Not surprisingly, good posture is a sign of a well-functioning brain, body and central nervous system. Posture is an unconscious result of a well-developed sense of proprioception, balance, coordination and muscle function. What exactly is proprioception? If you think about it right now, or even if you don’t consciously think about it, you know exactly where every part of your body is in space. You know if your knees are bent or straight and exactly by how much. You could close your eyes and touch your nose. You can do these things because your proprioceptive sense lets you know where every body part is in space. Balance is intimately linked to proprioception. It would be impossible to balance yourself (sit upright, stand upright, walk etc.) without this ability. Proper posture requires these abilities. Just simply consciously focusing on your posture is unlikely to result in better posture, addressing the issue of poor proprioception is much more likely to generate positive results.

Taking all this into account, it stands to reason if good posture is a result of highly developed balance and proprioception, then these are good places to start. 

We take Balance for granted. The majority of us don’t struggle to walk on an uneven surface, transition from one surface to another or get out of bed in the dark. However, those with poor balance (proprioception) can find even the simplest of movements difficult and even dangerous. If you wish to have the coordination of good posture, then practicing and maintaining good balance is vital. There are many excellent ways to practice balance. Yoga is an excellent, low-impact form of exercise that will improve both balance and coordination. Another option would be to purchase or construct a balance board. I found one on Amazon for $15 (Aduro Sport Balance Board Wobble Fitness Fit Exercise Tilt Stability Balancer Balancing Rocker Board Trainer Abs Legs Core Workout Non-Slip Safety Surface by Aduro) and spend 10 minutes on it most days.

We often breathe with short shallow breaths. When we become aware of our breathing habits, we can then focus on taking long slow deep breaths, filling our lungs with air. Breathing deeply has many benefits. It is very very difficult to breathe deeply with poor posture. Biomechanically, you need to sit or stand in an upright position in order for the lungs to fill completely. Try this: Sit in a hunched position (rarely will you ever hear me say this!) and take the deepest breath you possibly can. Then, sit upright and take the deepest breath you can. Notice that difference? Better posture leads to better breathing and practicing better breathing leads to better posture.

Deep breathing has been shown to decrease stress, improve posture, help detoxify the body by aiding your lymph system, increase cognitive function, decrease pain levels naturally, boost energy levels and more.