Everyone who has ever wanted to improve their own posture, or someone else's, has tried the command form: "Stand up straight!"

The effect is predictable: it does not work. For a few minutes, at most, you or the other person makes an effort and the body’s shape changes into something more upright. But it does not last. Soon the person’s attention or energy wanes, and they return to their familiar, slouching self.

Is that all?

Is that the end of the story?

Is there any other outcome to this familiar predicament?

Before trying to solve the problem of improving posture, let's step back and take a broader view. What is good posture? Why is there better and worse posture? And why is better posture desirable so that one should make an effort to have it? Why doesn't the command form work? And is there an approach that does work?

By good posture, most people mean something simple: the body is naturally and easily upright, and the person looks good. Criticism comes when the person deviates from this norm. Comments such as this are common: "You look bad! You slouch! You look like you don’t have any confidence. Stand up straight! Act like you have a spine!"

Why is there better and worse posture?

Good posture is something that we are born with. (Assuming a healthy start on life.) If you look at babies as they first sit and stand, their posture is beautiful. It is so easily and naturally upright, and self-assured. This good condition lasts for the first years of life, and for some people throughout life. But for many children, already by the time they start school, something is being lost, and with each year, the condition worsens.

The reasons for this decline are many. Three stand out. The first is the role of emotion. When children are forced to sit in school for many hours and to do other things that diminish their spirit, it shows in their body. The second is the role of specialization. Spending many hours in a restricted position is bad for the posture, and the psyche, both for children and adults. The third is the lack of training in really needed skills. Although we spend a lot of time in school being educated, the content of the education is often remote. "It’s academic," we say. But since we are not educated for what we really need to know, we are unprepared for life and often anxious. This shows in the posture.

Why is better posture desirable?

Most people want to have better posture so they will feel better about themselves. They know they will feel more confident, look better and have a better old age if they make an effort toward their posture now.

The command form doesn’t work because it is too simple-minded. We have enough control over our bodies to give a direction such as, "Raise the arm," and it will happen. But, as everyone knows, there are many other actions that require long preparation. For instance, if you say to the untrained body, "Give me a drum roll," you will see a very clumsy manifestation of the human form. Similarly, if you say to the untrained person, "Juggle three balls," you will see something that makes you scrunch up your face. These skills take time and guidance to develop. So do fundamental changes in posture.

Yes, there are many. These include different types of body work, such as the Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique, yoga, and others; many types of dance and martial arts; and some sports, especially those that refine your sense of balance, such as skiing and skating. These approaches all recognize that good posture, like good cooking, takes time.

In the Feldenkrais Method, we work particularly to become more experienced with the core muscles of the body. Although most of us can direct our hands and feet reasonably well, we are less skilled at recruiting the muscles in the torso and at recognizing how they contribute to actions in the hands and feet. By clarifying these relationships, the torso opens up, and posture improves.

In my teaching of the Feldenkrais Method, I offer both special workshops on Better Posture and regular series of classes on general themes, which also benefit posture. I hope to see you in one of them.