Flexibility, Posture, and Alignment: A Deeper Dive
Of the “5 Aspects of Physical Training” the combination of flexibility, posture, and alignment is the least discussed in articles pertaining to physical health. This is probably because most health advocates don’t focus on them as the cause of disease. In my experience they are much more than simply “quality of life” issues. I find it useful to give this subject much greater space, as it contains the subtle yet vital key to all the other aspects: body awareness.
We are all aware of our bodies to some degree. That experience can be enhanced a great deal with yoga, breathing exercises, or other slower movement regimes like Chi Gong and Tai Chi, which focus on concentration, breath, and balance (there is an upcoming deeper dive article on Balance.) There are other also other, lesser known but just as effective, practices like Somatic Experience and Authentic Movement that I have tried (upcoming article.) Subtle body awareness has become a lost art in our Western culture, but you can easily develop it. It is a part of our God-given, intrinsic ability to always be aware of what’s going on inside us, physically and emotionally.
Body awareness, living in your body and experiencing its many subtle sensations, is the key to fixing many issues related to flexibility, posture, and alignment.
It’s All in the Hips and Spine
Our unique heritage as upright creatures puts enormous emphasis on the spine as well as the hips, the large structure the spine ends in. Unlike almost all other creatures on this planet, our vertebrae stack up on top of one another vertically instead of lining up horizontally as they do with animals that walk on all fours. That makes our spines much more subject to gravity than those animals’ spines. It also makes keeping those bones well-aligned with gravity more important.
Ask any osteopath, chiropractor, or orthopedist, and they will tell you the key to a healthy spine is a flexiblespine, one that isn’t constricted or frozen into place and that finds its natural shape from top to bottom. Flexibility takes strength as well as relaxation.
What I Do
I have a regular activity to focus on hip and spine alignment whenever I think about this or feel something is off. Standing, I do a subtle inner pushing down from my hips to my heels on an exhale, which lengthens the backs of my legs. At the same time, I push up from my hips through my back, neck, and the top of my head, which lengthens my spine and aligns it directly over my hips. I hold this position, not rigidly, as I inhale and then push a bit more on the exhale. I repeat this gentle breathing and alignment activity several times. The effect is to stand much straighter and feel a subtle shift in everything. It lengthens not only my spine but my abdomen and chest, providing more space for my organs and lungs. It also causes my shoulders to move back and my shoulder blades to more squarely “sit” on my back, not rounded or hunched. This is what brings me the feeling of standing up straightest, not like a rigid soldier, but like a relaxed and extended yogi.
Yoga was my entryway to greater body awareness and feeling these subtle sensations, especially the feeling of space in my joints, muscles, organs, and other tissues, that elongate the spine and other areas of the body. Just imagine all the benefits this brings to circulation and metabolism. Alternatively, imagine all the negative effects brought on by a cramped abdomen and cramped lungs! Yoga is probably the best way to practice alignment and to experience these subtle sensations. Ironically, reversing the effect of gravity by doing inversions like handstands, headstands, shoulder stands, elbow stands, and hanging upside down in any supported way (for example, using gravity boots or Iyengar rope wall systems) is also an excellent way to align the spine.
Lastly, keep in mind that slouchy sitting is the absolute worst enemy of good posture. Our spines were never meant to be curved that way for hours on end. They were designed to either be vertical or horizontal, not in between. Instead of slouching on the sofa, half sitting/lying in a recliner, or bending over your laptop, practice sitting on the floor or on a backless chair, or work standing up. Those are much-preferred alternatives that will enhance your flexibility, posture, and alignment. Your spine will thank you for it!
