Body Posture
What is posture? Posture is how we hold our body, and this can be broken down into two further classifications dynamic or static. Dynamic posture being when we are moving, and static posture being when we are still i.e. sitting, sleeping, standing. I often get asked by people “what is the best posture?”. And my answer is not sexy, but my truth to this is there isn’t one best posture, and all our postures are unique to us. There certainly are more favorable ways to move or not move our body, but again this can be dependent on the person. All our anatomy is unique and different and therefore a blanket concept isn’t my first approach. But there can be some helpful guidelines to alleviate or address extra tension.
Our body is made to move, so with this I find that often the best posture comes from constant moving of posture/s. So my first tip would be to sit less still. If you have a desk job where you are seated for most of the day, switch up how you are seated. Maybe try with your knees or legs under you for a few minutes, or re arrange your legs after a while. Getting up to grab water, or shift your body can be a huge help to get things moving and then replacing your body in your chair or office set up in a new way.
As humans we do everything mostly in front of our body. Especially with our technologies we use these days, we can then become rounded through the shoulders or neck. Often people will then look for posture fixing devices to “pull the shoulders back” or “realign the neck”, though I am sure these can be helpful for some people, I have found that these devices become another prop for people. Is having our shoulders jammed and trapped back into a different place more helpful than if they were sitting where they might naturally fall? Personally, I don’t think so. This is where other types of movement or mobility can come in, as well as mindfulness. The more we can be conscious of not letting our shoulders get hunched and up by our ears, the less it is going to happen.
Mobility and strength can be a great way overall to combat these postural aches and pains. If our neck is only used in a narrow range of motion, then it becomes accustom to staying in that narrow range. But our life does involve a more than narrow range of motion in the neck (shoulder checking while driving). We can accommodate this needed range by mobility practices. Challenging the body through its full ranges of motion, and using movement through stretching and strengthening that can help the joints move with ease. Challenging the body through mobility practices will help maintain and increase our range of motion, which can then translate into more ease when we are moving or not moving throughout the day. When stuck in more static postures, mobility is a great way to help combat stiffness and discomfort that arises.
Every body varies on what it needs, and how it may react to specific practices. Looking at various aches and pains or discomfort, as well as the postures that you need to be in on a regular basis is a great way to start formulating what postural or other changes to integrate into your daily practices.