Quick check: how's your posture?

When I asked my IG community this question, nobody was sitting upright.

I had recently shared about the “slouching forward” phenomenon, but when the results of this poll came in, I realized that not only do we need help not slouching, we also need help not slumping. In other words, we need to remember how to sit upright.

Beyond sitting upright, we need to learn how to sit upright with ease. If you pause for just a moment to “fix your posture,” chances are that you engaged the muscles in your back to lift out of your slump and lengthen your spine.

However, the key is to a sustainable, aligned posture isn’t in engaging your back muscles. (Those muscles get tired really quickly, maybe even by the time that you read this sentence.)

The key is adjusting your pelvic tilt. The pelvis is the bowl from which the spine grows tall. By adjusting your pelvis, your spine will effortlessly lengthen, and an upright posture will feel easeful. Practice with me at the top of the page.

For your reference, here’s the posture checklist:

1. Come to the edge of your chair — make sure your ankles are under your knees.

2. Tilt your whole pelvis slightly forward — the curve of lower spine will increase.

3. Lengthen through your spine — reach tall through the crown of your head.

4. Allow your shoulders to soften — create space across your collarbones.

If this was helpful for you, please share with a colleague or friend who would like to sit with more ease at work.

My Well All Day™ programs help workplace teams and individuals make tiny, powerful shifts to their work day habits. Small, sustainable shifts at work decrease stress and support a healthier, happier, more engaged life at work and home. Learn more here.