What does posture tell us? When you are excited, what position are you in? How about when you are sad, frustrated, stressed?
Those of you who have been to my office know I teach a simple posture exercise. Stand with your back to a bare wall with your heals touching the base board. Align yourself so that the back, buttocks and the back of your head are touching the wall.
It is important that you are looking straight ahead and not up, and that you try and keep your hips horizontal from front to back by tightening your abdominal muscles. After you feel comfortable, walk away from the wall and practice holding the posture. Practice this as often as possible until the posture becomes habit.
The key to this exercise is to stay relaxed. We want to feel "light", not "tense". This exercise has two important outcomes. It helps structurally, but it also helps mentally. I remember a Peanuts cartoon I saw at a fellow chiropractor's office.
It went something like this: Charlie Brown is in his usual head down, slumped posture and Lucy asks him, "Why are you standing like that?" Charlie Brown replies, "If I straighten up I can't stay depressed." My good friend Boaz always uses the line, "Fake it until you make it".
So if you are feeling depressed, frustrated, stressed or sad, try working on your posture. Get that head up, look to the horizon and not at your feet and for goodness sake, put a smile on your face. Not only will you improve your body mechanics, but you may even gain a new perspective on things.
No comments:
Post a Comment