A couple of posts ago, I defined poise as:
- composure – free from embarrassment, nervousness etc; and
- good posture; and
- graceful movement; and
- dignity and authenticity; and
- a state of balanced readiness.
So how do you turn a poor poise into good posture and graceful movement?
I said poor poise, not porpoise!
Katie at www.gethealthyhq.com offered a great explanation of poise in the context of posture and movement:
“Whereas posture is the way you stand, the way you walk, poise is your ability to remember and execute those postures. Poise is part of your character”
So what is good posture?
A good question, with a complex answer that I’ll put simply: It’s the positioning of the body in a way that minimises wear and tear ie. the body’s natural positioning before we overlay all our bad posture habits. When we’re standing or sitting or walking etc, we can usually FEEL where the stresses and strains are. The body is not made to feel that way.
So what can we do about it?
There are a number of respected approaches for improving posture and freeing movement, notably including the “Alexander Technique”, “Rolfing”, and the “Feldenkrais Method”. You will also see many programs on the internet which purport to improve your posture – in 3 days – without exercise – without getting out of bed – whilst cleaning your teeth etc etc. These are beyond the scope of this blog – although watch out for reviews on www.impactandpoise.com. I do, however, have some practical tips:
- Be more aware of how you sit, stand and move – interrupt those bad posture habits, feel what feels good, and adjust your body to feel comfortable and in balance
- Be especially aware of the position of your head as your body will generally follow your head’s lead. Dr. Donald Weed, author of “What You Think Is What You Get” suggests: ”The poise of your head in its dynamic relationship with your body in movement is the key to freedom and ease of motion”.
- Loosen-up with a massage, chiropractic session or even meditation
- Use the composure tips from my “The poise are back in town” blog
- Look after yourself. A healthy body is naturally graceful in its movement. A healthy mind is a pre-requisite for a healthy body!
“Do not lose your knowledge that man’s proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind, and a step that travels unlimited roads” – Ayn Rand (Russian born American Writer and Novelist, 1905-1982).
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/307820058/
Hiya Martin,
I was slouching ever so slightly in my chair here, then I read this and straightened up feeling a little guilty. Poise is a beautiful word!
Keri Eagan
Anything Alternative
A great thought process. Like Keri, I did the same.
Robert Martin
http://www.carbuyinghq.com
If Ayn Rand says to sit up straight, I’m listening. One of my favorite authors…
Seize the Day,
Rob
Emergency Preparedness For the 21st Century Family
Nice use of pictures. It adds a lot.
One thing I took away with me from the Marine Corps, beside my life, health and all my body parts, was the habit of walking straight up. And yes, I think it has helped my health over the years.
We were taught at the Naval Academy how to use posture and presence to establish an air of command. That has always been the definition of poise to me.
Steve Chambers
Business to Business Sales Trainer
Keri, don’t sweat it! I taught Pilates for a few years and I’m sitting here hunched over a too tiny laptop!
Martin, your verbal word play is wicked.
Kate
Glad to add to the conversation. Poise goes beyond posture, but having bad posture wrecks your poise.
Katie
And here I am with a laptop on the coach! lol
Indeed, posture and what we can do to develop it well
I really noticed that in watching the video of my
2 seminars about Online Dating at the recent Las Vegas Singles Conference
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Single Baby Boomer Dating Success Expert
Practicing what I’m learning here
Jose Escalante
http://www.joseescalante.com
Pratical advice on poise. I remind my young clients when I’m fitting a gown for them to stand tall. So many kids slump whether standing or sitting.
Vicki http://www.bridalthreadshq.com
Poise seems to be a delicate thing but it does have a strong impact.
Martin O’Connor
http://www.smallbusinessdesigncenter.com
Great post, Martin, and very good advice on how we can improve our posture.
Health, Fitness for Working People — Darryl Pace
HA! Hilarious!
Greg Dougall, Philanthropist-in-Training
I really do try to maintain good posture. I have a bit of a bad back, so posture is an issue for me.
Lisa McLellan
Child Care Expert,
Babysitting Services, Babysitting Tips, Babysitters, Nannies
Eeek, I read your post yesterday and told myself to practice better posture. OK, well today is my second chance.
MissMentor
Great posture is important to our inner peace.
In yoga, it’s said that if you can maintain ANYT posture for 3 hour staright WITHOUT changing it, you would purify your physical body once.
And when you purify your physical body enough, you woudl see your double at will.
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion