Balanced
Posture in
BY LAURA ALBRECHT
All human bodies have a unique shape and therefore, unique positions of
comfort. However, there is a general way to sit, stand, bend, move, etc. that
encourages supporting the body's weight through the skeleton and deep postural
muscles. It is easy to develop habits that contribute to poor posture and
ultimately, muscle and joint pain. Fortunately, there are simple body awareness
techniques and exercises you can do to reduce pain.
My brother
recently returned from the West African nation of
The first photograph of this series
shows an approach to body posture while carrying weight. In
In
particular, this photo shows the beauty of the chin tuck-an exercise that Dr.
Smith purveys frequently. By keeping her chin down and back this young woman is
able to achieve an evenly stacked cervical spine. She also accesses strength in
the trapezeus-the large diamond shaped muscle that stretches from the neck to
the mid back. When weight is applied to the top of the head, it is distributed
evenly downward because of this skeletal and muscular support.
I have no
doubt in saying that this young woman's neck is strong. One might argue that
she lacks muscle definition. I would argue that she engages deep postural
muscles to support weight as opposed to the more superficial muscles that tend
to become tight and bulge. It is difficult to find body builder type muscles in
To practice
a chin tuck, bring awareness to the back of your neck by gently drawing the
chin down and back. It is a great exercise to practice throughout the day
because it can be done in a variety of positions. An obvious time to practice
is while working at a desk or a computer, as it will relieve the muscles that
tighten due to jutting the neck forward. Chin tucks can also be practiced while
lying in bed in order to relieve muscular tightness before falling asleep. I
often find that when the body is in a position of stress, be it lifting a heavy
object or sustaining a difficult yoga posture, the neck tends to jut forward.
To review the mechanics of a chin tuck, visit the exercises tab on the home
page of this website, select neck exercises, and then select chin tuck.
Body
awareness is an extremely powerful tool in changing long-term habits. Rather
than judge the way your body feels or moves now, try to simply notice. By
bringing awareness to your posture throughout the day, you are on your way to
more balanced and ultimately pain-free posture.
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Thanks to Jean Couch and her teacher
Noelle Perez for their study of posture and culture and for sharing their
observations with students like me. For more information about anthropological
surveys of posture in developing countries, visit www.balancecenter.com.
Thanks to Christopher Albrecht for sharing his photographs for the purpose of
this article.
*Laura Albrecht studies and teaches Classical Ashtanga Yoga in