Posture: A deeper look into how to be more aligned

At some point we’ve all heard that we need to stand up straight. Pull our shoulders back. Chin up! And while we may be able to correct some of these things by just sheer determination, there are some other important factors to acheive that great posture we are all looking for.

Most of us neglect our breathing. We breathe from a more stressed out, or ‘sympathetic’ state. Focusing on slow, full breaths in through our nose will help to expand our ribcage, which will improve our posture.

Another often overlooked factor is literally foundational to our posture: our feet. The arches in the feet are actually different bands of muscles. They have a kind of spring-like action when they are working correctly. Most of us are thrown into shoes way before our arches have developed, and we wind of wearing shoes with arch supports for most of our lives. Constantly ‘supporting’ these muscles will actually make them weaker over time. So take more time to walk around barefoot. It will help more than just your feet.

Finally, no one can have correct posture if their spine is out of alignment. You just can’t. And you won’t always have pain when the spine isn’t aligned. It’s crucial not only for your posture, but for your overall health and well-being to get your spine checked every few weeks, even if you’re not hurting.

So put those shoulders back, keep your chin up, and pull your low back into your belly. And also all the other stuff mentioned above 🙂