One of the first lesson I teach my client is to understand the importance to feel the position, being aware of their body in the pose, and of course the right one in whenever they are doing: workout, stretching, yoga, running, standing up or sitting down!

 

It is a matter of safer practice and better productivity. You practice the correct movement, without risking hurting yourself, and your performance increase because of the right execution. Engaging your core allows this. That is why I call this the core posture!

 

I read two days ago an article on Self website about the explanation on what yogi mean when they are asking you/us to “lengthening the tailbone down and drawing the ribs in”[1].

It makes me realize that indeed this can be complicated to understand or to picture it and that is the core posture.

 

I cannot insist more on the importance to practice correctly any exercises or movements. It is like a long-term investment on your health (hello low back problems) and a big factor on performance advancement.

 

So what does that means concretely?

 

• “Lengthening the tailbone down” = squeeze your butt in neutral position, slightly retroverted position (contrary of anteverted that means arched/curved position of the butt)
• “Drawing the ribs in” = suck the stomach in engaging the abs
• Finally, those two movements are done while lengthen the spine and to do so imagine a thread coming out of the top of the head and dragging you up.

 

I love showing that to my clients because it allows them to go to another level of practice and well-being.

Without executing the right posture you can do plenty of abs exercises and never see a result; or you can stretch all day and not feeling any stretch and, certainly making it worst for your body.

Some movements are executed daily and that emphasize even more the necessity to engage the core in every moment in life.

Learn to feel the right posture for the right effect is something a professional can teach you and with the practice and experience you will learn how to feel it and then find the right posture alone.

 

I really like this article in Self because it shows the importance, in that case for yoga, of a correct execution that is not always the case. Sometimes you will have to curve your buttock and some other time like here you will have to find a neutral position.

The important point is to know where you need to feel the effect of the movement and this way you can try to feel by yourself the correct posture.

 

For example, this stretching:

• If like in the superior pictures you have your back falling to the floor in a round way, you won’t feel really the stretch (at least on the first steps of the stretch) and you can hurt your low back;
• On the second line of pictures, you can see that my back is slightly curved; I am looking in front of me and my buttock is like pull off from behind (imagine a thread pulling me from the back); Only once in that position, I can begin to come down keeping my back alignment. I feel the stretch already on the first picture and I feel it deeper as soon as go down just a little bit and I am not hurting my back.

★★★★★

Whatever you are doing, always be aware of your movement, your position, and your posture. This is the first step for safety practice and well-being.

And remember: when you are standing up, try to have a neutral position 😉

★★★★★

Of course finishing with colors and happiness form my pretty green smoothie

❤

[1] https://www.self.com/story/drawing-in-your-ribs-yoga