The Habit of Good Posture

How many habits have you be re-evaluating this week?

Have you started to wash your hands more? 

Are you more aware of touching your face?

Does making these sorts of adjustments seem impossible?  Or are these sorts of habits already second nature to you...or something inbetween...

If you live in the state of New York, you may have finally remembered to bring a bag with you to the grocery store after buying a 5th reusuable bag because you forgot again about the plastic bag ban that began on March 1.  (Or was that just me?!)

Washing hands and not touching my face?  Pretty easy.  I used to be a pretty severe germ phob.  I can do that one.  I like to consider myself an environmentalist.  I recycle pretty religously, but I pretty much always forget a bag when I go to the store.  

Your posture and how you move are also habits.  If you pay attetion and you're able to stop before you go into your default pattern, you can start to change the habit.  Sometimes setting timer and having some simple exercises helps as well...so you to reset and remember to practice.

The difference between changing your posture and trying not to touch your face though is that when working on your posture, you might choose certain moments to consciously practice your new habits, gradually making them more instictual, giving yourself time.  In fact, I encourage this.  It makes the process less overwhelming.  

What's so frustrating about the "Don't touch your face," suggestion to avoid germs, is that if it's something you haven't been doing, it might take some time to change the habit.  It's rediculous to think that people will just stop rubbing their eyes in a snap.  Most of the time it's unconscious.

Same with bringing a bag to the store...I had to forget to bring a bag for two weeks in order to finally remember some of the time.  

In my posture lessons and classes, we create a structure together that works for your learning style, so that you make consistent progress, but don't get overwhelmed. 

And the other really important piece that differentiates posture from hand-washing is that proper hand-washing is pretty easy to explain in one or two sentences and even if the instructions may not always be followed, they're simple to implement. 

Posture and movement are a little different.  People usually come to my lessons and classes because they realize that they're trying to correct something and they're not really sure about how to do it and they're not sure if what they perceive as an improvement actually is better. 

They don't just need to correct their posture, they need to learn how to correct it and how to start sensing their posture an movement correctly in their body.  Our habits can make us kinesthetically confused and some guidance can help clear up misconceptions.  

Speaking of habits...How are your work habits Do you procrastinate and struggle with getting things done despite the best of intentions?  Check out this New York Times series by Phyllis Korkki on improving work habits to "help you work more efficiiently and effectively"...Your posture is connected to your ability to stay energized and focused!  Check out the Posture Police mention on Day 3!  I also recommend checking out Phyllis' book, The Big Thing:  How to Complete Your Creative Project Even if You're a Lazy, Self-Doubting Procrastinator Like Me.