Posture improvement

[coyote]

I am looking for ways to improve my posture. I have some limited range of motion and pain so i can't jump into a regular yoga class. I just leared about Dao Yin for posture and looked it up threads on here. I am also trying something called Reposturing which is stretching adapted from yoga were the therapist stretches you out more than you can yourself and then you go home to stretch on your own. I am in the san francisco bay area.

[freeform]

I like Scott Sonnon's Intuflow

 

[karen]

You might like Alexander Technique - can combine well with other things, too.

[Tactile]

Alexander technique and Feldenkrais method are good. I don't have any problems with my body, but I use Alexander when I practise music. Improved posture and bodily use and tension relief are the primary benefits you get with them. They are very soft (but efficient) methods, so there is no risk of injury. You should search for teachers in your area as hand-on guidance is almost necessary. www.alexandertechnique.com has information. I have personal experience only with Alexander tech, but what I've gathered about Feldenkrais is that they are quite similar so I doubt you can go wrong with either of them. A good teacher makes a difference, of course.

 

Oh, also you mentioned pain.. this book explained a lot to me, with 13$ it's really a bargain: http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therap...3514&sr=8-1

Edited May 13, 2008 by Tactile

[minkus]

A good chen style taiji teacher is nice he or she will get you a good posture thats what happend to me in any case.

Edited May 13, 2008 by minkus

[shontonga]

Oh, also you mentioned pain.. this book explained a lot to me, with 13$ it's really a bargain: http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therap...3514&sr=8-1

 

Ooo, when dealing with "TP's"

That book is a life saver !!!

That Is a book that should be in EVERY home!

We all get aches and pains or know someone with them,

nice t know what to do about/for them!

 

Standing pratice is nice for posture,i find.

Body seems to adjust it's self,

make it's own corrections.

Good to have a good teacher, if u can,

when you start just because

our habits are so ingrained in us.

 

Stay well!

 

Shon

 

Edited May 13, 2008 by shontonga

[therion]

..........

Edited July 15, 2009 by therion

[Spectrum]

What part of your posture specifically do you need "improvement" ?

[Lozen]

Magnificent Mobility is pretty good.

[Christoph]

www.solution4pain.com

personalized posture therapy

[emily]

ive had some serious postural and alignment problems recently after a spell of being pretty much confined to my bed due to illness. really screwed up correct muscle function.

 

the best thing i have come across is the egoscue method. it required dilligence and commitment (roughly an hour and a halfs daily practise for at least 3 months depending on the severity of the situation) but it has a 95% success rate.

 

im practising it at the moment and am getting brilliant results. it is not a fun workout, lots of static stretches....but i listen to a cd, do some reading or a bit of breathwork whilst in the long stretches. if you have a limited range of motion this is ideal i think beacsue it will gradually restore musculoskeletal function.

 

i have the second book of the two links. apparently the other is the same but repackaged.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Egoscue-Method-Healt...1110&sr=8-2

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolution...1110&sr=8-1

 

 

if you have some money a pair of mbt shoes will help also. they help realign everything and ensure you are walking correctly due to the shape of the sole.

 

 

not the prettiest looking shoes around though.....i use them for a power walk in the mornings

 

http://www.swissmasai.co.uk/

 

 

ive ordered the intu-flow system recently, has anyone here had any experiences with it related specifically to realignment and postural work?

[coyote]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

Posture is usually a systemic problem, not just a part, and it is all parts for me.

 

One thing i would like to know is how to stretch the chest. I put my elbows out and lean through a door way with my thumbs pointed back. That helps.

 

I am looking for ways to so the reverse bridge used in yoga. Has anyone used bench?

I have used cushions but it often hurts my neck.

 

Some say that standing meditation or just chi flow improvement alone will work. Well I'll be doing all those things anyway, but i love to stretch, too.

[Christoph]

for posture and foot health you should wear the most minimal shoes possible like vibramfivefingers...not some moon boots to compensate FOR you.

 

BTW muscle balance and function is more personalized than egoscue,unless you go in person to a practitioner, but similar...takes about an hour a day and works incredibly well.

[steve]

Agree with standing meditation - Lam Kam-Chuen and Wong Kiew Kit are excellent authors in this area.

Alexander technique is a different approach that my brother has extensive experience with and really supports.

Any style of taijiquan will help you understand combining proper posture with movement, however personal instruction is very important, IMO.

Good luck,

Steve

[freeform]

ive ordered the intu-flow system recently, has anyone here had any experiences with it related specifically to realignment and postural work?

 

I've been doing Intu-flow for a while now... It does a lot for a simple routine. Gets the blood and lymph flowing, opens up the joints, works the fascia, tendons and ligaments, increases body-awareness, increases range of motion in all directions, stops the joints 'leaking' chi, opens up the spine and develops coordination - this is what effect it has had on me, and I'm on the intermediate level still...

 

All of this helps with posture development - especially the body-awareness and coordination, because that stops you unconsciously adopting positions that compromise your posture... The past few weeks I've only been able to do it once or twice a week, since I've been working late - and I've noticed quite a big difference. I especially like the spinal movements, as every bit of it from the sacrum up tends to gently crack and click into place, then sitting and standing up straight is effortless.

 

I find that if I do it before a session of kunlun, during the kunlun there's less shaking and more circular, slow, qi gong-like movements coming up...

 

Christoph, those shoes are not to my taste, but I've been wearing 'vivo barefoot' shoes that have very thin, flexible soles and I really love them, it opens up a whole new world of texture below you.

[Christoph]

I love my vibram but they are not for everyone I guess.This fall I will get some Vivo barefoot for the cold weather.

 

http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=89830802

 

 

I still do Intu flow and like it for the reasons you mentioned but for me it never actually fixed any of my problems.

Since doing MBF my Intu Flow has improved dramatically though....just like every other physical activity.

[coyote]

The Vivo shoes look great, thanks! There is no where to try them on in the san fran bay area.

 

I have done ecoscue and that didn't work

 

Alexander is worth looking into.

Why intuflow? What's special about it?

 

To define good posture i suggest the Balance Center in Palo Alto and the book Ageless Spine that shows pictures of people around the world with good posture, except in the more advanced countries mainly due to chairs, also fashion.

 

Reposturing is my favorite therapy so far. They are showing me how to stretch and give therapy where they stretch you out more than you could yourself.

 

I have the typical problem: forward hips, sunken chest, forward shoulders and head. Basically, muscles on the front are pullng the structure down: The quads pull down the hip from the front and create hyper lordosis of the back. The pecs pull the shoulders forward, which pulls the neck and head forward. The back side is working too hard to compensate and that where the pain shows up, but as a rule you strecth the other side. The hams loosen automatically by stretching the quads on the other side.

 

In addition, i have cranial problems that are releived with adjusting the sphenoid by various techniques by professionals. Also, orthodonitics is helping the jaw/TMJ and will expand the palate and skull. Dwight Jennings, DDS.

[Smile]

There are many resources:

 

Z Health

Pavel's Super Joints

Magnificent Mobility

Scott's Warrior Wellness / IntuFlow

 

I like Z Health for simplicity.

[Swami Jai]

what about rolfing and atlas realignment. has anyone had work with these, results?? My posture is really bad and feel the need for some structural reintegration and then i'll just use some good ol' yoga, taichi, and the such to keep it normal from now on.

[coyote]

what about rolfing and atlas realignment. has anyone had work with these, results?? My posture is really bad and feel the need for some structural reintegration and then i'll just use some good ol' yoga, taichi, and the such to keep it normal from now on.

 

Rolfing feels great but does nothing to help your retrain posture. Atlas adjusts one vertebrae. Rolfing is worth doing once because it feels so good, but rolfing and chiropractice are mostly a waste of time. Quantum touch is much better to get stabilized to better pursue some kind of physical therapy on your own. I am review all promising approaches now and have not reached firm conclusions on what is good for posture but here are a few foundational components. You have to see how everything works together as a system, like in Taoism, not as in reductionest Western medical thinking.

 

Define good posture--many physical therapists, yogi's, and chi gong masters have no clue. Jean Couch's Balance Center and book with pictures mentioned there.

Stretching: Tight muscles pull vertebrae out of place. Chiros treat symptoms. Chest and hips especially. See Reposturing.

Strengthen the core adominal muscles. This determines hip placement which then affects everything else.

Yoga for the Core, book. Pilates.

Barefoot, Vivobarefoot shoes. Thin shoes like Puma's Saloh.

Janda's foot therapy.

Ergonomics: chairs, car seats, see Balance center, sit on the edge of the seat. Lumbar support is not good: midback and sacral is better: Zackback sitting,

[coyote]

I forgot my favorite part: Chi Walking.

This book give simple guidlines for right posture. If you don't put everything into practice when walking then what difference will it make?

I find this easier to do barefoot or with thin flexible shoes.

You put some movement into your hips again, shake it!

 

I forgot my favorite part: Chi Walking.

This book give simple guidlines for right posture. If you don't put everything into practice when walking then what difference will it make?

I find this easier to do barefoot or with thin flexible shoes.

You put some movement into your hips again, shake it!

[coyote]

There are many resources:

 

Z Health

Pavel's Super Joints

Magnificent Mobility

Scott's Warrior Wellness / IntuFlow

 

I like Z Health for simplicity.

 

Thanks Smile.

I have their intro dvd and the thoracic opener was really nice, it opened my chest and i don' t know how it did that.

I like their systems approach that makes all the connections through movement: a problem in the foot could cause pain in the back, etc.

What dvd's and levels have you done?

I am considering seeing a therapist in my area.

[Loke]

I have had a lot of problem with my back from my tail to the head

and I have solved this by taken a lot of chiropractor (bone-setter)

sessions. He combined massage, acupuncture and bone-setting

which over a couple of year put more or less everything in place.

A funny thing was that during two years I got the problem back

three times a year spring, fall and winter.

[Smile]

I've done the first level of Z Health and Sonnon's "Freedom By Degree". Almost the same thing.

Also, if you are close to NYC/NJ area, I can recommend a bone therapist with amaizing abilities light years ahead of any chiropracter/physiotherapist.

[Swami Jai]

 

Barefoot, Vivobarefoot shoes. Thin shoes like Puma's Saloh.

 

Yay, I just got some of those vibram five fingers shoes and they are awesome. Great for frolicking around in waterfalls

 

Thanks Coyote, I actually just had my first rolf last thursday and the initial result was wonderful but I feel myself moving back into mis-alignment. I think if I keep the rolfing up and add some other things to strengthen myself, especially those abdominal muscles like you mentioned, thats one thing I need to focus more on. I have heard wonders about people fixing there posture just through different techniques for breathing and abdominal exercises.

 

I still need to check out the other things you mentioned, thanks for the help...

 

I forgot my favorite part: Chi Walking.

This book give simple guidlines for right posture. If you don't put everything into practice when walking then what difference will it make?

I find this easier to do barefoot or with thin flexible shoes.

You put some movement into your hips again, shake it!

 

And I love walking, my favorite sport

 

 

Also, if you are close to NYC/NJ area, I can recommend a bone therapist with amaizing abilities light years ahead of any chiropracter/physiotherapist.

I'm not too close but who knows, maybe someday I will be there so that would be awesome to know...