The Value of Movement: Posture

Dealing with gravity: what is posture?

Think of movement. What comes to mind? Perhaps impressive feats or personal
experience; abilities that are remarkable, impressive, or memorable in some way are sure
to be first. Posture, or the position of the body in space, may not even be considered by
many to be an expression of movement. Posture is the way we deal with the constant
force of gravity, no matter the activity we are engaged in; a fighters relaxed and
protective stance is posture in the same way that a power lifters taut, rigid stance is
posture; they are both dealing techniques for dealing with gravity. For the purposes of
this article though, we will be discussing neutral and the importance of its maintenance
for general health, movement, and strength.

Lets define neutral:

"Neutral Posture" refers to the resting position of each joint-the position in which there
is the least tension or pressure on nerves, tendons, muscles and bones. It is also the
position in which muscles are at their resting length-neither contracted nor stretched.
Muscles at this length can develop maximum force most efficiently. (University of
Connecticut http://www.oehc.uchc.edu/ergo_neutralposture.asp)
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The adaptive body: using your posture to improve alignment and strength.

As we know, the body will adapt to regular stresses. Being that gravity is the most
constant force we are obligated to deal with, the way we hold ourselves will have a
profound long-term impact. If we stand, sit, and move in neutral posture, the body will
develop strength and endurance in this position. The inverse is also true: if we hold
ourselves in poor alignment, the uneven distribution of weight will affect our soft tissue
structures (and therefore their development) unevenly. If you are unfamiliar, this
repetitive uneven use will generally result in or predispose the body to overuse injury,
defined by a medical reference as:

Overuse injuries, otherwise known as cumulative trauma disorders, are described as
tissue damage that results from repetitive demand over the course of time. The term
refers to a vast array of diagnoses, including occupational, recreational, and habitual
activities.

While also affecting movement and breathing quality (the relationship between
breathing and posture is discussed in another article, _____) in the present.






So what do I practice?

The goal of your posture should be to balance around a neutral position where muscles
and connective tissues are relaxed and aligned for efficient movement. Youll often hear
athletes and coaches preach, the magic is in the movement; the same is true for posture,
only practice can create improvement.

Visualize

Picture an African woman carrying a basket atop her head. Heres a picture if youre not
feeling particularly creative:

Now visualize the line down the midline of her spine; we can see that her body is
oriented symmetrically along the line, even though she is in movement. As humans, we
are very rarely completely motionless, especially while on our feet; we are constantly in a
state of balancing, never exactly balanced. Our posture must therefore be fluid and
relaxed, allowing for efficient movement (sounds awfully like attributes associated with
neutral).







Make it happen

With that in mind, practice the following:

First, visualize the pelvis as a bowl, and hold water in the bowl (note how in the below
photograph, with the line being the lip of the bowl, both
postures would spill water. Holding water is between
the two positions.

Next, while holding water, stand with your butt and
shoulders against the wall, and push the base of your
head towards the wall as well. Youll notice that as you
do this, your middle
and lower back will
have a tendency to
bow away from the
wall; keep holding
water to minimize
this.

Now step away, stall tall like the African woman, and
walk. The feeling is that the hips, shoulders and head
are all aligned and that the spine is long. Dont forget
to swing your arms!


Walk the walk

Once you feel relaxed and confident, and can
maintain a neutral pelvic bowl, practice by walking
with a book on your head. As you practice walking
you will notice that it becomes easier to swing the arms and move with less rigidity.

Sitting is just the same, but with the legs out of the equation: head over shoulders over
hips, and make sure the pelvic bowl isnt spilling any water.

Now youve got to practice. This isnt something you do at the gym, its a daily
awareness and constant practice: sitting, standing, walking, and everything in between.