Posture

I spent four days last week at an aikido seminar with my Japanese sensei (instructor). I learned much on technique, as usual, but also had an interesting realization. It was a sweltering weekend in Philadelphia, where the seminar was held ,with daily highs in the 90s. One evening I decided to sit out a class and climbed up to the bleachers above the practice floor. From there I could observe our Sensei and the senior instructors circling on the practice mat, offering suggestions to students.

In many cases, the correction offered was to the student’s posture. When I was practicing myself, my sensei came over one time simply to correct my posture (which was wilting under the heat). There was a very simple message – you will be able to throw more correctly if you change your posture.

The goal of the corrections was a more coordinated mind/body posture, whether static or in motion. With the improved posture, the student was stronger and able to execute a throw with less effort. Concurrently with the change in the physical body was a calmer, more aware mind, which also contributed to the effectiveness of the throw.

The beauty of this teaching is that it is easily applied in daily life. At any time during your day, you can pause and correct your posture. In doing so, you will be coordinating mind and body. As you continue with your work or play, you will be more effective. Over the years, I have developed a practice of checking my posture often. The result has been a gradual overall improvement in my posture and a welcome feeling of settling or grounding when I do take a deep breath and realign my physical body. In fact, resettling into a more correct posture has become almost an unconscious choice.

Give it a try for a few days. Let us know what happens.

Judy Warner