Walking while balancing a book on your head used to be something parents would have their daughters do – supposedly to develop good posture. I don’t hear of that any more, but I do know that children, especially teenagers, will be told to “stand up straight,” which usually produces a momentary militaristic, ramrod straight, parade posture that’s difficult to maintain.
I get better results in the classes I teach by first telling people to visualize their bodies as the letter T, with the head balanced on top of the T – a perfect vertical/horizontal symbol that creates an even shoulder line (bi-lateral symmetry) with the vertical line of the T going straight through the body from head to floor, making perfect right angles from front to back.
That’s the visualization. But then I give them the instruction that can maintain that perfect T all day.
“Every morning, as you stand in front of your bathroom mirror brushing your teeth, take a few seconds to psyche yourself up for the day by assuming the mantel of a very important person (which you are).”
As you continue to stare at yourself, inhale and lift your chin about 2 or 3 inches, and you’ll notice you’ve lifted your upper body one to 2 inches, and you’re now staring at a better looking person than you thought you were.
Not only that, but you’ve also lifted any excess weight out of your waistline which, in turn, puts you in a position that makes it easier to resist the accumulation of excess weight in the future.
If you can learn to use your own resources you can self correct, control and improve many negative manifestations of your body. It’s simply a matter of self confidence, which is a lot easier than walking around with a book on your head.
Besides, during the day, when you feel you’re slipping into the “posture fatigue slump” you can silently, invisibly psyche yourself back up with your own reminder that you are, indeed, an important, living person who doesn’t need to walk around with a book on your head to show it.
How far we’ve come from what used to be!
