SITTING POSTURE
Whatever our posture, we are striving for comfort, for ease, a sense of well-being. There is no model to adhere to. Our posture needs to adjust itself spontaneously. We will consider the ways to achieve this. Not by striving for an outer appearance or symmetry, but through an inner symmetry and perception. With few exceptions, all adult bodies are deformed. And now is not the time to consider why. Let’s just consider how to make realistic adjustments.
Chi, Inner Energy, is the manifestation of life. Chi flows therefore in the most neglected and the most distorted of bodies. We are striving for more than just experience of flowing Chi.
Sitting comfortably on a chair, we can adjust our posture so that our spine, neck and body follow as straight a line as comfort allows. Touching the tip of the tongue to the roof of our mouth so that it rests gently, there. Sitting straight so that our structure is perfectly and comfortably balanced can be helped by adjusting our posture so that our hips are slightly higher than our knees, by, for instance, moving the pelvis forward towards the front of the chair so that the back is not tempted to lean and slouch against the back of the chair. Or by placing a cushion underneath our buttocks to raise the hips above the knees.
We can tilt our pelvis ever so slightly so as to “round” the base of the spine a little; so that the base of the spine is free to make tiny movements backwards and forwards. Anything is allowable to maximise the level of comfort in terms of cushions, stools, armchairs. The rounding of the base of the spine should be the simple result of adjusting the position or shape of the body with no muscular effort, with the greatest of ease.
The body does not collapse on itself. Our abdominal muscles play a discreet and important role in maintaining a correct posture. Our belly does not collapse or hang out. It is held in place through a permanent tension in the lower belly, the front reference point of the tantien.
We continue to adjust our posture, looking for comfort, so that the head is supported by and balanced on the neck, which is, in turn , balanced on the spine. Making tiny adjustments to our spine , or even imagine ourselves sitting in a swimming pool with warm water up to our lips, so that our body feels supported by the buoyancy of the water. And our vertebrae can start to move gently, easing themselves into a more comfortable and more aligned position. A series of slow adjustments that maybe never really stop, so that our spine and neck provide a vertical support from our seat to the top of the head.
Our spine has two curves to it. Our spine acts like a spring which should be supple, adjustable, mobile, malleable without the slightest resistance or tension. Constantly striving for comfort, well-being, inner symmetry, balance and ease.
And our shoulders, balanced on our collar-bones, can sink, heavy, minimizing any muscular activity in our shoulders, shoulder blades, the rest of our spine. And the top of our head can feel as if it were suspended from a thread, with the rest of our body hanging underneath it in turn, the chin gently tucked down and in.