There’s a good chance everything you’ve been taught about posture is wrong. Let’s discover what posture really is, and how it can provide an opportunity to maximise every moment of your life.
Yes, I know, That’s a Big Call. So Read On…
It’s important we get this right, because posture is linked to almost every area of your well-being. From breathing, digestion, sports performance, mental health, relationships and even how long you live.
If you don’t know what posture is and what it’s saying about you, then there’s a good chance you’re missing out on health, and missing out on life.
We’ve all heard “Good Posture” described as something like having your head-up, spine straight, shoulders back etc. But when you understand what posture actually is, you’ll realise how silly it is to talk about “Good Posture” in that static manner.
Posture Leaves Clues…
Recently, a patient arrived at my practice after visiting her mother at a retirement village. She had noticed how the village residents’ character and behaviours matched their posture.
Whether they were angry, timid, even if they were fussing busy-bodies; it was all reflected in the way they carried themselves.
Now, this particular patient is an artist, so she has a good eye for the proportion and, from a truly holistic sense, what she saw made perfect sense. Many of these elderly people were stuck in a chronic physical reflection of how their nervous system had been processing their world over the course of their life.
You’re More Than a Static Structure…
Many people, even therapists and practitioners, still think of posture in terms of a static structure. As a former engineer, I understand the physics of structures and gravity, but it’s important to remember you’re more complex than the Eiffel Tower.
You’re a living, breathing, dynamic human being. You literally “move through life.” If you can’t adapt, and shift in every situation that life presents, you’ll miss out.
Posture is intimately entangled with shifting emotions, thoughts, organ function, hormones and more. The reverse is also true. It’s all connected and good posture is more than simply having a straight back.
Artists understand this concept… Consider watching a good cartoon. Bugs Bunny’s posture will tell you whether he’s sad, scared, angry or happy. You can deduce the situation, from how the character is responding to it, even with the sound turned off, because good cartoonists make Bugs Bunny’s posture appropriate for the situation.
Credit: Warner Bros.
So, What is Posture?
Your posture is a physical reflection of how your nervous system is currently perceiving and adapting to its present situation
…please read that twice.
It’s a given that shifting through different postures requires a certain amount of physical mobility, so your structure can move through its necessary range of motion. Many therapists limit their focus to this.
However the important part, that’s often ignored, is your nervous system. Posture, like breathing, is mostly automatic and unconscious. It is paramount that your autonomic nervous system is able to accurately perceive your present situation, and respond appropriately, in real time.
This requires a certain degree of nervous system clarity. A quality that also forms the foundation for a rich, enjoyable life, but one that our nervous system is often struggling to maintain.
Then What’s the Problem?
One of the biggest factors compromising the clarity of your nervous system is it’s accumulation of unresolved responses, from adverse events and situations in your past. This Physically Retained Stress becomes stuck in our body and can lead to all manner of imbalances, including the postural tension you hold throughout your structure.
That tension may have been appropriate to help you through certain stressful times in the past, but it’s now just compromising the balance and alignment of your body. It’s a physical representation of a challenged nervous system, not quite able to find balance and be its best in the present moment.
It’s really time to stop thinking in terms of “Good Posture”, and think in terms of Appropriate Posture.
Conversely “Bad Posture” is better thought of as Stuck Posture.
What Does Stuck Posture Look Like?
Everyone is slightly different, however Stuck Posture due to Physically Retained Stress, will often present in a few common patterns – tight shoulders, head leaning forward, a slump in your upper back and tight hamstrings are typical.
This is actually a subtle but chronic state of defense, and the tell-tail signs of a nervous system that has accumulated Physically Retained Stress. It may be accompanied by fatigue, even feelings of mild anxiety or depression.
Quite a number of my patients start their journey with their head forward and tight shoulders, along with feeling fatigued or a bit stuck in life. It’s a common scenario.
The Unique Solution For a Common Situation
As a Neurostructural Chiropractor on The Northern Beaches for the last 14 years, the scenario I see with many patients is the demands of their modern life creates a build-up of stress in their body. This leads to chronic spinal tensions that limit their ability to hold an appropriately upright, open and relaxed posture. It can also be the basis of pain, fatigue, and a myriad of other conditions that have a significant impact on how well we get to experience life.
When assessing patients I use a specific procedure to analyse and map out how their Physically Retained Stress has become stuck in their body, then correlate it with their health history and the findings from our thorough NeuroStructural Assessment.
From this we design a personalised Immersive Care Plan to gently teach their nervous system how to clear their stuck stress. The aim is to re-establish an ease and flexibility that not only shifts posture, but also provides a foundation for bringing their most appropriate self to every present moment, and enjoy all the richness life can offer.
If you (or someone you know), is concerned about pain, tension or posture, or you just want to learn more about better dealing with stress, we’d love to help. Book your complimentary Introductory Consult (a no-obligation conversation) to learn more…