Stand like the queen

 
We have previously talked about how important posture is, and, how we can use these principles for sitting.  Now I’d like to talk about how to stand.  Ideally tall and proud.... like the queen.

The Queen is known, in her younger years, for standing at ceremonies for long periods of time without fidgeting. She is balanced, upright, stable and yet still soft and elegant, definitely not rigid. My understanding is it is the military at ease position. For anyone who has done Pilates, Thai chi, Yoga standing is often one of the first things we learn.

My guidelines for standing;

• Have your feet hip width apart; so your right foot is supporting your right shoulder and your left foot is supporting your left shoulder.
• Soften, not bend, your knee; this activates your legs
• Toes facing straight ahead ideally so your knees are pointing to your second toe, as long as It doesn’t cause pain, if it does ease the position until its more comfortable but ideally no more than 30 degree external rotation
• Keep your weight even and in your buttocks. Ultimately, we are aiming to be centred with a low centre of gravity, therefore most of your weight should be behind your hip and in your buttocks/ glutei, like a webble wobble - our two strongest senses we have are vision and touch. You can have a look at ourselves in a mirror and/ or you can always put your hands on yourself, front to back, and left to right.  Start to get a feel of where your balance or weight is. This is usually where you feel heaviest
• Then take a deep breath in to lift your chest, and relax your shoulders with the out breath.
• If you are balanced and comfortable you should be able to continue to breath easily.

https://youtu.be/Tv0Tkc87Em4

If you are unsure about the position you are in, ask yourself how stable are you ? And, if someone was to push/tackle you would you be able to manage it?

If you feel you have your standing balance is fairly well sorted you can challenge yourself by standing on an uneven surface like a soft yoga block, wobble cushion and/ or BOSU. Then you challenge your balance by lifting and moving your arms, adding weights and even try unpredictable balance games like someone throwing you a ball. It all helps your balance which helps your overall physical fitness and posture, and it will make standing still much easier because your body just knows.

Of course, the standing technique isn’t just useful for standing still, it is also useful when we change position, especially getting up from sitting/lying. It is a good idea to reset your standing balance before you move. Once you are standing balanced and stable then take a deep breath, lift your energy, engage your body/core and then move. The extreme version of this is how an athlete, dancer or marshal art person would do!

As good as it is this position it isn't easy and can be quite hard work to maintain for any length of time, particularly because we aren’t used to it. Of course, good practice makes perfect so the more you practice it the easier it gets!  

If you have to stand for a while and you feel like you are/will get tired, then I would suggest you move.  If you can’t actively move, you should at least be able to rock, ideally forward and backward.  (I don’t like the side to side rocking as it’s easy to become imbalanced.)

The rocking technique is particularly useful on many levels.  It is handy when standing waiting such as standing in a queue etc. However, it is also a good rehabilitation exercise as it helps us find and use our deep back muscles, the multifidi, amongst others.  It is like the walking action you just aren’t going anywhere.

• Start by standing well, feet about hip width apart with balance (as above),
• Step one foot forward at a comfortable stride length (you must remain stable and balanced).
• Start by moving your weight onto your front foot and lift your back heel, then shift your weight onto your back foot and lift your front toe. Keep you legs soft but active.
• If that feels balanced and comfortable then you can find a rocking rhythm forward and backward.  It should be easy, comfortable and sustainable. If it isn’t reduce your stride length until it is.

https://youtu.be/m-LY81nkpDM

Remember just pick a level that suits you, maybe on the edge of your comfort zone but not outside it. The aim is to feel challenged but not out of your depth/ too unstable. Be creative and have fun!