Power Through Posture
When was the last time you checked the position of your shoulders? I know. It’s an unusual question. But, once you realise that your emotional state is always reflected in your posture, you’ll appreciate how important your shoulders are in helping to influence how you think and feel. Are you surprised? It’s all a question of how our distant ancestors evolved to deal with the daily pressures of stress, threats and danger.
The human body is not graced with the protection of armour, claws, fangs, scales, fur or even thick skin to protect us when we encounter a predator that would like to add us to their lunch menu. Our instinctive reaction when we face a real or imaginary threat is to hunch our shoulders and protect our chests. This primal reaction to any possible peril is hardwired into our systems and that is why almost everyone today bears the hallmarks of their stress in their hunched shoulders, tight jaw muscles and frowning expressions.
This ancient behavioural artefact reveals the enormous pressures we accept today as our new version of normal living. It seems that the world has accepted levels of distress and emotional pain that are harmful to our health and, in many ways, completely unnecessary. The stress we’re feeling today really isn’t helping us to deal with our problems and challenges. But there is an alternative and it’s time to make full use of the body’s natural ability to turn down the anxiety and turn up the natural creativity and inner calm that have always helped us to overcome the challenges we’ve faced as a species over the course of hundreds of thousands of years.
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The first step is to relax your shoulders. Move them back a couple of millimeters and enjoy the feeling of letting them drop into a more comfortable, natural and relaxed position. This simple shift in shoulder position acts as a powerful trigger that tells your mind and body that there is no immediate threat in the vicinity. We’re hardwired to respond to this minor adjustment. Unclench your jaw. Breathe more deeply. Lift your chest a fraction higher. Relax your facial muscles. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel as soon as you emerge from the protective shell of your hunched shoulders and tensed muscles. The positive effects can be felt immediately. Besides turning down your blood pressure and switching off the adrenaline flow, your perception will expand dramatically. This is how you begin to feel more in control of your life. This is where you discover the power of your creativity. This is the ancient key to a happier, healthier and more productive way of experiencing every day.
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