All About Posture.

What is a good posture?

A go-ogle search for "good posture" returns lots of results (and side-view illustrations) but no clear winner in the definition department:

i.e. A lot of talk about the spine and positioning of the head and joints but there is a lack of emphasis on what's responsible for the positioning of our body, on what creates our posture - our muscles.

Posture can be:

• Passive posture. The positioning of your body when you're not thinking about it. The brain-body subconsciously functioning day-to-day.

or

• Active posture. Conscious thought about "how you are holding yourself". Using voluntary muscles under voluntary control to improve your positioning.

An active posture becomes the passive norm when the relevant connections between mind and muscles have been 'wired in' i.e. good postural habits can be formed by consciously working with the right muscles for a sufficient length of time.

Postural Assessment.

The body provides more sensory feedback about its positioning than can ever be supplied by external sources (i.e. someone else assessing your posture).

Recognising this sensory information is the basis of conscious proprioception (awareness of your sense of position, motion and balance) so that you can feel for yourself how your body is positioned.

Self-awareness facilitates self-correction of posture.

Focusing on your Base-Line muscles is the key to increasing your awareness of your posture and state of body alignment.

Micro-adjustments in positioning too subtle to appreciate on clinical exam can have wide effects throughout the body (everything's connected) which can be felt when the body-mind connection is strong.

An Ideal Posture.

In an ideal posture stresses are distributed and dissipated in the best/safest/most efficient possible manner for the activity being undertaken.

An ideal posture provides the maximum capacity to deal with external stresses. The body is as strong as it can be.

There are many disciplines that represent ideal postures, demonstrations of the body's capabilities when it is functioning at optimal. For example:

• The asanas of yoga - snapshots of the body with a full range of natural movement. Poses that can be perfected when the body is truly balanced.
• Pilates, tai chi and other internal martial arts, ballet - demonstrating the grace and freedom of movement possible with dynamic alignment.

Using the main muscles of movement brings an understanding of what a good posture is. The body feels strong and comfortable. Movement flows easily through a full range of natural movement.

A Functional Posture.

A functional posture is what the brain/body uses day-to-day when an ideal posture cannot be achieved such as if the main muscles of movement are not adequately used and physical restrictions that reduce range of movement are present on the body.

A functional posture at its most basic:

• Keeps our eyes level (maintaining horizontal equilibrium in visual input).
• Keeps us facing/moving forward.
• Puts the body in a position to do the task at hand.
• Adjusts body position to bear external stresses as they are applied.

Subconscious adjustments are made throughout the body - twists, kinks, tilts and compressions - as the brain sees fit, using 'mimic muscles' in an attempt to compensate for misusage in the main muscles, but the body is imbalanced and imbalance leads to further imbalance.

Anticipatory Posture.

When faced with a task, the brain/body prepares by activating muscles into an anticipatory posture. "Bracing yourself".

An anticipatory posture should be the ideal posture for the activity - using the main muscles of movement to their full potential - but if that is not achievable the body braces into a functional posture with the use of mimic muscles.

Becoming aware of anticipatory postures and the activation of mimic muscles is important to correcting the dysfunction. Breathing with your Base-Line and focusing on the main muscles of movement will facilitate the correction of bad postural habits that have developed.

Posture & Movement.

Explore movement extending out from your Base-Line.

Feel where the main muscles of movement are in relation to each other.

Sense where your natural range of movement should take you, guided by your sense of proprioception.

Work towards balancing and aligning your body.

You want to stand up straight? Use your main muscles of movement.

You want to sit properly? Use your rectus abdominis muscles to support you.

You want to know what body alignment feels like? Work towards aligning the linea alba and nuchal/supraspinous ligaments.

You want to 'center yourself'? Find your Base-Line.