Posture Mantra: Tall, Proud, Ballerina-Turtle Book

Photo by Scillystuff 
via Creative Commons

I have met many people with issues created by having an incorrect posture for years, even decades. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  A very small adjustment to the position of your head, neck, shoulders, arms, back, hips, knees, or feet can prevent future pain and even prevent the need for surgery.

This post strives only to raise awareness about issues with posture. If you have questions about any problems with posture—from head to toe—please see a licensed medical professional—particularly orthopedic surgeons who can diagnose and then refer to a physical therapist.

I met a retired elementary school teacher in my Tai Chi class years ago in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. She talked about how she spent 30 years standing in a way where she locked her knees. She was learning Tai Chi as a way to address problems from her back all the way down to her feet—all caused by improper posture.

Since 2004, I have been practicing yoga, but it wasn’t until I started seeing a series of licensed physical therapists that I received detailed, customized instruction on how to further improve my posture.  

Here is a mantra that I have developed, based on advice from three different physical therapists over the last eight years as well as some advice from a handful of yoga instructors over the last twenty years.

I try to recite this to myself at least once every hour to help me adjust my posture, primarily for my upper body:

“Tall, proud, ballerina-turtle book.”

Do I imagine that I am some bizarre oversized book that is shaped like a turtle in a tutu? 

Let me explain what I do with each word. And, yes, there is repetition with standing tall, pushing my shoulder blades together, and tucking my chin.  I need the repetition to double check my posture. 

Tall: Elongate my spine.

Proud: Roll my shoulder blades back and down.

Ballerina: Slide my head and neck up and back.

Turtle: Tuck my chin.

Book: Push my biceps back.

Try A Video!

Here is an instructive video. I haven’t talked about core, thighs, knees, or feet position. My two decades of yoga have helped me with that, so I did not include those reminders in my mantra. You might need to adjust your posture in your lower body and/or your upper body. My challenge comes from the top third of my body, so this mantra focuses there.

 

It's Never Too Late to Stand Up Straight

Slouchy KDA at a park in Wichita, KS in 2012
vs "Stand Tall" KDA in the UK & at the YMCA in 2022

One of the benefits of going to the gym is that I get to “talk shop” with other members and with the instructors. We can share stories of our various triumphs and challenges. 

For the last seven years, I am most often talking about issues with my right shoulder and my right arm. 

I thought that I had injured myself by lifting too many weights. After talking with some of my instructors who are physical therapists and after visiting an orthopedic surgeon who referred me to a physical therapist, I discovered the foundation of my shoulder / arm problems.

Poor posture.

This revelation caused me to remember a physical therapist’s comment to me about a decade ago (2013).  I showed this PT a photograph of my centenarian friend, Gladys Bever, who was 103 at the time:  “Look at her posture,” he admonished me. “That correlates with longevity.”

That was the first time I started to pay attention to the importance of posture beyond an aspect of aesthetics and a vehicle for conveying confidence.  Each passing year, I grow more and more dedicated to spending time, effort, and a bit of money (on physical therapy co-pays and deductibles) to work on the root of my posture problems.

Because this topic includes a lot of areas, I’m going to start a series.