How to Sit with Good Posture
Regardless
of what your mother may have said, sitting up straight requires a stable,
balanced position of the pelvis. Along with this, you need to develop awareness
of ideal body alignment and
tostrengthen core muscles.
(Core muscles hold you upright.) Your mother may also have told you that good
things are worth working for. On this point, she is standing on solid ground.
Good posture is a habit, and it requires consistent practice.
Difficulty: Easy
Time
Required: 5 minutes
Here's
How:
1.
Position your hip and knee joints. Sit
on your chair. Begin your quest for good sitting posture by establishing the
position of your lower body. Your knee and hip joints should make a 90 degree
angle. If your chair allows, and if you need to, adjust the height of the seat
until these joints are at right angles. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
If your feet don't reach the floor, try using a footrest or place a book under
them.
2.
Get on top of your sitting bones. During
sitting, body weight is transferred from the pelvis onto the chair. On the
bottom of the pelvis are two knobby bones called sitting bones. Notice if your
weight is transferring onto your chair in front of the sitting
bones, in back of them, or if you are right on top. If your
weight is forward, your low back may be arched, which can tighten up muscles.
If it's back, you are probably slumping. Slumping can cause pain, strain or disc injury. To get
on top of the sitting bones, gently rock back and forth on
them. Pause in the center, between the two end positions.
3.
Preserve your curves. Most
of us have a slight curve in the low back. Spinal curves (in
several areas) help maintain upright posture. You should be able to slip your
hand in the space between your low back and the back of the chair. Problems
arise when we over arch the low back. It can cause muscle strain or spasm. If you over
arch, try to let the pelvis drop into a neutral position so
that you are right on top of the sitting bones. If you slump, you may benefit
from a lumbar cushion. A lumbar roll placed between your low back and the back
of the chair can support your natural curve if your muscles are weak or tired.
4.
Take a deep breath. The
primary breathing muscle is the diaphram. When you inhale, it moves down the
trunk to make room for the lungs to expand with air. Because the diaphram moves
vertically and helps increase intra-abdominal pressure, it also plays a role in upright posture.
A breathing technique known as diaphramatic (or belly)
breathingcan help you use this muscle to your best advantage. It
involves bringing the air all the way down the trunk, rather than letting it
get stuck in the chest area (which is very common).
5.
Check your shoulders. Okay,
time for a quick shoulder check. Are they up by your ears? Is yourtrapezius muscle
sore? Learning posture techniques such as this one can get technical, and cause
a little stress. Most people respond by automatically tightening up their
shoulders. Let them relax and drop now. Positioning the shoulder blades (flat
bones on your upper back) lower can help support your head and neck, and maybe
even prevent acrick. If your
shoulder girdle is forward of your hips, move your trunk backwards. Shoulders
and hips should have an imaginary vertical line between them.
6.
Bring your head back. Many
of us forget that our head is connected to the spine. You can see this in
someone with a kyphosis, where
their upper body and head are far forward of the rest of their trunk. Now that
you have a supportive sitting position, and the tension is out of your
shoulders, try bringing your head back. Ideally, your ears should be in
alignment with your shoulders. Based on your condition, this may not be fully
possible. That's okay. Don't force it. The idea here is to do what you can
within the limits of your pain or condition, and to make incremental changes
toward an aligned sitting posture.
7.
Practice good sitting posture often. Congratulations!
You are aligned and sitting with good posture. Remember, good posture is a
habit. Habits take time to develop, so be sure to practice this technique for
good sitting posture often.
How To Establish Core Support
True core support cannot
happen in the body if the neck and shoulder muscles are holding tension. When
there is upper body tension, the whole body is off-center, however slightly.
From an off-center position, the deep abdominal muscles cannot
be accessed.
This
simple session uses specific breathing techniques and your imagination to
effect changes in posture. These techniques release unnecessary muscle tension
and activate the deep muscles of core support.
Difficulty: Easy
Time
Required: 20 minutes
Here's
How:
1.
Lay on your back on the floor. Bend your knees, place your feet
flat on the floor. Your heels should be directly in line with your sitting
bones, located at the base of your pelvis. Tie a scarf or belt around your
thighs just above your knees.
2.
Place your hands between the sides and back of your ribcage for
feedback. Imagine that your ribcage is a balloon. As you inhale, inflate the
balloon. Use your mental intention to inflate right where your hands are. Try
to make this image come alive for you. Try also to inflate the balloon in the
back of your ribs.
3.
On the exhale, make a long, slow hissing sound, as though you
were letting air out of a tire. During each exhale, imagine that your neck and
shoulders are made of melted candle material. Your neck and shoulders are soft,
yet malleable.
4.
Let your imagination begin at your neck. As the wax flows down,
in your mind's eye, see your neck softly lengthening toward your feet.
Remember, you are still exhaling.
5.
Still exhaling, as your melted candle drip reaches your
shoulders, it is as if a pair of hands smooths the wax out wide (the same
direction your shoulders go), very gently. Work from the center outward. Allow
yourself to relax.
6.
Next, the melted candle material flows down the center of your
chest, from the breastbone to the pelvis, always lengthening toward your feet.
Let the melted candle soften your chest and ribs as it moves.
7.
During the exhale, feel front of your body naturally falling
against the back.
8.
After you have melted your upper body, but before all of your
air has been expelled, pull in slightly at the front of your pelvis. The place
to pull in is just below your belly button. Try to use more intention than
force, but do exert a muscular effort. In Pilates, this would be the
"scooping", or "navel to spine". Substitute force with
muscular intention when scooping.
9.
I thank the teachers who contributed to my understanding of this
work: Elizabeth Larkham of Polestar Education, Jean-Claude West and Anna
Schmitz, Andre Bernard of Creative Body Alignment, Marie Jose Blom from Long
Beach Dance Conditioning. The material in this article is a synthesis of the
work of these people, along with the work of Lulu Sweigard, Mabel Elsworth
Todd, Joseph Pilates, Rudolph Laban, Irmgard Bartinieff, and many others in
this tradition.
Tips:
1.
For maximum relaxation and concentration, read the instructions
into a tape, and play the tape back while you experience the session.
2.
Don't force anything. It is all in the breathing and
imagination.
3.
Tie a scarf around your ribs. This will provide resistance to
your breathing, which will build posture muscles in the upper body.
4.
If you cannot keep your exhale going long enough to complete all
the instructions in one cycle, that's okay. Just breathe in and continue from
where you were. With practice, your breathing capacity will develop.
5.
You can also use these techniques to release stress and upper
body tension.
What You Need
·
A belt
·
A scarf
·
A piece of floor
·
20 minutes of uninterrupted time
·
Your imagination
How To Do a Pelvic Tilt
Pelvic tilts are often recommended for developing support for the low back,
abdominals, sacroiliac joint and adjacent structures. They are great for low
back problems due to poor posture and muscle atrophy, and provide a starting
point for spinal stabilization exercise programs. Pelvic tilts can be done in several
different positions. Beginners can try the exercise laying on their back.
Pelvic tilts against a wall are more challenging. Pregnant women can do them on
all fours.
Difficulty: Easy
Time
Required: 10
minutes
Here's
How:
1.
Starting position--
Beginners, lay on the floor with your knees up/feet flat. In the advanced
version stand against a wall. The following body parts should be touching the
floor or wall:
·
soles of feet (beginners) or heels (advanced)
·
backside
·
mid/upper back and shoulders
·
head
There should be a space between the floor or wall and your low back, as well as your neck. Can you slide your hand between your low back and the floor or wall? Great, then you are ready to go!
2.
Inhale first, then initiate the pelvic tilt
movement as you exhale. When
you let your breath out, your abdomen should come toward your back. (This
happens naturally during exhale.) An effective pelvic tilt will utilize this
leverage begun when the abdomen pulls in during exhale. Just continue the
pulling and see how far you can tilt the bottom of your pelvis up. This will
result in your low back gently stretching and reaching in the direction of the
floor or wall.
3.
Inhale to come back to start -- Allow the spine and pelvis to return to their original
position. This movement takes less muscle work than the previous movement of
bringing the low back to the floor or wall. Most of the effort needed to return
to the starting position comes from breathing in. Just allow the body to come
back to where it began.
4.
Be aware of how forcefully you do this
movement --
After you perform one or two pelvic tilts, and you understand what to do,
perform one just to check your tension level. If you find the work to be
tiring, go easier. Be gentle with yourself, this is not a race. It's an
opportunity for healing and strengthening. You don't have to reach the
floor/wall the first time. Success is measured by the progress you make each
time you perform the pelvic tilt.
5.
Specifically, check the tension in your hip
joints -- The
hip joints are located at the place where the legs connects deep into the
pelvis at the hip sockets. Because we want to work the abdominals in this exercise, lighten up on the tension at the front tops of
the thighs (the quadriceps). When performing the pelvic tilt, try to pull the
pelvis from the abdominals, rather than pushing the from the butt.
Supported Bridge Pose for Back Pain
Warm Up with the Pelvic Tilt
Warm up with the pelvic tilt to gently stretch the muscles of the low back and pelvis. Unless
the area around the injury is inflamed, the pelvic tilt and other stretches may
help you accomplish more of an extended back position. 1 Just remember to go
gently and respect the limits of your pain. If the area is inflammed then it is
best to stop the exercise session and take care of it.
Then,
with the block centered and the sacrum fully supported, the supported bridge
pose may help to reduce symptoms associated with low back disk problems. This
is because the supported bridge pose places the low back in extension, which has been shown to relieve symptoms
associated with intervertebral disk problems. 1 Warming up with the pelvic tilt will prepare the
muscles, allowing an approximation of the position of extension in
the low back when in the supported bridge pose.
Supported Bridge Pose
Type of pose: Restorative, backbend
Benefits: Allows the spine to open while being gently
supported.Can help relieve back pain.
Instructions:
1. Lie on your back with the knees bent and the soles of your
feet flat on the floor. Have a yoga block handy.
2. You should be able to
barely touch the backs of your heels with your fingertips when the arms are
lying on the floor.
3. The feet should be
parallel and stay that way through the duration of the pose.
4. Press down into the
soles of the feet as you lift the hips off the floor.
5. Slide your yoga block under your back directly under the sacrum. Let your
sacrum rest on the block. Let the arms rest alongside the body.
6. This should be a
comfortable resting position. You may wish to stay here several minutes.
7. To come out, press
down into your feet and lift the hips again. Remove the block and gently lower
your back to the floor.
Beginners:
It is a good idea to
start with the block on the lowest level (see photo number 1). If this feels
comfortable, you can try turning it to a higher level (as in photo number 1).
Since this is a restorative pose, choose the level that gives you the most
ease. If you feel any pain, come out.
Advanced:
Try
lifting one leg at at time off the floor, keeping the block in place. You may
also lift both legs at the same time in a supported version of Shoulderstand.
Supine Spinal Twist - Supta Matsyendrasana
Type of Pose: Supine
Benefits: Stretches the glutes. Stretches and relaxes
the spine.Can help relieve back pain,
though should be approached with caution by those with degenerative disk
disease.
Instructions:
1. Come to lie on your
back.
2. Bend your knees and
put the soles of your feet on the floor.
3. Lift your hips
slightly off the floor and shift them about an inch to your right.
4. Draw your right knee
into your chest and extend the left leg on the floor.
5. Drop your right knee
over to the left side of your body.
6. Open your right arm to
the right side in line with your shoulder. Rest your left hand on your right
knee.
7. Turn your head to the
right, bringing your gaze over the right shoulder.
7. Work on releasing your
left knee and your right shoulder to the floor.
8. Hold 5 to 10 breaths
before drawing your right knee back into your chest and doing the other side.
Variations:
Before twisting, take your legs into the air and wrap your right leg around
your left, coming into Eagle legs.
Then twist, bringing the right knee over to the left side of the body.
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