by Carol Sheats, PT,OCS                                                                            LIVINGPOSTURE.com

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Standing posture should be a relaxed, balanced position.  It is helpful to think of lengthening the body and spine; think of being 2" taller.  It is also helpful to think that the shoulders feel widened as opposed to the pinched-back position of military posture.  The following instructions will help you improve your posture by being aware of your feet (base of support), then progressing to knees, trunk, shoulders and finally head position.  Keep in mind this handout is about lining up bones, not contracting muscles.

 1)      FEET: Notice how you weight bear on your feet.  Is your weight on your heels, or on the ball of your feet?  Your weight should feel like it is evenly distributed between the balls and the heels, or over your arches

2)      KNEES:  Your knees should not be locked back.  They should feel relaxed, and may feel slightly bent.

3)      TRUNK:  Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen.  Line up both hands vertically.  If you have been used to having your chest farther back than your abdomen, you will feel as though you are going to fall forward when in the corrected alignment.  This may be a new position that your body needs to get used to.  It is a point of balance.  It takes approximately two weeks to get used to this new position.

4)      SHOULDERS:  Your shoulders are like a yolk that fits over your ribcage.  Instead of just pinching your shoulders back, lift up your shoulders, rotate your arms with palms forward, and then relax your shoulders down again.  Hold this position for 15 seconds.  Finally, relax your forearms to a normal resting position.

5)      HEAD:  Think of lifting the top back of your head up, and pulling your chin in and slightly down.  It may help you to think of a string pulling up from the top back of your head.  This should feel light and easy, and not forced.  

Although this corrected position may feel stiff and awkward at first, you need to
give yourself time to adjust to the new position.  Do not force it, but regularly try
to improve your standing posture.  You may notice new areas of pain in the upper
back.  This should go away in approximately two weeks.  Good posture should
feel “up” and light, and convey confidence!

REF:  Johnson, Gregory & Vicky, Back Education and Training, Institute of Physical Art

Revised  100405