Key 1 Good posture renders the body and mind relaxed and alert, to lay the foundation for create greater well-being. When the trunk is upright and uncompressed, breathing is easier and more effective. Mobility is increased, and body stress minimized. The result is more strength and energy, with less effort.
Correct body posture is essential for ease of movement when walking, shopping or exercising, and for comfort in static states such as standing or sitting. Ease and comfort helps to prevent stress and enhances productivity.
An upright posture that is free of tension looks as good as it feels. It speaks of confidence and lends us an air of poise and grace.
How to adopt Key 1, Good posture
Poise and grace is, more often than not, the result of training or awareness rather than natural bearing. It can be earned through exercising with awareness, experiencing how you feel as your posture improves, and developing a sense of your natural structural alignment.
The correct position of the head and neck position is essential to good posture. The arrows in the diagram indicate how the chin is tucked in and the head is lifted at the crown to lengthen the back of the neck.
When sitting or standing, the shoulders are held above the hips. The trunk is neither stiff nor soft, nor forward or back. Central alignment, with weight distributed equally on both legs, or both hips, are paramount.
● When sitting: avoid slouching. and sitting perched (illustration page header)
● When standing, do same as sitting, also avoid locking the knees
Audio: adopt good sitting posture (4 minutes)
Audio: adopt good standing posture (8 minutes)
More about posture
Posture is primarily determined by the condition of the spinal area, the body’s central axis that, together with the brain, supports all our structural and neurological functions. The spinal cord and the nervous system are like a highway at the very centre or core of the body. Our bodies function most efficiently and remain in peak condition when this highway is free from obstruction and compression.
Strengthening and stretching our bodies so that we can maintain correct posture is probably the best way of ensuring spinal health. The spine can only play its part in our total health and fulfil the promise of its amazing flexibility when each vertebra is in the best possible position, poised precisely for mobility and strength. This is especially true of the coccyx and the neck vertebrae.
Good posture is also made possible by achieving a balance of flexibility and strength in the muscle groups that support the spine and the trunk. When these core muscles are strong and flexible, the spine, with its vital nervous system, as well as the major internal organs, are protected from compression and damage.
Postural health is determined by a wide variety of factors, ranging from awareness of its importance, to the quality of muscle tone, our occupations, regular activities, and especially our moods. Standing with most of the weight on one leg, for instance, can throw the spine into a very damaging curve and cause ill health in other areas of the body. Stooping or slouching for hours on end can also create a range of health disorders, and eventually lead to chronic malfunction. Bad moods, tension and depression all negatively affect posture.
The Holistic Five Keys tip:
Key 1 Good posture
Key 1 Good posture is absolutely the essential foundation of the Five Keys to Well-being. When the trunk is upright and uncompressed, Key 2, Breathing is easier and more effective. Key 3, Mobility is increased, and body stress minimised (Key 4).
Poor posture results in poor breathing, with detrimental effect on well-being on many compounded levels. The spine and all the organs suffer when the body is slouched, or tight/braced. Practices for good posture forms the basis of Key 4 Stress release. The same practices integrates with the exercises of the Mobility Key, Key 3.
Return to the Introduction to the Five Keys to Well-being