Straight back

[mindtooloud]

Tips on how one can keep his or her back straight? And any tips on how to check if it is straight or not?

[joeblast]

get a broom handle, or place your heels 2-3 inches out from the wall - but the back isnt naturally perfectly straight, you have to straighten it yourself.  relax lumbar, chin tuck, maybe a slight intent to pull forward at the anterior of t3-t5...

[Wu Ming Jen]

Horse stance elongates the spine. The spine has 3 natural curves to it other wise every step would be a crushing blow.

 

Stand with intention of lifting the crown with out force and feet rooted in the ground a nice bouncy and rounded posture ready to strike at any moment like a cat or snake. (Standing post)

 

Lifting the spirit has a few meanings, one having agility, balanced and posed and also lifting the spirit implies heighten awareness of all 8 directions as well as internal and external awareness simultaneously.

 

If you have back pain sitting in folded leaf posture helps open the joints and relieve pain. 

 

Sitting the Ming men gate should be open meaning sit up right not using the back of a chair. Slouching creates the Ming men gate to close This point is located between the kidneys

 

When refereed to as the Ming Men with an S that is actually referring to the kidneys.

 

The kidney tap is effective to stimulate the adrenal glands that sit on top of the kidney. With loosely cupped fist strike the kidney area (lightly) 32 times then relax and bring your awareness to the kidney region and give thanks to the work your kidneys do.

 

Great for lower back as well ( kidney Tap) Also rubbing lower back briskly up and down with open palms, this transform friction into heat and helps relax the muscles good luck.

[thelerner]

There is some natural curve, even with a straight back, imo.   One way to check, standing or sitting is to have your back against the wall.  See how much space there is with your hands, low, medium and higher.  For example its fine to get a few fingers through, but not the arm.  A little space is fine and natural, straight should not be ramrod straight. 

 

On a similar note, most Westerners need to slightly curve/roll there pelvis's forward to get better alignment. 

[joeblast]

it all depends on how well one is conditioned - years ago when I went a couple visits to a chiro, he went to xray my neck, asked me to move a bit so I just cut to the chase and asked him how he wanted my head positioned - he said "straighten your neck," and I did so - snap - then he says hm, there's something wrong with how your neck looks here...its too straight [shows me xray, I start laughing, because I couldnt have positioned them more straight if they were blocks on a table, it was worthy of one of my buddy's immaculate tiling jobs, I tell ya, enough to be funny] so I told him "well, you asked me to straighten my neck, and I straightened it, and now you're telling me something doesnt look right because its too straight?"  he laughed at the irony, and had me stand straight, bend my neck forward, and "rotate your skull naturally until you're looking straight" or something of the like, and the next one was just what he was expecting to see.

 

the what, 3 or so visits were enough to help me link some feeling with certain misalignment, after which I realized - just do more xing shen zhuang, doofus   no need for this silliness of paying for rough adjustments when proper movements align it properly.

 

but anyway...the natural curve of the back is tempered by properly straightening, opening, closing the spine.  that is the natural lubrication mechanism for joints, movement.

[dawei]

One of my cousins was a professional body builder and one day he said that the secret of 'back' boiled down to one area of exercise... work the upper back.   He showed me various exercises, which I knew being in sports all my life.

 

His point was:  By exercising the upper back, we naturally stretch (upward towards heaven).  We draw back our shoulders and walk upright with confidence.

 

I think there is some truth to it... 

[EmeraldHead]

for long term work, lots of bridges and this 

[cheya]

Eric Goodman's Foundation work, especially the first two "founders" are really good for opening the shoulders, strengthening and straightening the back, and building the glutes. His intent is to reactivate the posterior chain.... which is what PTs apparently call the linked chain of muscles that keep us upright, muscles and use patterns that modern life is eroding. (Translation: too much time spent bent over e-media!  ) 

 

Arramu... very interesting shoulder exercise there. I like the movement/breath component he has aded to the basic stretch.. Definitely adds to just doing the first part by itself. For years I've done the first part, lifting the joined hands behind the back, but I turn the hands over so palms face down and thumbs are pointing out and up. That opens the shoulders much more than the position he shows. It's also hard to do at first (was for me too, I had to work at it), probably more so for guys, because the forearms have to really stretch. Curious if you try that with this exercise and what you think...

[mindtooloud]

get a broom handle, or place your heels 2-3 inches out from the wall - but the back isnt naturally perfectly straight, you have to straighten it yourself.  relax lumbar, chin tuck, maybe a slight intent to pull forward at the anterior of t3-t5...

any suggestions on how the shoulder blades should be kept in a good posture?

[Rishi Das]

Eric Goodman's Foundation work, especially the first two "founders" are really good for opening the shoulders, strengthening and straightening the back, and building the glutes. His intent is to reactivate the posterior chain.... which is what PTs apparently call the linked chain of muscles that keep us upright, muscles and use patterns that modern life is eroding. (Translation: too much time spent bent over e-media!  )

 

i second this. Foundation Training by Eric Goodman has done a lot in realigning posture and activating posterior chain.

 

i have witnessed it work wonders in people with back problems.