5 Things Your Posture Says About You

When you were growing up did your parents say, “Sit up straight honey!” “Sit up!” “Stop slouching!”? Did it feel impossible? The truth is, it is actually nearly impossible to just sit up or stand up straight! Sure, we can sit up straight for a minute, when someone says something about posture. I say, “Posture,” you sit up! Yay! But it lasts as long as that one little thought, then our habitual stance shows back up before we even know it. Boo!

We sort of know that when we are slouched over our keyboard, or our meal, or a phone or tablet that we are not doing our health any favors. So why is it so hard to keep our head up, to keep our shoulders relaxed and centered, to sit on our bottom without bowing our low back out of place? We can all feel the shift in our mood when we shift our body from slouched to upright. “Good posture” is not a mystery, actually, but holding it seems very mysterious!

What is really going on is that our posture is actually an expression of who we are on the inside. Trying to artificially straighten up is like trying to stop giggling in a serious presentation at work! Good luck with that!

In Network Spinal chiropractic care, we work with understanding your posture in 5 basic ways. These distinct patterns reveal the ways in which you process stress, injuries and trauma internally. When you are fully energized, present and grounded, stress comes and it passes through your system without getting stuck. Unfortunately, there are times when we do not have access to the full range of resources that allow us to recover quickly from insults and injuries. Those episodes get stuck inside our nervous system. It pulls and twists our spine, our pelvis, shoulders, even our heels.

You probably know what I am talking about here: someone says something mean and we tuck our chin back or our tailbone under. We step off a curb unexpectedly and feel a hip pull out of place. All of those little and big insults and injuries settle in: our system adapts and finds a new normal that is actually not at all normal, it is a little twisted, a little lifted, a little tucked.

Pattern 1 – Skull and Tailbone Tension

Pattern 1 shows up as tension in the skull and tailbone. It points at the feelings of being stuck in the past. Healing this pattern allows us to appreciate our experience, the past becomes useful information, but it’s no longer in control.

Pattern 2 – Neck Tension

Pattern 2 lets us know in our neck, the 1st and 5th bones are not in the proper position. We are expressing a lack of faith or trust in ourselves or the future. Working with this pattern we develop trust, intuition and the deep knowing that life is for us.

Pattern 3 – Tension in Hips and Pelvis

Pattern 3 is about who we are at the core and how we are in our relationships. It shows up when we are questioning ourselves, relationships and our purpose in life. In our body we tighten up in the pelvis and hips, making it literally harder to move forward in life. Unwinding this tension frees us up, we regain confidence and faith in why we are here.

Pattern 4 – Neck Pain

Pattern 4 is the pain in the neck! The 2nd and 3rd bones in the neck get stuck, leaving us feeling disconnected from the rest of our body and life. We live literally “from the neck up!” A secondary effect of this pattern is low-back tension and slouch. We can feel cut off from our feelings, emotions and our body. Restoring energy in these areas keeps us conscious and aware, we work with our emotions: enjoy what is good, and work through what is difficult without getting overstimulated or depressed.

Pattern 5 – Tightness through the Spine

Pattern 5 ties the top and bottom of the spine together, the chin juts out and the tailbone tucks under. Everything feels pulled internally, and shows up as financial stress, worried about abundance, being enough and having enough. Integrating at this level we resolve the inner conflict and twisting, restoring balance and resourcefulness.

We can find ourselves traversing any of these patterns depending on what life brings. Unfortunately there is no “one-and-done” kind of fix, because life is not static. The good news is that in Network Spinal care we learn more and more over time, our system remembers the natural balance of the spine and the innate wisdom to return to health. Life’s difficulties become learning moments, yielding new wisdom and gifts for stepping forward naturally upright and energized!