3 Steps to Good Posture
1. Awareness of self
The first step is to become more aware of your own body and how your emotions and internal body chemistry affect the way you look, behave and move.
One of the best ways is to observe others - your trainer, the other participants in the workshop, animals, plants and even inanimate objects like a table!
Also to become aware and, most importantly, accept any weaknesses or blockages whether they are physical e.g. arthritis, injury, pregnancy,permanant disability, illness or emotional e.g. stress, feelings of inadequacy...
Learn to stay in the present - not to impose past judgements on your experiences - let go of opinions, which only serve to keep you stuck in your old knowledge, in the past. Or maybe you live in the future, starting new before finishing the old, imposing past preconceptions to create future anxiety. Your opinions block new light from flowing in by narrowing down your vision.
2. Principles of weight distribution and stability
Using a number of different methods (no one way suits everyone), including osteopathic principles, QiGong, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique and yoga principles, you will learn both the theory and practice behind posture and movement.
Your individual posture type is assessed and areas of tension or slackness addressed with simple, effective exercises that are easy to adapt into every day living.
3. Practice (this is the bit that scares everybody!)
Once you have become aware of yourself in easy, fluid posture and have learnt the principles of stability, it is important not to jump to thinking about how you should be standing or sitting or moving.
By focussing on the principles you take away that internal dialogue “will I lose balance” or “will I stiffen up”; self-doubt increases emotion and emotion produces force - by focussing on the process, the outcome takes care of itself.
‘Nature's intelligence functions with effortless ease. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows like flowers they just bloom. So when things don't go your way for the moment let go of the way you think they should be and realise there may be a bigger picture....’ Deepak Chopra
‘Be more like water than like rock’ Taoism
Next courses are taking place in Central London on weekend 11th and 12th October 2008 and in Scotland on weekend 1st and 2nd November 2008.
More about principles of posture
See also our Exploring Posture and Energy Awareness Retreats.
