You know your posture could be better. You want to sit and stand taller and be more comfortable, but you can’t figure out how.
The magic of “good” posture eluded me for decades. Turned out, I didn’t need any magic at all. I just needed George.
―Ann D.
Does anything on this list sound familiar?
- Good posture goes away the moment you stop focusing on it.
- You dread fun activities if you’re going to have to stand or sit.
- After work, your body’s too tired for physical activities like cooking a nice dinner or exercising.
- You want the world to see you confident and powerful. The way you hold yourself gets in the way of that.
- Your posture gets worse when you’re challenged or emotionally down, which makes a tough situation worse. Your body is “dragging you down”.
- You force yourself to sit or stand up straight for a half hour, feeling more like a suit of armor than a human. But that hurts even more! Now you’re really frustrated!
Information isn’t enough. Neither is effort or being sick of pain and limitation. Posture breaks down to habits. Everybody needs help to break one habit and build another.
You need an outside eye. You need simple, manageable tools. You need to be more aware of your body. You need to know the steps to take – and in what order.
To register for a class click here.
Posture With Ease classes are 75 minutes long, specific, fun and easy. You’ll leave renewed and relaxed, two aspects of good posture.
“Nothing else has ever made me feel better—no doctor visit and nor years of past yoga classes. My experience is that George communicates directly with my body.”
―Christy G.
If you want to stand, sit and move with more comfort (and if you’re still reading, I’ll take a wild guess that you are) Posture With Ease is a simple pathway.
This class goes deeper than other movement classes because posture affects every aspect of your life, from emotional balance to job prospects to sex to organ function to comfort to mental efficiency. Good posture even extends your life. Your perceived sex appeal depends upon your posture. Posture even affects how you see others.
What Happens In a Class?
The once-a-week, 75-minute online class is divided into 6-week modules focusing on a particular approach to posture. Each class includes:
+ Posture and breathing exercises
+ Guided imagery
+ Ways to sit, stand and move better
A 6-class series costs $160.
Frequently Asked Questions – Posture With Ease
How do I dress for these classes?
Dress in clothes that are comfortable to move in and which show your general outline.
Do I need props?
If possible, have a straight-backed chair, a yoga belt or substitute (e.g., a robe sash or a waist belt), a yoga block, and several large towels. If you don’t have one of these, let me know and we’ll improvise. You may also want a cover for the end of class when we do guided meditation and some people can get cold.
Can an online posture correction class work the same way in-person classes do?
Yes. The best posture classes are the ones you actually take, and online classes make it easier to be consistent.
A good teacher can see not only the outline of your body but also the way you move, where there is more and less muscle activation, and what kind of cues you need to move and stand with better alignment and graceful, efficient movement.
Will other people be able to see me?
At times, you may be seen as a small box on the screen. Because the class is active, people aren’t looking at the gallery view – they’re either looking at my full-screen demonstration, or actively doing the activity. If you want complete privacy, there is always the possibility of turning your video off, but then I won’t be able to give you individualized feedback.
Will a posture exercise class help my sitting posture?
Posture is present in all activities. This class addresses sitting posture in a number of ways, including exercises you can do in your chair, supports, braces and props for easier sitting, and ways to remain aware of how you’re sitting when you’re focused on other things.
Is “Alignment” posture? What does alignment mean? What is “good alignment”?
Most people have a general idea of what posture is, even if they can’t put it in words. But people often ask me what is meant by alignment. Alignment is how your body parts stack on top of each other. In good alignment, the stack is straight enough that it takes minimal effort to hold a position or move without strain and without losing your balance.
What is the difference between alignment and posture?
Alignment is the way the parts stack up to make a whole. Posture is how that ends up looking to ourselves and others. Sometimes people use the phrase “how you carry yourself”. That’s a great phrase because ultimately, posture and alignment are about how you move. Even when you stand or sit or lie still, there is still movement going on if you’re alive. There’s always a way to make your movement more efficient and comfortable.
How can I tell if I have good body alignment? How can I check my posture?
There are many ways. One good one is to have someone take a picture of your whole body from the front and the side. From the front, look to see if there are differences from side to side or whether a line down the center of your body would create two identical mirror image shapes. From the side, your ear, shoulder tip, outer hip bone, knee and back of your foot arch should be more or less in line with each other. If you don’t “pass the test”, you’re in good company. Nobody really does – everyone’s asymmetrical because you only have one pancreas! Perfection isn’t the point. Awareness, comfort, and strategy are what matters.
If I stand up straight, is that the same as having good posture?
When I teach, the first thing that happens is that the person tries to stand up straight. But their version of standing up straight is seldom giving them the best result they can get. Often, it is military and stiff, or it can be lifting their chin and sticking their chest out. It’s not enough to look tall or strong. You have to be able to move at the same time, and that requires more than a shape. But standing up straight includes one of the most important things: You are aware, and you’re testing a strategy.
I don’t know how to remember to stand up straight.
Awareness is the most important aspect of good posture and movement, and it’s very hard. It helps to have a few very simple cues that will come to mind during the day.
- Ask yourself where your feet or your butt are touching down. That simple question will make your posture better.
- Ground your heels and lift the back (not the front) of your head up.
- Imagine that you have a face on the back of your head that see behind you.
There are many more and you will find the one(s) that work best for you. I have one client who does a quick head to toe assessment whenever she closes an application on the computer. Wow!
What does “slouching” mean?
It’s easier to define slouching than it is to define posture. slouching usually refers to a sunken-chested, curved shoulder posture when standing or sitting. It’s a posture that gives you a lazy, weak, tired, and depressed look, and that’s not something anybody wants. Usually when someone refers to someone else slouching, it’s because their poor alignment makes them look lazy, weak, tired, and depressed and it worries (or annoys) the person watching.
Can a person learn how to fix slouching?
Back slouching looks bad and is bad for your health. Being tired can cause slouching and so can a bad chair. If you stand or sit a lot under those conditions – and most of us do – your slouching back can get weak in the muscles that you would use to be longer and more open to the world, and other muscles can get tight, pulling you down even more. Then it becomes a vicious cycle. Your body shrink-wraps to match your habits and that can leave you stuck there even if you want to change your habits. Improving posture means you have to awaken your awareness, stretch some muscles and strengthen others. Posture With Ease classes are designed to show you how to stop slouching, to break the cycle of deconditioning and collapsing, and build you up in a better way.
I was told to find a body movements class because my body is stiff and weak. I’ve been looking for online movement classes.
Posture With Ease classes are designed to build mobility, strength, balance, and coordination through movement. When you have a balance of those three, you are on your way to a new, happier life in your body. If you feel tight and weak, these classes can help.
Can yoga movements help posture?
The positions of yoga are actually called “postures”. Most yoga is great for posture. Posture With Ease classes involve a lot of yoga movements for beginners and better ways to do yoga postures for people who want to improve the way they do yoga. Like yoga, Posture With Ease classes seek to integrate strength, flexibility and coordination.
Does this class involve restorative movement or restorative poses?
Restorative movements and poses are designed to bring the body into relaxed positions that refresh the muscles and nerves while re-balancing the systems of the body. They usually include meditative awareness and conscious breathing exercises. Posture With Ease classes always end with restorative poses that help you integrate what you’ve done and prepare you to go into the world renewed.
What is diaphragmatic breathing and how does it work?
The diaphragm opens the lungs and that pulls the air in. your ribs open like bellows, and your belly goes out. If you keep your ribs from moving so that only your belly moves, that’s belly breathing, which some people call “diaphragmatic breathing”. But the truth is that all breathing is controlled by the diaphragm. In most situations, both the ribs and the belly move when you breathe.
Breathing fully (no matter what parts move) helps support and balance the back and the hips, which in turn makes you more buoyant, lifted, and free.
What is guided imagery? Is it the same as guided meditation? What does it do?
Guided imagery involves relaxing quietly while someone gives you things to imagine and think about as you relax more and more deeply. The effect is of relaxation, lightness, and freedom of movement.
Guided meditation is the same as guided imagery, but the intention goes more toward peace of mind than peace of body. Because your mind is your body, the distinction is really a matter of words.
An additional effect of guided imagery is that it trains your nervous system so that when you are moving around the world, you have a different sense of your body and therefore, your movement and posture change.
For more information contact George by email at office@georgerusselldc.com or via the contact form on this page.