Posture. We all know how important it is to maintain a good posture, especially for speaking. Let us look at 10 things you should not be doing, when maintaining good posture. And no, I don’t mean you have to stand on your head to learn good posture. Here are top 10 things to AVOID if you want to learn how to have good posture.
- Quasi–military style: Over-correction of the spinal alignment so that the back loses its S shape.
- Slumping of spine which exaggerates the natural curve in the neck
- Standing with your knees locked, and toes gripping the floor.
- Standing with your weight on one leg only, so that the hip juts out and causes asymmetry.
- Poor distributed weight, either too far forward( pelvic pushing forwards- which I call the Mr Bean posture) or too far back, causing the abdominal muscles to be over-tensed.
- Squeezing the upper back, so that the shoulder blades are pushed towards the spine, narrowing the back.
- Rounded shoulders, which lead to sunken and closed in ribcage.
- Holding the shoulders in a high, contracted position, which encourages clavicular breathing.
- Constricting neck muscles, so that the head is forced back, and chin is up, rather than 90deg.
- Eye levels that are too low or too high, which affect the position of head, and cause tension in the neck.
Try these and you will be amazed at the impact your posture has on your general well being, and your voice! Check out my youtube page for more instructional videos!