A Dynamic & Integrated Approach to Improving Posture

If you don't want your back to look crooked, you shouldn't focus on it not being "crooked as a banana." Instead you need to replace the image of a banana with that of some- thing straight—a waterspout, for example. Put simply, your mind is a large screen filled with the images you have absorbed throughout the day. It is instructed by these images and the thoughts that accompany them. The problem is that most of your 50,000 or so thoughts, flashing images, notions, and so on, are similar to those of the previous day. As the images and thoughts repeat, they slowly but steadily effect a change in the direction the images suggest. According to Indian Ayurvedic medicine, if you want to know what thoughts you have had in your life so far, you should look at your body (Chopra 1990). To help clarify the connection between thought process and posture, try the following experiment.

Sit on a chair in a slumped position and think: "I feel great, fantastic . . . never better. I am having the time of my life." Notice the discrepancy between your posture and your thoughts. Now reposition yourself in a vibrant, upright sitting posture and think: "I feel awful, sad, dejected." Again, your thoughts do not match your posture. In a good posture, it is more difficult, albeit not impossible, to have de- pressing thoughts. Posture reflects thoughts; thoughts mold the physical being.

If posture and thought process are intimately connected, then, in a sense, your thoughts are constantly sculpting your posture, changing your alignment. The reverse holds true as well: Your posture influences your thinking. Your thoughts are part of a powerful matrix that influences your posture. The flood of words and images around you affects the way you sit, stand, and walk. Notice how comforting, encouraging words of praise from a parent or trusted teacher can immediately improve your posture: "Good! Well done! Perfect! Beautiful! Excellent job!" Conversely, observe the tension stifling all movement in a class being told it's "not good enough."

Both the pictures and the words in our minds influence the feelings in our bodies, which in turn feed our thoughts and mental pictures. To create powerful and dynamic alignment, we can use this roundabout cycle to our technical ad- vantage if we fertilize with constructive information and weed out destructive thoughts. Postural change initiated as an image creates and reflects a psychological change. Being centered is not just a biomechanical event.

Improving posture can eliminate emotional pressure, reducing mental stress. Some people unconsciously shy away from using imagery precisely because of its power. Their fear of the emotional release associated with a physical release is simply too great. Through years of teaching I have found that some people are tremendously attached to their physical and mental tension; it has become so familiar that it seems essential to their identities. Those who profess their willingness to improve their alignment are often not ready to do so on an emotional level.

Changing alignment in a dynamic way, not just altering your external shape, changes your relationship with the whole world and the people in it. A static change is just a momentary forcing of your body into a more upright position. It lasts about as long as you pay attention to it. As soon as you continue your activities, you "collapse" into your previous posture. A dynamic change includes your whole being, your entire identity. To improve your alignment, you must be willing to embrace all the consequences to your personality, a transformation that may be overwhelming. I cannot emphasize this point enough: Since we are integrated beings, we need to change the whole as we change a part, or improved alignment is merely a cosmetic adjustment that crumbles under the slightest test in the real world.

Using imagery is not very effective without personal desire and intention, and even with clear intention, imagery is a subtle process that requires patience. However, if used systematically, imagery can work long-term miracles, attacking the roots of your alignment problems. Forcing changes in your body may yield short-term gains but greatly increases the chance of injury. So don't give up on imagery; in time you will discover its amazing potential.

At least once a day, practice in the supine position. Throughout the day, take every opportunity to practice in the sitting and standing positions. Stop your desk work for a moment and focus on a sitting exercise. Work on standing and walking images when you go shopping (but continue to pay attention to traffic lights!). Do not limit your practice to the time you spend in class. Although class time is conducive to intensive concentration on alignment, limiting your effort in this way will create the notion that improving your alignment is something that is done only in class. It is equally important to practice during your daily chores, when you normally would not be thinking about your alignment. This is an essential part of integration and will speed your progress immeasurably.

You should also use constructive rest (taught in classes) several times a day to stay in touch with your imagery and reduce the amount of old alignment information that pours into your nervous system. Remember, even after you have decided to improve your alignment, you are still mainly reinforcing your old alignment; your old habits are still 99 percent (or more) effective. The goal is to reduce this percentage as quickly as possible, to integrate new information rapidly. Your most important allies in this effort are practicing in the supine position and using imagery during everyday activities.

The energized body exudes confidence. Improved coordination and observa- tion skills enable you to progress faster in sports or dance. Your mind is traine to grasp three-dimensional movement sequences and perform them more accurately. You feel new connections and relationships within your body that continuously help you find improved solutions to your movement problems. Better biomechanical transfer of forces through the joints and body systems reduces the likelihood of injury. Even nutrition is enhanced, as the increased flexibility and reduced strain improve circulation of body fluids such as lymph, blood, and sinovial fluids. Finally, it is an excellent method of resting and regenerating your body after physical activity

Text taken from Dynamic Alignment through Imagery by Eric Franklin