Does posture matter?
Is there good or bad posture?
We’ve probably been told, “Sit up straight. Don’t slump.” If you’ve been in a yoga class, you’ve probably been told, “pull the shoulder blades down and in. Lift the chest. Tuck the tailbone.” Are these cues or instructions helpful? If we sit straight or stand with a tucked tailbone, are we all the better for it? I think that when we focus on achieving a certain posture, we become more focused on the external aspect of appearance rather than really checking in with ourselves to notice how we feel in that posture. We no longer have agency over how we move and how that makes our bodies feel. When we receive cues from others about how we should move or look or hold our own bodies, no matter how well-intentioned, we give away our ability to navigate our own feelings and sensations. I invite you to take notice of how you feel during different movements and postures and find what feels good in your body.
Is there such a thing as “bad” posture? I think not. Our bodies are meant to move. We are made to be able to inhabit many different postures like sitting, standing, rolling, crawling, walking, kneeling and adapting to changes in our bodies with aging, illness, or injury. We may all have varying abilities when it comes to these basic movements, but we are meant to move in some way. I have watched tens of thousands of people move through space, and we all have variability in our movements. Posture is not binary. It is not “good” or “bad.” It just is. Maintaining a “perfect” posture does not lower our risk of pain or injury.
What we need to create within ourselves is resilience. Resilience to varied movement abilities that occurs with a natural ease and rhythm. Flow. Creating resilience in the body can allow us to sustain a position or posture and then move out of that position without pain or stiffness and with ease.
When we move through our own available range of motion with variety, we engage as many muscles as possible. Strength and mobility training applied in controlled forces improve tolerance to activity, endurance, power and speed. Challenges to our vestibular system (our equilibrium), proprioceptive responses (our ability to tell where we are in space), and our vision help us vary our posture as we move through space and navigate our environment. Our bodies are not meant to be held in one “perfect” position with no movement. They are dynamic and fluid providing us with the ability to move efficiently and sufficiently.
This week, if you notice that you have been in one position for a while, take some time to move out of that position. If you have been at the computer, sit back, roll your shoulders, look up and down, turn your head side to side, and reach your arms up as high as you can a few times. If you have been driving, stop and get out of the car and walk around for a few minutes. If you have been standing at the kitchen counter, shift your weight from side to side, reach down toward your toes, reach up over your head if you can and march in place. If you have been laying down, try rolling from your back to your stomach, bend the hips and stretch by bringing your knees to your chest and wiggle your feet up and down. Take a few minutes and spend some time moving your body.
Take good care,
Sharon