If you're like most individuals, your posture could use some improvement. But how do you try this? The classic advice is to face together with your head up, shoulders back and stomach in. While these are reasonable adjustments, Tai Chi takes a special approach which may be more practical. The goal is to align the body in ways in which allow for protected, relaxed, and graceful posture—not the military, one-size-fits-all, rigid stance many individuals consider nearly as good posture. .
Instead, in Tai Chi, good posture revolves across the principle of verticality. This means the pinnacle is centered over the torso, the torso rests on the hips, and the hips are centered over the legs and feet, your base of support. Here's do it.
- The backbone is literally the backbone of the vertical, so let's start there. “The spine should be like a necklace of pearls hanging from the sky,” say the Tai Chi classics. Your goal needs to be to elongate the spine while allowing for its natural curves. This can reduce wear and tear on the discs between your vertebrae. In this position, your head will even sit squarely over your spine somewhat than forward – a typical profile you'll notice for those who take the time to watch others. Your head weighs about 10 to 12 kilos, but a slight tilt doubles the quantity of stress in your neck muscles. Get right into a certain texting position, and your muscles must work five times harder. No wonder your neck and upper back are tight and sore. Proper alignment helps prevent this.
- The next area to concentrate on is the waist and pelvic region, which connects the upper body and lower body. In Tai Chi classics, this area is named the “Commander.” It is the central, coordinating center from which all movement originates. Muscle imbalances on this area are related to back, knee and even neck pain in addition to affecting your gait and balance. Maintaining tone and suppleness within the muscles and other soft tissues of the hip and pelvic region facilitates good posture and movement patterns and reduces pain.
- The foundation of excellent posture is your feet, but you rarely hear about them in traditional posture advice. If your feet are out of alignment, nevertheless, the imbalance travels through the body, potentially causing painful problems down the road. Western thought typically tries to correct these misalignments with products like shoe inserts, but Tai Chi works naturally to correct imbalances and improve range of motion. Although specifics vary with different tai chi movements, typically it is best to focus your weight on the balls of your feet and your entire toes, and keep your feet in keeping with your knees. The result's a healthy posture that works for you without forcing your body into uncomfortable positions.
So, the following time you wish to improve your posture, skip the rigid stance and concentrate on your spine, pelvic area and feet.