Being a Poser Doesn’t Work

Posers.

Personally, when I was in junior high and high school, I was continually changing my idea of how I should look and what poses and postures I should display. I wanted to be appealing and be liked but how to achieve that popularity was a moving target.

In those days, I truly thought I was going to be a ballet dancer. At times I tried to sit and stand especially straight, with my legs and feet turned out to broadcast a constant first position. At other times I would try standing with my pelvis and head forward for a slick modern slump. Some days I would simply try to be invisible hunkering down inside myself.

Really, when I think about it, it seemed that every day I had a new idea of how to “be.” My mother would encourage me to be myself but there were not enough words in the English language to explain to her that I didn’t know who “myself” was. It was agonizing then and remembering it brings up some of that agony.

In hindsight, my poor body had to accommodate badly thought-out ideas of what would make me minimally acceptable or, at best, desired by others. Images of what would fulfill my popularity needs came from movies (The Sound of Music, Rebel Without a Cause), magazines (Seventeen, Life), and a very popular sister who was seven years older.

I distinctly remember noticing her prominent collarbones and practicing in front of a mirror to make mine look like hers. Decades later, from understanding, learning, and practicing Balanced alignment, I realized that I had misaligned my entire shoulder girdle willingly. Or maybe not so willingly.

So, what I am about to say about being a “poser” is done with sympathy for my misguided past self. My thoughts about being a poser” then and for all of us at this very moment constantly experiencing cultural pressures to fit in, or a counter pressure to be outside the current cultural “look” or “looks.”

The woman below demonstrates her version of cool. In every pose, her joints from head to toe are misaligned. Habits of distortion are so constant that she always has undue pressure in her spine and joints causing wear and tear. She is already uncomfortable but doesn’t pay attention until the discomfort stops her from doing some activity she either has to do, like going to work, or something she wants to do. like hiking.

As she ages, the pressure on her joints will continue and she will get more crooked. It’s the last thing she wants, right? These positions are the cause of premature aging and endless wear and tear problems in joints.

Amazingly, the image below is how this  young woman and all of us stood as young children:

Our bones naturally aligned on the vertical axis. In the child’s photo above notice how the pelvis is centered over the heels which allows all the other joints to be centered too. This original alignment meant that the spine and joints were in their natural order making us durable and naturally strong.

Balance is the content, the way, and the opportunity to recover our original alignment. It is deep, profound work and has the capacity to set us on a course of health, sturdiness, and strength.

There are over a hundred Balance classes available taught by me and available for your ongoing learning.

Purchase this book “Put Your Back at Ease.” by my colleague Thea Sawyer. You’ll be so happy you did!