The New Rules of Posture: How to Sit, Stand, and Move in the Modern World

239 Pages·2006·43.724 MB·English

by  Mary Bond

THE NEW RULES
---------------------------- OF----------------------------
POSTURE
HOW TO SIT, STAND, AND MOVE
MAR BOND
T H E N E W R U L E S
“Mary Bond’s talent and expertise extended my professional dance career until age 52!
Anyone who suffers from body dysfunction and pain must read her book. Actually, it
should be mandatory reading for all institutions offering anatomy, kinesiology, and medi­
cal courses.”
BONNIE ODA HOMSEY,
FORMER MEMBER OF THE MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY AND
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN REPERTORY DANCE COMPANY
“I have long searched for a book that addresses the human body as a whole, and with
clarity, guidance, and completeness. This book is a multi-faceted gem offering all of that
and much more. I highly recommend it to teachers of movement and to anyone eager to
learn how to become a better occupant of their body. ”
MARIE-JOSÉ BLOM-LAWRENCE,
PILATES SPECIALIST AND PROFESSOR OF ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY,
DEPARTMENT OF DANCE, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
“At last, at any level of knowledge of the body and movement, everyone will have the joy
of a discovery that can profoundly change our relationship to ourselves, to others, and to
the beauty of the world.”
HUBERT GODARD, PH.D.,
PROFESSOR OF MOVEMENT AND RESEARCH,
UNIVERSITY OF PARIS
T H E N E W R U L E S
----------------------- O F -----------------------
P O S T U R E
HO W TO SIT, STAN D , A N D MOVE
IN TH E M O D ER N W O R LD
M A R Y B O N D
Illustrated by Stephen P. Miller
Healing Arts Press
Rochester, Vermont
Healing Arts Press
One Park Street
Rochester, Vermont 05767
www.HealingArtsPress.com
Healing Arts Press is a division of Inner Traditions International
Copyright © 2007 by Mary Bond
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any infor­
mation storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Note to the reader: This book is intended as an informational guide. The remedies,
approaches, and techniques described herein are meant to supplement, and not to be a
substitute for, professional medical care or treatment. They should not be used to treat a
serious ailment without prior consultation with a qualified health care professional.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bond, Mary, 1942-
The new rules of posture : how to sit, stand, and move in the modern world / Mary
Bond.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-124-8 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-59477-124-3 (pbk.)
1. Posture. 2. Rolling. I. Title.
RA781.5.B66 2007
613.7'8—dc22
2006027435
Printed and bound in the United States of America by Quad/Graphics
10 9 8 76
Text design and layout by Priscilla Baker
This book was typeset in Sabon, with Copperplate, Shelley, and Agenda used as display
typefaces
To send correspondence to the author of this book, mail a first-class letter to the author
c/o Inner Traditions • Bear & Company, One Park Street, Rochester, VT 05767, and we
will forward the communication.
C O N T E N T S
Foreword by Leon Chaitow, N.D., D.O. ix
Preface xi
Introduction: What Are the New Rules of Posture? 1
■
PART ONE: AW ARENESS
1. Your Conscious Body 16
2. Your Body’s Internet 34
H
PART TW O: S TA B ILITY
3. The Root of Posture 54
4. Healthy Breathing 72
5. Core Connections 91
s
PART TH REE: O R IEN TA TIO N
6. Your Heart’s Messengers 114
7. Footprints 134
8. Facing the World 154
H
PART FOUR: M O TIO N
9. Healthy Walking 170
10. Articulate Living 195
8B
Afterword: Explore the New Rules of Posture, Together 215
H
Appendix: Therapeutic Resources for Healthy Posture 216
Bibliography 220
Index 223
E X P L O R A T IO N S
A N D P R A C T IC E S
1. YOUR C O N SC IO U S BODY
Your Neutral Breath 17
A Stressful Moment 21
Simple Pleasure 23
Walking Inventory 24
Your Best Foot 25
Heel Strike 26
Pelvic Mobility 27
Arm Swing 28
Spinal Mobility 29
Head and Neck 29
Stabilizing Actions 30
■
2. YOUR BO DY’S IN TE R N E T
Postural Sway 3 7
Fascial Continuity 39
Sacroiliac Rocking 45
Holistic Impact 48
Counterrotation of Pelvis and Chest 49
Curling and Arching 50
■
3. THE ROOT OF PO STURE
Pelvis Palpation 57
The Pelvic Floor Diamond 59
The Anal Triangle 59
Slouching 63
Supported Sitting 64
Bending Over 65
Perceptual Fine Tuning 66
Smart Reclining 70
s
4. HEA LTHY B R EA TH IN G
Quiet Breathing 74
Active Breathing 75
Global Breathing Awareness 84
Breathing in 'Your Back 85
Inhaling Beauty 86
Exhaling Surrender 86
The Spaciousness and Weight of Breathing 87
Breathing in Gravity 87
Slowing Your Breath with Sound 89
Healthy Breathing, Healthy Posture 89
S
5. CORE C O N N EC TIO N S
Activating Your TA through the Pelvic Floor 97
Activating Your TA from a Table Position 99
Activating Your TA Lying Down 101
A Shortcut to the Inner Corset 102
Flying Table 104
Bending Forward and Bending Down 107
Posture as Relationship 110
■
6. YOUR H EA R T’S M ESSENG ERS
A Tour of Your Shoulders 115
Closing Your Shoulders 116
Shoulder Expression 117
Leverage 117
Shoulder Blade Pulses 118
Handprints on the Wall 120
Serratus Shortcut 123
Seated Sphinx 123
Reaching 124
Wall Traction 126
First Aid for Your “Mouse Arm” 128
Sacred Touch, Living Touch 131
Two-way Touching 132
Lifting Something Heavy 133
■
7. FO O TPR IN TS
Self-assessment of Your Feet 136
Your Foot’s Dimple 138
Relaxing Your Arches 141
Footprints on the Wall 142
Opening Your Feet 142
Alternating Pressure between Forefoot and Heel 143
Rocking from Stance Foot to Walking Foot 143
Stepping into Your Whole Heel 144
Help for Bunions 145
Aligning Your Legs 147
Shifting Sands 149
Sitting to Standing 151
Pushing the Floor 151
Sacred Ground 152
H
8. FACING THE W O RLD
jaw and Tongue Tensions 158
Nose and Palate Tension 159
jaw and Inner Ear 160
Distinguishing Cranium and Face 161
Narrow Focus and Open Focus 162
Releasing Eye Tension 164
Receptive Eyes 164
Welcoming the World 166
■
9. HEA LTHY W A LK IN G
Stop and Go 175
Wall Traction Enhanced 178
Flying Table Enhanced 180
Hip Rotation 184
Counterr otation 185
Pelvic Gyroscope 186
Seated Spine Spirals 187
Initiating a Step 189
One Step 190
One Step with Rotation 192
Forget About It 192
a
IO . A R TIC U LA TE L IV IN G
Body Parts Art 197
Acceleration 203
Your Best Walk 210
Your Worst Walk 211
Walking Your Way out of a Funk 211
F O R E W O R D
Although there are sometimes structural reasons that prevent balanced pos­
ture and good use of the body, most of us are guilty of misusing our body
machinery due to habit. As with all habits, these postural ones seem to be
such a large part of our make-up that change appears impossible, difficult,
or unnecessary. What Mary Bond has succeeded in doing in this delightfully
written text is to demystify the processes required for the creation of better
body usage.
The fact that most visits to physicians involve pain as a major symptom,
and that most pain problems relate to the muscles and joints, shows just
how important better body usage is. The muscles and joints are the tissues
that bear the strain—and end up complaining—-when we misuse our bodies
while sitting, standing, walking, lifting, driving the car, and performing the
multiple movements, in a host of postures, that make life worth living in our
work and in our leisure activities. Body usage—good and bad—also has a
direct impact on how our inner world of communications (nervous system),
circulation, digestion and other functions work (or don’t work), and is also
a representation of mood, feelings, and personality. In addition to healthy
muscle and joint usage, The New Rules of Posture explains the importance
of the wonderful connective web that invests and supports all other soft tis­
sues: the fascia.
At its very simplest it is worth remembering that the musculoskeletal
system is the largest energy user in the body by a large margin, and when
we misuse it and waste energy we are also loading a burden of strain onto
areas (whether feet, knees, pelvic joints, spine, or neck) that will ultimately
demonstrate disapproval of being misused by becoming tired, painful, and
dysfunctional. As our joints and muscles start to complain, we too may also
find ourselves becoming tired, pained, and less functional.
Poor postural habits are, however, only part of the story. This book also
contains an excellent exploration of breathing, another area of poor habit
ix
X FOREWORD
that has enormous implications in relation to well-being—both physical and
emotional.
Mary Bond explains all this material in an uncomplicated, elegant
style. Using examples and experiential exercises combined with science-
and experience-based explanations of what needs to be done—and how
to do it—she shows how to reverse the inevitable decline into pain and dys­
function that follows misusing what has been called the “primary machinery
of life.”
To change any habit—and poor posture and poor use are mainly
habits—requires, as a starting point, understanding. The explanations given
in this book set the scene for understanding, making possible the next stage
of learning—how to use our bodies more efficiently and safely.
Therapists as well as anyone seeking relief from the pain that results
from poor postural habits should explore this gem of a book and follow its
advice.
LEON CHAITOW, N.D., D.O.
HONORARY FELLOW, SCHOOL OF INTEGRATED HEALTH
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON