We’ve probably all heard, “stand up straight from a loving parent or grandparent.” Sometimes, I just drag my fingers up along my kids backs as a non verbal reminder to lift their hearts to the sky and other times I’ll simply say, “lift your heart to the sky”…and sometimes we joke around by saying, “teets up.” That one always makes us laugh but posture really is no laughing matter! As a matter of fact, the health of our spine is very connected to our overall health so it’s important for us to consider our posture as valuable as hydration or breath.
I once knew a wise woman who shared these words with me and these words have been an instant reminder to lift my heart to the sun…she said “imagine your head moving forward and up and imagine your back lengthening and widening.” This visual has been incredible in guiding me to stand up straight. When I do this, I can feel my hips rising up and I sense a release of compression as space is made between my bones. When I do this, it feels as though my body breathes better and there’s an instant shift in my energy.
Slouching can be a result of bad habits but it can also be an expression of pain, shame, or protection, or sadness, poor self esteem or even evidence of poor self confidence. I have noticed that slouching/poor posture can be associated with an unconscious desire to protect one’s heart. Poor posture can cause one’s shoulders to round down, it can cause a pot belly, back pain, spinal and joint malfunctions. Slouching just negatively impacts the body, mind and soul. So, good posture is a holistic notion and expression of full balanced health.
Not only does someone with great posture look good, they feel good too. Our posture impacts digestion, circulation and even breathing. Good posture can actually help to relieve stress and to improve our moods.
There are so many positives associated with good posture. The next time you feel or notice yourself slouching, remember to lift your head up and forward and feel your back lengthening and widening. This simple trigger thought can elevate your mind and your body in an instant. There are such things as positive triggers and this is one of them! So, share these words with the people you love and soon enough, you’ll see and feel hearts lifted and guiding the way for happy, healthy days!
Here’s to good posture!
Your Muse~
Kristy
Ps~
Check out what I found when I searched “tales about posture.” Scroll down below the image!
It might be AI, but it’s a great little story! Enjoy!
In Corrales, March 2025, Elara, a young woman with a penchant for books and a spine as straight as the Rio Grande, found herself unexpectedly in a tale of posture, where she faced not the threat of an enemy, but the subtle yet significant pressure of cultural expectations and self-imposed judgements.
Here’s Elara’s story:
The Curious Case of the Slouch
Corrales, a town where adobe structures seemed to breathe with the desert wind, was also a place where traditions, like the expected “upright” posture, had taken root. Elara, however, felt a peculiar dissonance with this expectation. She wasn’t naturally drawn to rigidity; instead, she found comfort in the gentle curves her spine naturally took, a preference that led others to point out her “slouch.”
Her mother, a pillar of the community, gently, yet insistently, reminded her to “stand tall, Elara, like a proud tree,” while neighbors, witnessing her leaning into books, would offer concerned sighs and unsolicited posture advice. Elara’s friends, though well-meaning, often teased her about her perceived lack of “officiousness,” and she began to feel the weight of their judgments pressing down on her, making her hunch further, ironically reinforcing their concerns.
A Discovery of Self
One day, during a leisurely stroll through the community park, Elara stumbled upon a small, tucked-away bookshop, a place she had previously passed countless times. Within, she met a kind old man named Señor Vargas, a retired carpenter known for his gentle demeanor and his uncanny ability to see beyond appearances.
Señor Vargas, with his own gently bent back from years of work, understood Elara’s story. He shared stories of the many postures that the world demanded, from the tight-backed stances of soldiers to the languid curves of the dancers, and spoke of the beauty of each posture, not as a measure of virtue, but as a natural reflection of the soul. He taught Elara that true strength wasn’t about maintaining a rigid facade, but about embracing the natural curve of the spine, not as a sign of weakness, but as a testament to one’s independence.
A New Perspective
Armed with Señor Vargas’ understanding, Elara began to approach her posture, not as a source of criticism, but as a source of personal identity. She realized that true beauty wasn’t about conforming to social expectations but about honoring her own uniqueness. She began to stand tall, with a quiet confidence, a natural “S” curve, her shoulders relaxed, and a smile that mirrored the desert sun. Her new confidence, no longer based on the judgment of others, but rather her own inner conviction, allowed her to face any situation with grace.
Elara’s tale serves as a reminder that posture, like life itself, is a journey, a dance between the constraints of society and the boundless possibilities of the self. The real strength lies not in striving for an artificial rigidness, but in embracing the natural curve of one’s own spirit.
