Alternative Posture Review
As a prelude I would like to say that at times I find myself with a locked back knee. At times I bend over. I’ve worked as a nurse for over 40 years. I spend 6-8 hours a shift standing, 2-4 hours sitting in a straight backed chair, and lifting what I shouldn’t. Perfect Posture or other type 2 lifestyle friendly methods are the best, quickest way to recover.
Instructions from backpostureblog.com defines posture as the process of maintaining the body in a position of equilibrium of balance. Equilibrium of balance is the harmony that results from the balance of opposites.
It is the dead center where the opposition of opposing forces – being equal in strength – succeeds in a balanced, resting motion. It is the central point. The point within the circle of physical symmetry. It is the living synthesis of counterbalanced power.
Perfect Posture, instruction might also be called the Cliff Notes of posture instruction. It’s short with the needed basics clearly covered. The simple instructions make body alignment easy. An ability to read is the only requirement. Many other methods take a long time to learn and you need frequent support from other people or instructors.
Though I have created 9 Tips or Instructions for Perfect Posture, they could be shortened to these two:
- Unlock your knees.
- Balance your shoulders above your knees
Concentrating too hard on these alignments may make you crazy, but if you feel you need to memorize, and attempt them all at the same time, here they are. Relax. Don’t worry too hard about precision. This is balance, movement oriented. Breath four counts in, four counts out – three times. Balance on those big strong leg and buttocks muscles.
Tips for Standing
- Never lock your knees back.
- Shoulders relaxed at all times
- Neck relaxed with head balanced, earlobes forward of your
Move the head in a ‘Yes’ type of gesture and let the eyes settle on the horizon. Ears will be forward of the shoulders
shoulders in the side view. Note illustration for balancing technique
- Shoulder vertical to the knees and ball of foot in the side view
- Hipbone flexed to unlock knees
- Hips vertical to the knees in the frontal view
- Knee vertical to the second
toe in the frontal view - Hip, knee, second toe vertically aligned in the frontal view
- Feet at a 30-degree angle from mid-line
If 9 tips are not enough for you, here’s a Big Number 10 for sitting:
Sit in a straight backed chair as little as possible. Never is Best
Take all of the Cleveland Clinic’s characteristics for good posture and read them again. They work well enough here and don’t contradict themselves with Perfect Posture or other Type 2 methods.
Perfect Posture instruction is based on the idea that you have an axis that runs down the center of your body, the same as in a weight bearing spring. The spring must have it’s coils symmetrically positioned around the axis and the weight the spring is supporting must be evenly balanced upon it or the spring becomes distorted.
In this illustration the wrench is comparable to locking the knees back
In the illustrations of springs at right the right hand spring, with the monkey wrench in its coils, represents the act of locking the knees back and standing or sitting in a Type 1 position.
The spring on the left hand side represents a spring with tensions, stresses or gravity, evenly balanced upon it. It will not become distorted and loose its optimum potential and form as it ages. It represents Type 2 positioning.
The spring on the left will remain evenly toned, front to back, side to side, and top to bottom for the life of the spring.
The spring with the monkey wrench and unbalanced load will become more and more distorted with age. Some of its coils bear too much weight and become strained. Some coils bear less or no weight and bulge out.
The pitch, angle and spacing of the coils will vary with weight or gravity fluctuations but they will vary in a particular manner in a way they were designed for.
It’s the same with a human spine. The vertebrae of the spine are directly comparable to the pitch, angle and spacing of a load bearing spring.
The body too must be balanced around its axis or the spine, and body, become distorted with age. If the load on the spine becomes unbalanced for too long from the manner in which it was designed, the pitch, angle and spacing will become distorted. Some of parts of its spinal disks will bear too much weight, compress, and become strained.
Some spinal disk parts will bear less weight and bulge out (herniation). The outer body will follow the contours of the spine. It will become strained here (the back) and bulge there (the stomach). Of course the body is mobile unlike the spring, but the principles identical. Too long off balance and the spine will become distorted with the indicated result.
The principles are directly comparable.
In the Perfect Posture method you learn how to stand and move in a manner that balances the muscle tension around this meridian. These tips position gravity, balanced around this axis, the same as the axis in a spring.
The sitting part is generally easy. Just sit either on or near the floor, on a cushion, or reclined 45 degrees or more if in a chair.
It’s no mystery in the Perfect Posture way of thinking as to why people slouch. It’s not lack of steely eyed determination. It’s not from a slouchy character. It’s not forgetfulness. It’s not poor genes…,
it’s not because of laziness or lack of exercise. It’s not due to poor training. It’s because the human body was not built to “sit up straight” in a straight backed chair or “stand up straight” with the knees locked back indefinitely. It’s the body unconsciously rebelling.
Compare it this way. If you hold a can of corn directly out from your body eventually your arm will sag, slump, slouch…, whatever you want to call it. Steely eyed determination, strength of character,
better memory, better genes, energy or exercise, better training or upbringing all may help, but the arm will sag. It’s not designed to hold or maintain that can of corn like that any more than the back is designed to sit or stand in Type 1 position for extended periods.
This website contains links to Amazon affiliate posture friendly products, from furniture to exercise machines to books. They are provided to assist with establishing a Perfect Posture lifestyle outside of the formal Type 1 posture environment.
Perfect Posture. Simple and Sensible. Stay tuned for more detailed instruction.
