Posture and Dynamic Alignment Are Not the Same Thing 🧍♀️➡️🕺
Static positioning means bringing your spine into its natural alignment in order to balance your head on top of it. When our posture is poor, it’s often our muscles that have to hold the head in place – a task they’re not designed for, which can lead to tension and discomfort.
This ability requires a certain level of self-awareness when it comes to your natural standing posture 🪞. Breath can also be a powerful tool to support natural alignment – vertebra by vertebra. The key is to integrate positive mindfulness into daily life: paying attention to your alignment while sitting, standing, lying down, and moving.
Developing this awareness, self-perception, and ability to self-correct is a process – but one that’s truly worth it.
Focusing solely on "correct alignment" during yoga or exercise classes can often lead to mental and muscular tension 😣.
And even if you manage to reach that “ideal” posture from a geometric, aesthetic, or biomechanical perspective 📐✨, you may feel satisfied for a moment – but how do you carry that healthy alignment into your everyday life and movement? 🤔🏃♀️
And even if you manage to reach that “ideal” posture from a geometric, aesthetic, or biomechanical perspective 📐✨, you may feel satisfied for a moment – but how do you carry that healthy alignment into your everyday life and movement? 🤔🏃♀️
Dynamic alignment is about your whole being. 🌟
It involves your breath, your awareness, your ability to perceive yourself, an overview of how your body is structured and sometimes even a shift in priorities: like choosing to listen to your body and allowing it to guide your mind and your brain – not the other way around.
It involves your breath, your awareness, your ability to perceive yourself, an overview of how your body is structured and sometimes even a shift in priorities: like choosing to listen to your body and allowing it to guide your mind and your brain – not the other way around.
A positive attitude with a touch of humor is always a good life companion.
Mental training – including the use of imagery, drawings, photos, and more – can be a powerful tool to improve your skills 🧘♀️💡.
Mental training – including the use of imagery, drawings, photos, and more – can be a powerful tool to improve your skills 🧘♀️💡.
All you need is motivation and the willingness to take time for yourself – to truly connect with your body, listen inward, and bring both your inner and outer alignment into a healthy balance ⏳❤️.
( in the photo, I’m standing in Paris in front of the temporary artwork ‘Wrapped Arc de Triomphe’ by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.)
Most of the time, we sit down and get up in a very relaxed, casual way 😌. That means we kind of let ourselves — and our muscles — slump 🫠, and of course, they start to do the same 🤭.
But there’s a very simple way to improve this ✨: Place one foot slightly in front of the other🦶, and lift your heart and chest area 💖 before and while sitting down — and just the same when you stand back up 🧍♀️⬆️.
If you also maintain a dignified posture while sitting 🪑👑, some unfamiliar muscles will soon introduce themselves — and quite literally support you 💪.
These are the muscles along your cervical spine, the ones also responsible for lifting your shoulders 🤷♀️. No surprise then that they often tense up 😣 when we spend a lot of time at the computer 💻, looking at our phones 📱, and so on.
Make sure to exhale from time to time 🌬️, letting your shoulders gently glide down and back 🧘♂️⬇️. You might even imagine warm rays of sunshine ☀️ helping you do so — and allow yourself to enjoy that moment 🥰.
🧘♀️ Mindful Sitting Posture 🪑🌬️
Letting yourself slump now and then 😌 can feel good — but constantly inactive deep back and abdominal muscles 💪 can be harmful, as the supporting muscles weaken over time.
A good posture creates space for breath 🌬️ and gives your organs room to function properly 🫁🫀.
If you sit a lot 🧑💻, you can support your body by consciously changing positions 🔄 and sitting upright 🪑✨. Consciously shifting your weight from your hips to your feet 🦵🦶 activates the leg and back muscles 💪 and relieves pressure from the hips and glutes. Opening the chest area 💖 with awareness is just as important.
A good posture creates space for breath 🌬️ and gives your organs room to function properly 🫁🫀.
If you sit a lot 🧑💻, you can support your body by consciously changing positions 🔄 and sitting upright 🪑✨. Consciously shifting your weight from your hips to your feet 🦵🦶 activates the leg and back muscles 💪 and relieves pressure from the hips and glutes. Opening the chest area 💖 with awareness is just as important.
Your spine 🌀 must absorb shocks, but naturally, it has more of a “J” shape — helping balance your head 🎯 like a pole.
When we slump 🙈, it becomes more of an “S,” making head balance harder — and the neck, throat, and shoulder muscles 🧍♀️ end up doing a job they weren’t built for 😣. This often leads to tension 😖.
When we slump 🙈, it becomes more of an “S,” making head balance harder — and the neck, throat, and shoulder muscles 🧍♀️ end up doing a job they weren’t built for 😣. This often leads to tension 😖.
👉 To feel and improve your posture:
Place one hand on your belly 🤲 and the other on your lower back ✋.
Notice your breath 🌬️.
On your next exhale 😮💨, draw your navel toward your spine.
Imagine leaning against a wall.
Do you feel how your spine lengthens 🧍 and your core muscles activate? 💥
Place one hand on your belly 🤲 and the other on your lower back ✋.
Notice your breath 🌬️.
On your next exhale 😮💨, draw your navel toward your spine.
Imagine leaning against a wall.
Do you feel how your spine lengthens 🧍 and your core muscles activate? 💥
On your next inhale 🌬️, lift your shoulders up ⬆️
Then exhale 😮💨 and let them drop down and back ⬇️🔙
Now your shoulder girdle is well balanced ⚖️
Then exhale 😮💨 and let them drop down and back ⬇️🔙
Now your shoulder girdle is well balanced ⚖️
Inhale again and lengthen your neck 🦒
Exhale and gently lower your chin toward your chest 🙇♀️
Exhale and gently lower your chin toward your chest 🙇♀️
Take a few deep breaths here 🌿
Relax your feet 🦶, legs 🦵, hands 🤲, arms 💪, jaw 😌, and thoughts ☁️
With every inhale, breathe in energy 🔋
With every exhale, let it flow through your body 🌈
And finally... smile to yourself 😊💛
Relax your feet 🦶, legs 🦵, hands 🤲, arms 💪, jaw 😌, and thoughts ☁️
With every inhale, breathe in energy 🔋
With every exhale, let it flow through your body 🌈
And finally... smile to yourself 😊💛
( I'm sitting in front of the stunning 🏰 Cathedral in Córdoba 🇪🇸. Today, the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 🌐 and a powerful symbol of cultural coexistence and transformation 🔄.)
A stretched and sprung posture brings joy to life and is especially good for the fascia. Repeat it as often as you enjoy!
(at the coast of Provence)
(at the coast of Provence)
Use a resistance band and stand upright 🧍♀️.
Exhale and bring your arms straight forward from the shoulder joints until they reach chest height.
As you inhale, raise your arms again—but not your shoulders.
With the next exhale, move into a gentle backbend.
Exhale and bring your arms straight forward from the shoulder joints until they reach chest height.
As you inhale, raise your arms again—but not your shoulders.
With the next exhale, move into a gentle backbend.
Repeat this flow a few times. It activates the shoulders and neck muscles.
Take a moment to notice—what do you feel?
Warmth? Relaxation? A tingling sensation?
Take a moment to notice—what do you feel?
Warmth? Relaxation? A tingling sensation?
Mindful Walk in Nature 🌿👣
🚶♀️🚶♂️ Do you go for walks with yourself? – Conscious Walking 👣🌲
🚶♀️🚶♂️ Do you go for walks with yourself? – Conscious Walking 👣🌲
How do you walk – with small or large steps? Lightly or powerfully? 🦶✨
Do you use your right foot just like your left?
Do you put more weight on the inner or outer edges of your feet? ⚖️
Do you roll through your feet from heel to toe – or toe to heel? 🔁
Do you use your right foot just like your left?
Do you put more weight on the inner or outer edges of your feet? ⚖️
Do you roll through your feet from heel to toe – or toe to heel? 🔁
Try changing your usual walking pattern – walk in a way that feels unfamiliar.
How does that feel? 🤔🌀
How does that feel? 🤔🌀
Can you also walk sideways or backwards – like a child would? ⬅️➡️🔙👶
Bring your awareness into each foot:
Do they feel good – or not? And why? 💭👣
Bring your awareness into each foot:
Do they feel good – or not? And why? 💭👣
The more you change your habits, wear different shoes 👟🩴🥾,
and walk on a variety of surfaces 🌲🪨🍂,
the healthier and more resilient your feet will stay over time ⏳🦶❤️.
and walk on a variety of surfaces 🌲🪨🍂,
the healthier and more resilient your feet will stay over time ⏳🦶❤️.
They are the foundation of your posture 🧍♀️🧍♂️ – yet they’re often overlooked.
Give them your attention 🦶–🦶 they carry you through life. (🤸♀️ almost always 😉)
Give them your attention 🦶–🦶 they carry you through life. (🤸♀️ almost always 😉)
(Black Forest) 🌲🇩🇪
A Mindful Walk in Nature – Aligning from Within 🌿
Take a moment to arrive — not just here, but in your body. Feel the earth beneath you, steady and present 🌍. Each step becomes a meditation — slow, intentional, and deeply connected.
With each breath, align yourself from the inside out.
Lift your heart space gently 💖, as if drawn upward by sunlight ☀️.
Feel your spine lengthen like a tall tree — grounded through the roots (your feet), yet expansive through the crown 🌳.
Lift your heart space gently 💖, as if drawn upward by sunlight ☀️.
Feel your spine lengthen like a tall tree — grounded through the roots (your feet), yet expansive through the crown 🌳.
Let your posture be dynamic — not stiff, but alive.
Notice the subtle shifts as you move.
The way your shoulders melt down the back as you exhale 🌬️.
The way your core subtly supports you with each inhale 🫁.
This practice is not about perfection.
It’s about listening. Adjusting.
Coming back into alignment — again and again — with kindness 💞.
Notice the subtle shifts as you move.
The way your shoulders melt down the back as you exhale 🌬️.
The way your core subtly supports you with each inhale 🫁.
This practice is not about perfection.
It’s about listening. Adjusting.
Coming back into alignment — again and again — with kindness 💞.
Let nature guide you.
Let your breath lead you.
And let your posture become a moving moment of presence 🙏.
Let your breath lead you.
And let your posture become a moving moment of presence 🙏.
🧘♀️ Yoga and 🚿 Kneipp: Stimulating the feet 👣 is good for the whole body 🧍 and strengthens the immune system 🛡️.