Posture Correction
After reading the ChiRunning and ChiWalking books I brought about some changes in the mode of teaching I used to follow to describe posture section. So before here come some more changes and updates in ChiRunning book I would like to tell you that what is the most up to date way to align your posture. posture correction I myself is following this pattern for past 6 months and feeling comfortable in walking and running now. In the ChiRunning and ChiWalking books we have you begin the posture stance by standing with your feet parallel and hip-width apart with your knees not locked. After that, we go to straightening your upper spine and this is where one of the changes comes in. We used to have you place one hand over your belly and the thumb and middle finger of the other hand spread apart and placed just under your collarbone. Pull the body downwards by using your lower hand and straighten your upper body part by lifting it with upper hand placed at upper area. Then we had you resting your chin on your upwardly stretched index finger in order to bring your head and neck into alignment with the rest of your posture. posture correcting Here is the step where problems start with different people following this method as not all people have same length of neck and index finger which could become an issue. It is possible that one man would have too low chin while the other would have too high. Another reason for making this change is that it’s awkward to use this method of aligning yourself once you’re moving. So I suggest a way which everyone can follow by using his head only without using his hands. Here it is…it’s easy. Place your hand on the backside of your neck and brush your fingers in an upward direction. While you’re doing this, lift up on the back of your head, like you’re trying to reach for the sky with the crown of your head. In this way you can stretch the muscles present at the back of your neck and can make you chin get back to the natural position. You can also strengthen your upper spine area with no use of your hands for it. Now, in all my walking and running classes I have everyone do this easy little exercise. Just begin with standing in poor posture, then slowly move upwards to touch the sky with head crown, making spine strong and lengthen the backside of your neck. This upward focus of your attention will quickly straighten your posture and actually (believe it or not) lighten your footstep by counteracting the downward motion of your foot coming onto the ground. Having your neck in the correct position has an effect on the rest of your spine all the way down to your tailbone. You’ll find it easier to level your pelvis and to relax your shoulders, keeping them low. It is the crucial step of ‘C’ shape which is a concept I am working on myself not taken from ChiRunning book. ChiRunning Posture Image Look at the illustration and you’ll see the “C” shape super-imposed on the subject. Now just look at the directions pointed by arrows and you will see that the arrows start from T12/L1 point and then move on to opposite directions. The arrows on the upper section of the “C” shape go up (lengthening the back of the neck) and then down the front side of the head, ending at the chin (which is held down). If you see the lower section of ‘C’ shape you will see arrows pointing towards the tail bone, returning back to pelvic area and end at the point of public bone. So if you feel that you are sipping downwards just practice to shape your posture according to ‘C’ shape during all types of positions including walking, running, standing or sitting. It will give you a great feeling of bringing your mind and body together. Your posture is crucial for your movement and your structural support. When you have strong physical center, it has a direct influence on your mental and emotional well being. Practice your posture as if your quality of life depends on it, because it does.










