Posture and you

Definition of the word ‘posture’ as defined by Dictionary.com:

• the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole
• a mental or spiritual attitude
• one’s image or policy as perceived by the public

Posture reflects mood, energy level, state of mind, biological balance, etc. Kids are great in picking up these non-verbal queues. The reverse is also true – by consciously changing your posture, it changes your mood, blood circulation, breathing patterns and even people’s impression on you. Following are some examples:

• Changes muscle tension and mechanics – for example, poor sitting postures while at the computer can cause back pain, neck / shoulder stiffness.
• Changes your mood, motivation/energy level – when you feel tired and down, try to breath deep and change your posture – stand tall, pull your shoulders back and then breath out and relax – you will stop the downward trend and may even feel slightly better after a few repetitions.
• Changes people’s impression – for example, when you first meet someone, your non-verbal interaction including your posture, handshake, all contribute to the first impression.
• Makes you a less likely target – bullies pick on easy targets. By projecting confidence and alertness through your posture, bullies may choose pick someone else.
• Readiness to move – where and how you sit / stand affects your ability to move. Expand on your agility from a ‘non-ready’ position i.e. lying down, sitting, squatting, working, playing piano, etc.

Exercise:
This blog is about noticing things that most of us take for granted. First step towards understanding posture is to take notice and be able to feel through all the little details. Try some of these things (or anything else not on list). You only need to do one but most welcome to think through every one of them too:

• sleep position(s) – do you usually sleep on your right, left, face down or face up? Do you always start from the night from the same position? do you keep tossing and turning until you finally fall asleep? do you find yourself almost in the same position throughout the night? Where is the pillow, just under the head, neck or all the way to top of shoulder? Do you used to sleep differently than now? Do you feel through your breathing all the way to the belly button? Are you adventurous enough to experiment?
• sitting positions – are you notice any difference in your sitting positions when you concentrate, watch TV or eat? Do you get tired / stiff easily? Do you cross your legs or feet? Are both feet on the ground? Feel your lower back, shoulders, neck and see if they are tensing up unnecessarily. Does it feel the same after 5-10 minutes of being in the same posture?
• how do you stand when you are waiting in line? do you lean against something, do you pace, do you notice people and things around you? Do you cross your legs? Are the legs together or apart? Are the knees locked? Do you always face out (of the line or queue) so you can see both people ahead of you and behind you?
• from a crowd, try to read from people’s posture, demeanor, pace, eyes, dress, etc and make your best guess on their background, personality, state of mind, mood, health, alertness, intent or whatever. There are lots of obvious things but with practice, you will start to notice the subtleties and be able to read a lot better.