The collarbones and great shoulder posture

✅"Widen gently across the collar bones!" If you've heard this at your posture or Pilates classes, this anatomical picture may help you in visualising why you are being asked to do just that.

✅ Notice how the collarbones here stretching from your breastbone to your shoulder tip. By focusing on lengthening across her, you will help to place your shoulders and shoulder blades in a better alignment and posture.

✅ This cue also allows for you to gently build endurance to work against the effects of gravity and the slumped shoulder postures. This is done by the subtle yet ongoing work of your upper back and shoulder blade muscles.

✅ This means happy days for your trunk posture, your shoulders, your neck and upper back!

If you feel you are too stiff and tight across your chest or upper back to achieve this, see a physiotherapist. Pilates classes and posture-based exercise will help you achieve the endurance and strength required to maintain these postures right throughout your day.  

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👉 When it comes to your posture, less is definitely more.

👉 Do remember that your postural muscles ( the ones deep in there that hold you up all day), are not the big powerhouse muscles of your body. They work at low levels, but for a very long time!

👉 Don't over do your posture. Gently stack or float through your waists, spine and neck to your skull.

👉 Do feel assured that this gentle workload through your postural muscles is enough, and that mindfulness here will help alleviate the day's aches and tension. After all, this tension is often the compensatory work of your big muscles stepping in to help with your posture if the deep ones are weak or tired.

 #mindfulposture #lessismore #poorposture #pilates #clinicalpilates #thefixprogram #thefixprogramonline #physiotherapy #physio

✅ "Find your neutral pelvic foundation." Why do we ask you in posture and Pilates classes to do this before and throughout every single exercise?

The lumbar spine or lower back sits above your pelvis. It comprises of 5 large vertebra, and as you can see, not much else! It is very mobile when compared to the stiffness of the upper back and ribs above. It needs much support of the muscles that support it and a strong well aligned base. The pelvis should form a strong foundation for the lower back to stack on.

✅ The beginnings of good support for the lumbar spine start with learning to find your 'neutral' pelvic foundation when standing, sitting and strengthening. This will in turn awaken your deep abdominal corset and other supporting muscles in the region.

✅ Imagine your pelvis as a bowl of water. Your 'neutral' pelvic foundation for the spine above would have your bowl sitting level, without spilling, or twisting.

✅ A healthy relationship between the alignment of your pelvic bowl and your lower back will prevent pain and injury, make you feel in better control of your posture and improve the efficiency in the way that you move and exercise! Win!

How is your bowl sitting at the moment?

Pilates-based exercise and postural strengthening are the best ways to build not only awareness, but also strength and endurance in the muscles used to keep your pelvic bowl 'neutral'. A healthy pelvic foundation will prevent back and neck pain further up the chain.