Redefining Posture

What comes to mind when you think of good posture?

Many people think of someone sitting up straight, pulling their shoulders back, lifting their chest, and holding themselves upright. We learned to think of good posture as a particular position our body should maintain. During our childhood we may have heard ‘Sit up straight’ from a teacher or parent. When we think of posture this way, it is easy to imagine that there is a correct posture we are supposed to achieve and hold in our bodies.

Yet thinking of posture as merely a position is very limited. Posture involves much more than how we hold our bodies. Let’s explore some other aspects of posture.

Posture reflects our inner state

We all know that there is more to posture than our physical position. When a friend walks through the door, we can often tell if they are feeling down or sad. It may show in their drooped shoulders, lowered head, slower movements, or quieter presence. On the other hand, when someone has just received good news, their torso may be more upright, their gait lighter, and their movements more energetic.

Our emotions and mental attitudes are closely connected to the way we organize and use our bodies. How we feel can influence how we move; on the other hand, how we move can influence how we feel. Posture is therefore not simply a matter of physical alignment; it is also an expression of our inner state.

Posture is dynamic

We humans are designed for movement. Every action in our daily lives involves movement. We may be still at times, yet even in stillness our body is constantly moving, finding balance and making small adjustments so we don’t fall while standing or sitting.

As we move, our bodies are continually reorganizing in response to the environment. Our posture is constantly adjusting to support whatever we are doing in the moment. Posture, then, is not a fixed position we need to hold, but a dynamic process of responding, adapting, and organizing ourselves as we move through life.

Posture is habitual

At the same time, the way we use ourselves is deeply influenced by habit. Over a lifetime, we develop habitual patterns of movement and tension. We may cross our legs, stand predominantly on one leg, slouch in a chair, jut the chin forward, round the shoulders while working at a computer, or simply carry unnecessary tension throughout the body.

These patterns can be subtle: tightening the neck, pulling the head back and down, holding the breath, clenching the jaw, or pushing the hips forward. Because they are so familiar, they often become unconscious. We repeat them so frequently that we no longer notice them. The way we move simply feels ‘normal’.

This is the crux: although posture is dynamic and can change, the way we habitually organize ourselves can be remarkably persistent. We don't simply choose our posture from moment to moment; much of how we use ourselves happens automatically.

Posture cannot be fixed

This is why posture cannot be ‘fixed’ in the same way a car can be fixed. We can try to pull our shoulders back, stand up straighter, or lift our chest. Usually, these efforts are short-lived. They are also effortful; they feel like work. We go back and forth pulling ourselves up and collapsing again, a frustrating cycle.

When we try to change posture in this way, we simply swap one position for another. Yet the underlying habits remain unchanged, and the tension in the body may stay the same or even increase. We are still working to hold ourselves in a particular position rather than changing the way we organize ourselves.

Posture versus ‘use of yourself’

The Alexander Technique is about becoming more aware of how we use ourselves in everyday activities, and about changing the habits that interfere with good posture, natural balance and ease. Notice how I often use the word ‘use’ rather than ‘posture’. In fact, in our training course in Berlin, the word ‘posture’ was a no-no. F. M. Alexander, who developed the technique, used the word ‘use’ because it encompasses much more than the position of the body. It includes the way we think, perceive, respond, and move as a whole. Our use is constantly changing in response to what we are doing, the environment around us, and our inner state.

Changing posture in the context of self-transformation

The Alexander Technique teaches you to respond to inner and outer stimuli with more awareness, which can lead to changes that affect the physical body as well as our mental posture, attitude, and the way we feel. The principles of this method, such as recognizing the force of habit, pausing and interrupting our habitual responses, and directing our thinking to allow greater openness and ease in our bodies, can be difficult to grasp on paper. Think of a beautiful sunset and how your body and mind may open, or walking in the forest and beginning to feel more at ease and expansive; you can probably relate to this. The Alexander Technique works in a more specific way, of course, but it essentially teaches you strategies for bringing more of this quality into everyday life. 

In an AT session, you are guided by verbal instructions and gentle hands-on work. You learn to ‘work with yourself’ and develop mental strategies for reducing unnecessary muscle tension and allowing greater balance and support. You become more attentive to how you respond to yourself and your environment. With this awareness, something new becomes possible: instead of automatically responding in our habitual way, we can pause and choose how to respond. In this way, changes in posture emerge from changes in how we use ourselves as a whole person. Posture is one expression of this self-transformation.