Posture

[princesita]

Hi!

I´m absolutely new here, and english is not my first language....

It has always been an obsession of mine all about great posture and poise that defines real elegance and style. The serene way to behave and carry themselves makes -to my humble eye- the big difference.

The question is....

Is great posture and poise are innate or... is something we can learn?

In that case where and how can we learn about posture and body carriage?
Can you people recommend something to read about this?


Thanks a LOT!


princesita

 

[TheSoCalledPrep]

Definatly something that can be learned. Hold back your shoulders, suck in your tummy.. for starters.

If you're really bad off, there are image counselors.

 

[pointup]

My physical therapist always tells me never put your shoulders back or forward, but them in line with your body and for better posture put your elbows at your side , arms straight forward and bring your shoulderblades together... it will strengthen your back and therefore help your posture!

 

[italianice283]

Bad posture is one of my pet peeves..I just always try and stick my boobs out and this makes my posture look good, my boobs look bigger, and my clothes even appear to fit better...also remember always to keep your chin up, it makes you look more intelligent and less tired....
if you make it a habit all the time it will soon come naturally.

 

[Atelier]

Do the "corpse pose" for 10-15 mins each day. Even if you're not the slightest bit interested in yoga, this is just one very easy exercise and I guarantee you will have better posture.

 

[As You Like It]

Having good overall muscle tone helps. I find that keeping my abdominals strong makes good posture effortless for me. Before I go to bed, I do 25 really well-executed crunches, 25 leg lifts, and that butt-lifting exercise I described in the thigh-toning thread.

 

[vintage_princess]

Well i wouldnt deliberately stick my chest out to make my boobs look bigger! lol
Anyway good posture is essential i guess, i mean if you walk tall it shows you have confidence (or just make it look like you have)

 

[dramatique]

Dance has always helped me mantain a good posture. Now whenever I am slumping or my posture is out of whack even for a little while it just kills my back.

 

[tealady]

Welcome to TFS, princesita! I think dance and yoga are two great ways to improve one's posture. When I was a child, ballet training was considered essential for all young ladies. I'm sure my parents were more hopeful that I would become graceful, rather than a dancer.

 

[Charlotte560]

Hi,
I've started wearing high heels to work every day. It has hurt my feet but has helped my posture so much. In my opinion the way to improve posture is to walk in heels. You just can't get away with bad posture when you are up on your toes.
Charlotte

 

[Erin]

Good posture is so essential! It's one of the few things that can instantly make you look better... I see so many people walking around, slumped over, and it's so unattractive.

 

[i_<3_chanel]

agreed !
actually had a tlk abt this today w/some frnds
apparently i have 'gd' posture . . .
i walk like a ballerina. HAHA
& i look elegant . . .
my frnds are blind. obv.

but i always try to stand straight
shoulders back etc. . . b/c i'm so short . .
i can't afford to slouch

 

[Erin]

^ I, like so many others, find myself having bad posture... I've been more keen about it lately, though... Not just for appearance, but for my bones.

 

[utopia]

I've been paying attention to mine a lot more lately simply because I've recently gotten back into dance, and it's so essential. happily, it carries into my life outside of dance...I try to be conscious of it when I walk down the street and when I'm just sitting whereever... I've always had good posture though; I think part of it I was born with, and the other part was growing up doing certain types of individualised sports and dance forms that forced me to focus on it.

 

[Bluestar07]

Good posture not only gives you confidence, it apparently has a slimming effect (I read somewhere you look 10lbs lighter) and is essential to proper / deep breathing. I used to have bad lower back aches and I find stretching the spine using yoga poses really helped.

Contrary to popular belief (propogated by parents mostly - "chest out, tummy in" mantra) sticking your chest too far out can damage the spine. Dance / yoga / pilates teaches us to align our spine ... imagine stacking each vertebrae directly one on top of the other.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Has anyone done long term Alexander technique? I did it for a few months and though it helped me for a few days after each class, it didn't stay. It was heavy on my student loan too which is why I stopped. I am considering starting again to improve my posture but also to increase my height because apparently it can give you an extra 2-3cm, about an inch if your spine is compressed. That would make me a cool 5ft9.5" which is like my ideal height.

 

[SiennaInLondon]

Alexander Technique

The posture thread reminded me about Alexander Technique as a method of improving posture but more importantly to me of increasing height. Apparently they can sometimes increase the height by 2-3cmc. I did it for a while and it was amazing but I didn't carry on for as long as was necessary (only two months even though you need about six months). Does/has anyone else done Alexander Technique? Here is an article on Wikipedia about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Technique

I particularly liked the disadvantages section:

Also, many adults have reported a gaining an inch or so in height after a few months of regular lessons. The disadvantage is this changed height and awakened sensitivity may require new clothes, a different car, etc. In one case, a student reported they felt the need to get a new home with a higher ceiling and door frames.

 

[fashionkitten7]

Has doing this technique resulted in any growing for you personally ?

 

[Yasmin]

I have terrible posture. I so often forget to notice how I'm holding myself! :/

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

i have really bad posture i never stand up as straight as i can but i must say it is improved when i wear heels... which i find quite strange that something so simple can change your whole posture!

im also really bad when i sit down my spine is always curved and never straight... i wonder how this will affect me in the future!