor postural habits get lodged in your body as part of a multi-dimensional process. So improving posture must be a multidimensional process as well. Developing healthy posture habits is not just a matter of ‘standing up straight.’ It must be part of a holistic, well-rounded programme.
Join my online or in-person yoga classes where we focus a lot on improving the way we move, sit and stand.
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Photo by Jacob Dyer on Unsplash
