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Monday, September 28, 2009
Week if 9/28/2009 Sensing in motion inquiry #2
What is your posture like? Feel it first, get a sense of it, then look into a mirror and compare the sense you got of it and the one in the mirror. Now look at a few friends postures, and if they are open, ask them about the experience of their posture. Please keep an open curious attitude towards them and then get a sense of how their posture may feel in your own body and what information does that give you?
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My posture feels heavy up top near my shoulders and head. My friend pointed out that I tend to sway my upper body while my lover body remains more grounded. I am always surprised to notice how tall I am compared to other people. Looking in the mirror, I notice that my head tends to project forward from my body and that my neck is much longer than I imagined. Often my body feels much larger and lankier than the energy inside of me knows how to fill. Yet I enjoy the articulation and length I feel through my arms and hands and the powerful leverage of my long legs. Does the word posture tend to have a negative connotation in our culture?
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When I stand I have a comfortable posture that I am very fond of. When I am sitting, I can tell the muscles in my back need some work. It is easier for me to slouch when I sit than it is when I stand. A good friend of mine throws her shoulders back when she is standing, and usually one farther back than the other, giving her a look of perpetual movement. This stance feels weird for my shoulders and back, who would prefer to all be in line with each other. I have been told more than once while focusing in karate, that sometimes I push my head forward on my neck, like a pigeon, stuck in it's outward bob position. This fact embarrasses me and I have been trying to fix it for years.
ReplyDeleteMy posture is somewhat ignored. I look more at the posture of others than of myself. I am finding myself less and less tied to that invisible string that goes from the spine to the top of the head to the sky and the earth and that is not good- soon I will be a hunchback - not of Notre Dame but of Bellingham.
ReplyDeleteI have been working on improving my posture for about a year; part of preparing for performing on stage as a storyteller is learning to stand and move in ways that are both a) healthy and strong and b) comfortable for the audience to watch. So much intention towards my own posture has (slowly) improved my alignment, and I now stand, walk, and often sit in alignment. I find that with "proper alignment" my tail bone and shoulders do not hurt as much while reading, doing homework, and being in class. I do notice, though, that when I bike my shoulders slump towards my ears. I have a tendency to throw my head forward, and I believe this is because I am so invested and excited about life that I am almost jumping into it with excitement. I have to remind myself that the world will still be here even if I relax a little (a sound piece of advice any day...), and thinking about having the world come to me, instead of extending out to it, sometimes changes the way I stand and move.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy mimicking the body stance of people around me, especially when they do not notice I am embodying their posture (usually I copy people when I'm walking behind someone downtown). I find it interesting that MY emotions change when I move like they do; deepening my understanding of how emotions and body are connected.
And yes, Adam, I think that the term 'posture' does tend to have a negative connotation in our culture because there is a common belief that our generation (in particular) has 'bad posture' in comparison to our grandparents. Thanks for bringing this up; what is 'good' and what is 'bad' about posture? Who determines these value judgments?
I grew up dancing, mostly in ballet, and never heard the end of "stand up straight" and "you're so much prettier when you're not hunched over". I always found it so annoying and condescending when older people would constantly correct my posture. However, through these constant reminders from dance instructors and my mom, I learned how to walk with grace and confidence.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started school and moved away from home, I really lost touch with my body and myself--the ease at which I used to move through the world--and have only recently begun to notice my relationship with my body and myself again. I imagine a lot of the disconnect has to do with the lack of dancing and movement I used to do constantly, but I'm amazed at how just a simple shift in the way I walk has a huge affect on my confidence and my happiness. I've noticed that simply paying attention to the way I stand, where my gaze falls (down at the ground, or straight ahead--facing the world), and moving with intention makes me feel much more in tune with myself and much more at peace.
The back of my neck swoops forward slightly. It has been a concentration point of mine. I try to remember to sit up straight as much as possible but I feel that my everyday life pulls it forward. Working at my laptop automatically pulls me into a slouch. Slouching for me is a comfort zone. It is almost like my back muscles are not developed enough for it to be comfortable to sit up straight. Curving my back when sitting has become so habituated that I need to make a conscious effort to sit up tall. It is something I have been working on lately and lying on the floor is a great way for me to feel the natural curve of my back.
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