When you change your posture in a Posture Awareness Workshop, you’ll begin by using your mind (the intelligence of the mind). Over time, you’ll be mostly using the intelligence of the body. When most people change their posture, they have to think first. Then, the mind directs the body to a new position.

What we teach in Posture Awareness is to have the intelligence of the body recognize that the posture is improper or that the muscles are tight. Once this is recognized, the intelligence of the body can engage the body in the direction of correction or to release unnecessary tension. By using the intelligence of the body, your mind can be thinking about something else. Your mind isn’t needed for the body to release toward more proper posture.

What do I mean by the intelligence of the body? When you walk, your mind doesn’t tell each individual body part what to do and exactly when to move. This type of automatic doing is another example of the intelligence of the body directing the body. Another example of the intelligence of the body is typing this page. My fingers are flying around the keyboard. My mind doesn’t know this quickly where all the different keys are. If my mind had to think where each key was before I could type it, typing would take much, much longer.

Also, the intelligence of the body is used a lot while driving a car; often your mind is not engaged in many of the details of driving a car. Typing and driving are learned behaviors. First, your mind has to get all of the details of where the different letters and numbers are on a keyboard. Your mind also had to think of moving your foot from the accelerator to the brake; to begin steering at a certain time when you’re making a turn. Now, these behaviors are so practiced and known that you do them without your mind thinking about them. This automatic doing of typing and driving is also possible in relation to changing your posture and releasing unneeded tension.

In the Posture Awareness Workshops, you’ll be able to practice going toward more proper posture. First, you’ll be told (intelligence of the mind) specific imbalances of your body and the direction toward more proper posture. Then, you’ll practice the body releasing toward more proper posture.

One of the goals of the Posture Awareness Workshops is to have your change in posture become automatic like typing and driving. Over time, the intelligence of the body will be directing this change toward more normal posture. But, first, the mind needs to know all about posture; just like it needed to know all about typing and driving.

Here are some of the advantages of coming to a Posture Awareness Workshop:

1. Your mind will know what is proper posture. Your body will be less stressful/ stressfilled when you have proper posture and when you release unneeded (detrimental) tension.

2. After a while, your body (the intelligence of the body) will move itself automatically toward more proper posture and less internal tension. Having your body move itself is a great advantage. You don’t have to first think: “Is there anything wrong with my posture? Where is the tension in my body?” Your body will automatically correct itself many times throughout the day.

3. Your mind, also, can be engaged many times during the day in going toward more proper posture and less internal tension. Your mind can identify improper positioning and unnecessary tension. The mind can then put it’s attention to that area of the body and watch the body change toward better posture. This way the mind can still play a part (which it likes to do) and that the intelligence of the body can take over. The mind initiates the change. Instead of directing the body on what to do, the mind watches the body make the changes similar to my mind watching my fingers fly around the keyboard. The intelligence of the body is doing the work; not the mind.

4. You’ll have more ease and lightness in your body compared to continuing in unbalanced and stressful postures in both stillness and in motion. Not everyone will feel wonderfully light. Everyone will be able to feel more ease and less tension by using what is learned in class. This has got to lead to a better physical future.

5. There is a period of adaptation as you go from decades of imbalance toward more balance. In the beginning, it may feel effortful to go toward more proper posture. This, at times, is true. By releasing (instead of tensing) toward more proper posture, you’ll minimize the effort needed for this transition. And when your body gets used to proper posture, it’ll feel like you are in your remodeled house – cozy for many years to come.