Posture Is Not “Stand Up Straight” — It’s “Feel Where You Are”

When people talk about posture, they often imagine something rigid:a tucked belly, pulled-back shoulders, “discipline,” and tension.But healthy posture isn’t a pose — it’s a process. A living, dynamic one.

We’re not statues. We move.And when the body is tense, when the brain doesn’t sense how it’s organized in space,posture falls back on old patterns — familiar, but not always helpful.

That’s where sensory-motor retraining comes in.It’s a way to:– notice what you’re actually doing with your body,– understand how you move,– and gently offer an alternative — one that’s lighter, more stable, more alive.

But — and this is important — awareness alone isn’t enough.We also need muscles to support our verticality.Not through bracing, but through balanced, engaged musculature that works in harmony with breath and attention.

Let’s try a simple standing practice right now:

1. Stand on both feet and feel your ankles.

2. Sense how your knees are aligned right above them.

3. Then your hip joints above the knees,

4. The center of your chest above the pelvis,

5. The head above the chest — with the back of your head gently lengthening upward.

Now imagine a line running down the side of your body:from your ear, through your shoulder, ribcage, hip, knee, and ankle.This is not a military stance — it’s a vertical line that arises from balance and support.

We’re not “fixing” posture.We’re teaching the body how to inhabit it — with aliveness and attention.And when we do, muscles engage, breathing opens, and real stability emerges — without rigidity.

Do you ever feel like your body “forgets” how to stand upright without tension?