Recently on my walk I was very aware of how people were walking and running and I began to notice their posture and style. I am used to looking at people’s posture as I have been teaching yoga and general exercise for many years, but I had not until that day realised how unsupportive many people’s running/walking posture and style actually is. I felt into how I was walking that morning – effortlessly, lightly and joyfully. I felt like the seagulls I had observed earlier, sitting on the sea, and then gliding along the sea effortlessly – almost like stillness in motion.
Do we ever observe our posture or style whilst running, walking or exercising generally?
We each have a unique walking, running, and exercising posture and style, some of which support us and some that can be harmful to our bodies. For example:
- Leaning over to the left or right, so that one side of the body (head, neck, shoulder and hip) is lower than the other side, and therefore contracted
- Leaning forwards or backwards, which strains the lower back (at least)
- Lifting the shoulders up and/or rolling the shoulders in, which puts pressure on the trapezius muscles, shoulders, neck and breathing
- Having more weight on one leg and hip, which leads to muscle imbalance
- Limping, or rolling one foot in or out
- Chin poking forward or jaw tight
- Tight hips and/or knees rolling in
- A heavy heel strike or a flat foot.
Such postures and styles can feel extremely uncomfortable, bringing tension to the body, and may even lead to chronic pain or injury.
Perhaps we do not notice we are doing these things, especially when we are distracted such as when we are listening to music, talking on our phones or talking animatedly to someone; or perhaps we do notice but push on, regardless of how our posture, style or behaviour may be affecting our body – regardless perhaps, even of pain!
I used to exercise without regard to my body – to my posture, my style, or how my body was feeling… I was aware of the pain sometimes, and cramping – such as towards the end of a 100km bike ride – but I ignored the pain and pushed on.
So is it possible to start to correct poor posture, style or behaviour whilst exercising?
When I commenced studying with Universal Medicine, I started to bring more awareness to my body and to the quality of my movement, and I began connecting to how I felt on the inside, before I moved. Was I feeling tense or anxious, rushing around, with my mind all over the place, or was I feeling a deep connection such that I felt centred and quite still?
By bringing my focus to the quality of being in my body before I started to exercise, and by developing that relationship first, I was then able to take that connection and focus into the exercise. Therefore I knew if and when my posture, style and behaviour whilst exercising were supporting or harming my body. This awareness enabled me to make choices that were more supportive.
For example, I now:
- Ensure I breathe through my nose (when I start to breathe through my mouth whilst exercising, I know I need to stop or slow down whatever I am doing)
- Walk instead of run, to protect my knees, shins and ankles
- Observe my feet, e.g. am I limping or rolling my feet out or in?
- Release any tension I feel in my body – for me this usually means I consciously drop my shoulders and unclench my jaw
- Open my pelvis
- Have an elongated posture, by drawing the crown of my head away from my feet
- Have a neutral neck (with my chin under my nose, rather than sticking out or up)
- Lift and open my chest
- Have equal weight through my feet.
How different my body feels now whilst exercising, and afterwards! I no longer get a build-up of lactic acid in my muscles, so they recover well from the exercise because I observe my posture and style and let my body guide me as to when I have exercised enough. I do not get cramps whilst exercising (from over-exertion). My body no longer aches from over-exercising or from exercising in a way that is not supportive. For example, I don’t have tension in my lower back or neck from exercise (I used to get this tension a lot, especially when long-distance cycling, hunched up over the handlebars for long periods).
Simply being aware of our posture and style whilst exercising, and allowing our body to guide us, can make a huge difference to how we feel and how we enjoy exercising.
This article is inspired by the magic of God, the teachings of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, and by Kate Greenaway, an Esoteric Healing practitioner and physiotherapist.
By Anne Scott, Accredited Yoga Teacher, Fitness Instructor, Mediator and Esoteric Healing Practitioner, Auckland, New Zealand
Further Reading:
Your body tells the truth
Exercise – it doesn’t need to be hard work
Exercise for Health and Connection – from an Exercise Physiologist
My Turnaround from Competitive Running to Connection with Me
546 Comments
I changed my posture so many times as I read your blog! We don’t necessarily notice how we are sitting or standing till we bring attention to it. What is extraordinary is how changing the movements changes the thoughts… now there is a research study waiting to be done!
How aware are we when we move and exercise, bringing in more awareness to our movements is essential in supporting ourselves at a deeper level, ‘I knew if and when my posture, style and behaviour whilst exercising were supporting or harming my body. This awareness enabled me to make choices that were more supportive.’
It is amazing what a difference our movements make – even a tiny adjustment whilst sitting at the desk can make a huge difference. It is very liberating to take the time to explore how to work with our body to support ourselves and each other (because how we move not only affect us but others too).
Bringing our focus to how we move is a wise choice, ‘ I started to bring more awareness to my body and to the quality of my movement, and I began connecting to how I felt on the inside, before I moved.’
The quality in which we move makes the world of difference. Just bringing awareness to this throughout the day lets us correct ourselves if we have dropped. We can also deepen this quality – there is no end point, it would seem.
The quality in which we move is super important, so this is a great choice, ‘By bringing my focus to the quality of being in my body before I started to exercise, and by developing that relationship first, I was then able to take that connection and focus into the exercise’.
Our posture is so key to how we move throughout the day and how we hold ourselves. I know for myself the moment I see myself slouching or misaligned I know something is not quite right and so have a marker to look at and come back to. Otherwise as a great snoopy cartoon refers to we can essentially walk ourselves into depression… and so to add to it we can always walk ourselves out of depression.
I love checking in with my breath and different areas of my body as I go about my daily life. I find this keeps me present with what I am doing and also allows me to become aware of the quality of the movement within the various parts of my body, and to feel if there is harmony between them.
Yes, it is such a small thing to do, it doesn’t need to be noticed by anyone, but the ripple effect on our body and our movements from that moment forward is palpable.
When we walk or move distracted by music or a phone we are unaware of how this impacts the free flow of movement throughout our body.
It is fascinating Mary how much people walk plugged into music, or run with headphones on almost completely unaware of their surroundings off in their own world. What we do not think of so much though is how we generally change the way we move to fit into the beat, so the question comes where does the beat come from? and who sets it? and is it truly in line with what our body needs or are we adapting to it?
The ‘no pain no gain’ mentality is so capping us when you truly think about it. Like you shared: “For example, I don’t have tension in my lower back or neck from exercise (I used to get this tension a lot, especially when long-distance cycling, hunched up over the handlebars for long periods).” We feel good about feeling the tension as it makes us feel like we have exercised well! But truly is that what is supporting our body? If we cycle so long that our body hurts is this truly doing something good? In my books exercise is about making my body fluid and flowing, strong and prepared for what I need to do in the day without being achy, tensed etc.
It is through deepening my self-awareness that I realised and felt how much my posture and the way I was moving was compromising my body and how I overrode this by living from my head not wanting to feel my body. Since choosing to be more present with myself and more gentle in my movements I am building a quality to the way I now move and an inner steadiness that supports me through the day.
Yes it is very nourishing when we tap into that quality and not only supports us but others too 🙂
Anne, this is interesting to read; ‘Observe my feet, e.g. am I limping or rolling my feet out or in?’ I have been noticing lately that my feet can be rolled in and tense when I am in conversation with people and so when I notice this I correct my position and relax my feet and stop tensing them, it feels great to be checking in with the body in this way.
It feels like a beautiful investment in yourself to take the time to feel into your posture and how it can best support you whist exercising. For many years I would drive myself to finish a set amount of exercise whilst ignoring my body trying to communicate that it was tired or painful in a particular area which led to ongoing lower back pain and other issues. It was only when I started exercising to support myself rather than because it was ‘good’ for me that I appreciated the difference and how much it improved my vitality and enjoyment of life generally.
A great blog for me to read today Anne, thank you for sharing, I will be going for a walk later and starting a new exercise regime, your tips will be very helpful for me to be tender with my body and be more present to be able to feel a whole lot more of me.
This blog reminded me of a book I read on a new biomechanical approach to marathon running years ago, and one that I dutifully adopted into my running style and posture with the result being increased efficiency, lower impact on all my joints, and much less soreness or incidence of injuries. But what kind of intelligence uses a new approach to participating in an activity (like marathons and triathlons) that actually are harming to the human body and put it through un-godly amounts of pain and suffering?
It’s crazy how we can use ‘science’ to encourage us to abuse our bodies.
Yes new and improved scientifically validated ways to harm yourself.
Our posture is a movement and when we bring focus to how we hold ourselves we can feel whether we are aligned to our Divinity, to who we are, our truth or if we are resisting it. It is amazing to feel how we can change in a moment a trajectory we are on or a momentum we are in by simply adjusting our bodies to allow ourselves to be moved by a quality that is who we are, the vibration of love, which feels far more freer and honoring.
It always amazes me how much my posture effects my mood so directly. When I catch myself slouching and then straighten up my spine, many times i feel like my thoughts instantly change and I feel more expansive, light and clear-headed. Maybe all those teachers and parents were onto something after all!
‘Stillness in motion’ As we move while walking, swimming or exercising to develop strength and balance our own body is own Personal Trainer to show us how to maintain a flow in all our movements.
‘Stillness in motion” such a beautiful phrase and one that just by reading it I find my body changing from the inside slowly reconfiguring to allow more space and grace.
Posture across the board supports the natural flow of keeping the whole body in homeostasis. If we are aware of it with how we sit and walk this is a great start.
This sounds a good plan, to be aware of our quality of being and bringing that into whatever we do, ‘By bringing my focus to the quality of being in my body before I started to exercise, and by developing that relationship first, I was then able to take that connection and focus into the exercise.’