As your mother always said, practice makes perfect. Luckily, every day you are presented with countless opportunities to perfect your posture while sitting, walking, sleeping and...showering?
Yes, that’s right. You can, and should, be aware of your posture even while performing the most mundane of tasks. So before your next shower take a few meditative minutes to enjoy the healing properties of warm water...and then pause before you grab your shampoo bottle. Why? Because the half-minute you spend lathering your hair is probably the most vulnerable shower-time for your back.
The typical American, when lifting their arms above their head, will “sway” their back and put themselves at risk for a couple of problems. “Swaying” is an excessive arching of the back that compresses spinal discs and compromises circulation around the spine--not good. In the shower, be careful not to lean your head too far back while shampooing because this movement can exacerbate the sway.
Anchoring the Rib Cage
To prevent this, I recommend a technique called “anchoring the rib cage." I teach this maneuver to students to help them achieve a healthy shape in the low back.
To anchor your rib cage, contract your upper abdominal muscles to pull the front of the rib cage downward and inward. Your goal is to lengthen and straighten your low back. When you think you’ve got it, you can assess the spinal groove in your low back with your fingers.
A healthy low back shape has a mild groove, embedded bumps (your vertebrae), and soft ridges on either side of the groove. If you feel taut muscles ridges on the either side of a deep spinal groove, then your back is still swayed. Perform this maneuver to maintain a relaxed and lengthened position next time you shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat, and before you know it you’ll be a proper posture pro!
If you live in or are visiting the Bay Area, and would like personalized instruction on how to engage your rib anchor, please visit us at the Esther Gokhale Wellness Center in Palo Alto; 650-324-3244.
Esther Gokhale, L.Ac. is an expert in pain-free living and the Nautilus Gold Award-winning author of 8 Steps to a Pain Free Back. She's the creator of the Gokhale Method, an anthropologically-based approach to posture and alignment designed to eliminate and prevent back pain and other musculoskeletal problems. She's the founder of the Esther Gokhale Wellness Center in Palo Alto, CA. Visit her at egwellness.com
