What is good posture?

I had an email from a student after a class. She mentioned how she noticed when she stood, her upper body was leaning back. She said she’s going to have to fix that when she stands. She wants to improve her posture. I explained briefly that her upper body is back to compensate for her hips pushing forward.

When we move, we tend to move in parts, pieces. That is the way exercise is taught, and many other movement therapies. Since most people don’t train the kinesthetic sense, they rely on fixing the body by holding it in positions. Your body can only maintain those “positions” comfortably if its working through the kinesthetic sense. The kinesthetic sense allows your brain and body to coordinate movement based on feel, not information alone.

The kinesthetic sense is like all our senses, take vision for example. I don’t need to know “how” vision works. I don’t need to know the different parts of the eyes, or even how to do an eye exam. But I can gain pleasure when I see things using my sense of sight. Many people even develop their sense of sight, based on interests, desires. We can do this with our kinesthetic. I would even argue its extremely pleasurable, and necessary.

You rarely ever go forward with one part without another part adjusting. It’s the way they adjust that makes the difference. As in my student’s case, when she thrusts and tightens her hips forward, it is a long habit she is not aware of until something amazing happens. Her hips hurt. Then she complains its her nasty hip problem dragging her down.

I would say, be thankful your body talks to you through pleasure and pain. This is your kinesthetic sense. It is giving you direction. Listening to it is what I call the Body Dialogue. It is the connection between body and brain for a very simplistic description. The miracle I found for myself was once you learn you have this ability, through the senses, you can use it to transform the way you move!

-Elaine