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Improving Posture in Daily Life

fedaalisfedaalis
edited March 2011 in Meditation
I wasn't sure where to post this, but I figured the Meditation forum might be the best.

I'm sure many of you have noticed during meditation that your posture is generally related to your state of mind. For me, I tend to slump forward and to the left when I am drifting off in thought during meditation. I figured it makes sense then that posture in daily life would also have an impact on one's state of mind, or simply reflect it. On that note, I will say that I have terrible posture in daily life. I want to try to improve it, but the best/only method I can think of for now is just to try to sit up straight while doing everyday activities. This can be hard when working on the computer especially, or watching television (probably something I should cut down on anyway!). This can be hard to sustain for a long period of time, however.

I also figured another benefit of developing good posture in daily life is that I could develop my back muscles more, and be able to relax into a good meditative posture for longer periods of time. I can only meditate with a good, straight backed posture for about 30 minutes before my mind starts to go incredibly active trying to distract myself from the pain. Though I find many advantages to having back pain during meditation, it helps me become more aware of my body; it does make it more difficult to actually *relax* and become calm.

Has anyone here recovered from terrible posture habits, and formed good ones, in daily life? If so, how? And do you have any tips beyond just sitting up straight during daily activities?

Thanks in advance :)

Comments

  • taiyakitaiyaki Veteran
    edited March 2011
    yoga. i'd assert though that posture can help with alertness, it is not necessary. i find that most meditators are all about that posture lol but i find that relaxing into what is comfortable is more important. i suppose it is a balance between relaxation and alertness. whatever works lol.

    do yoga and exercise. say like running. and do some art/music/play video games (helps with concentration & alertness).
  • patbbpatbb Veteran
    yoga helped me as well.

    Got me in touch with my body (never realized i wasn't in touch with it before).

    I always had a terrible posture, I tried to have many reminders to help the situation but i always felt back to my old habits.
    After beginning a regular yoga practice, my problem resolved itself quite naturally and effortlessly.
  • SeMichSeMich Explorer
    I will echo taiyaki and pattbb: Yoga, yoga, yoga. Even traditional exercise did not help me as much as yoga did; now I'm practically an addict. I go three to five days a week, and I couple it with regular exercise (running and weights) as well as sitting meditation.

  • fedaalisfedaalis
    Okay guys thanks for the advice. :) I will look into yoga. Is it possible to do yoga without an instructor? I can't afford yoga classes, nor are there any within at least 50 miles of me.
    I always had a terrible posture, I tried to have many reminders to help the situation but i always felt back to my old habits.
    That seems to be the problem for me as well at the moment :(


  • zombiegirlzombiegirl beating the drum of the lifeless in a dry wasteland Veteran
    obviously, trying to train your mind would be the easiest and cheapest solution. but i'm just going to throw my recommendation out there as well.

    part of the problem with bad posture is that the muscles associated have shortened and/or lengthened as a result, and this makes "good posture" uncomfortable for us now. i recommend doing what some people call "windmills" (rolling your arms/shoulders in wide open circles with the intent on loosening up the chest muscles). i would also make sure to do the "door way stretch" (placing your forearm on a corner/doorway and leaning forward until you feel a good stretch in your pecs)

    and kind of a random recommendation, i recently went to a seminar on kinesio taping. it's a type of athletic tape that is actually quite surprisingly strong. the adhesive is heat activated, it's cotton based, and stays on for days. i was shocked that even after 3 days, it was kind of uncomfortable to remove it. and at my seminar, we did a postural realignment taping for the shoulder.

    it is pretty much what you see in this video, except that the black piece that goes across the shoulder blade to the anterior deltoid should be longer and with more stretch. we put it all the way to location of the pec minor and did about a 80% stretch.



    it's sort of weird, but since we all practiced on one shoulder, you could REALLY see a difference in posture. i would expect this to be a sort of last option, unless you happen to know a sports massage therapist that practices kinesio taping. but it was still interesting to me nonetheless.
  • SeMichSeMich Explorer
    Yup. You can get a yoga mat and an instructional video to take you through hours of postures. All for around thirty bucks. There are even instructional videos online (youtube and such) that you could probably use. Good luck! :-)
  • fedaalisfedaalis
    Yup. You can get a yoga mat and an instructional video to take you through hours of postures. All for around thirty bucks. There are even instructional videos online (youtube and such) that you could probably use. Good luck! :-)
    Oooo, okay thanks! Definitely interested in giving yoga a try, I have been interested in either yoga or tai chi to help me improve my awareness of body, but have put it off more or less indefinitely. But I am definitely going to look into yoga.
  • SeMichSeMich Explorer
    You are welcome. Just so you know, I found a full beginner's set at Border's this weekend in the bargains section for less than $20 (two, in fact, one complete with a dvd, a yoga mat and an instructional book). So there are some out there that are very reasonably priced. It might prove to be difficult to practice if you do not have access to a hard floor of some sort, but I think you could probably do it on the carpet, truth be told.

    And indeed, it certainly helps improve your awareness of your own body, even what foods are being put into it. Best of luck with your practice.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Also, investigate The Alexander Technique.

    http://www.alexandertechnique.com/
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Is there more information?
    I am having back problems...
    I found out that I have a bad posture what can I do to improve?
    Other then the information provided here?
    Thanks all!
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    I will echo taiyaki and pattbb: Yoga, yoga, yoga. Even traditional exercise did not help me as much as yoga did; now I'm practically an addict. I go three to five days a week, and I couple it with regular exercise (running and weights) as well as sitting meditation.

    What about Qigong or Tai chi?
  • hermitwinhermitwin Veteran
    Qigong or Tai chi are great for muscles n joints.
    Try qigong 18 shi (styles) ie 18 simple movements.
    I believe you can get the CD from bookshop.
    The one I have is from hongkong.
    Taichi is considered meditation in motion by some.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Qigong or Tai chi are great for muscles n joints.
    Try qigong 18 shi (styles) ie 18 simple movements.
    I believe you can get the CD from bookshop.
    The one I have is from hongkong.
    Taichi is considered meditation in motion by some.
    Thank you!
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