How does Whole Woman Posture feel when walking?

Hi,
There are lots of wonderful women that will comment on this in ways I cannot yet as have only been doing this work for 5 months and learn more all the time that helps me. I can say this takes time and you may push your belly out too much at first as I did. I think I have the posture mostly now and it feels very easy to walk. I feel relaxed but strong. I used to walk a lot and felt tense. I could walk for hours in WW posture (and will when not looking after toddlers). I have the sense of my belly being forward and can feel my lumber curve. I feel like my bottom is sticking out a bit and it is as I still have the lumber curve (36 years old) but I used to suck and tuck and had the flat tummy and tried to have my back be more straight and slim. Opps!!!

My heart feels open and my chest open. I am working on lifting up from my last rib as in my heart area but more up and open so forward I guess. I watch my 20 month old daughter and she always has the full belly and rounded lumber curve. I notice when I lift my chest (shoulders down, relaxed) and have a broad back (I think of the small muscles by my spine in line with my shoulder blades pulling in slightly - as someone recently posted about) that my belly lifts as my back is broad and flat. I can't explain this but I can look pregnant if I don't get my back right and I see that my daughter naturally has this right. I check my seeing that my breath reaches down into my belly.

Sorry this is not easy to put into words. I feel forward compared to how I used to feel and sometimes imagine I am like that half horse half man who was upright from the waist and on four legs from the waist down. That is extreme but it is the vision of my body that comes into my head when I am walking. I figure while learning it is better to get forward then make minor adjustments as my body changes and strengthens than to still be too far back.

Hi LAPinJapan,
It's actually quite hard for one person to say to another person how they should feel in WW posture, as we all have our ingrained individual habits and may feel quite differently to each other even when we're doing the same WW posture.
However it is interesting to hear how other people feel and what tips they may have. Sometimes something somebody says gives us light bulb moment. I had one of those several years ago when I was learning the WW posture, was something louiseds said, which was something like "walk tall like, like a queen looking down over her minions". Now you might wonder how this worked for me at just over 5'!, but it did. - Walk tall, broad from, broad back, chin more or less parallel to the ground, abdomen relaxed, shoulders relaxed and arms by your sides, hands facing your body… Put these factors inlace and allow your middles area to naturally find it's healthy alignment; i.e. large radius lumbar curve, rounded belly, abs pulled up rather than flopping out, bottom will be where it should be…

In time, with practice and patience you'll move from conscious competence to unconscious competence.
Love and best wishes, wholewomanukx

I like that WholewomenUK. I also have felt like I am walking tall. It was your comment a few weeks ago about the little muscles by my spine that helped me. I keep reading and reading and watching the videos (although not always easy with young kids) and find I am picking up tips all the time. It would be lovely to have a local New Zealand whole women practitioner.

Thanks

I think that was Carol G's post, if I'm thinking of the same one:
https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/6276

She's in Melbourne Australia - that might be a possibility for you, if someone can watch the kids for a couple days..... - Surviving

Hi LAPinJapan,
The feet are the foundation so they need to hold your weight distributed evenly on their soles, in a triangle from the base of the big toe to the little toe and the middle of the heel.

I feel the weight of my body in this way, as if I have Lord of the Rings hobbit feet, strong and grounded and wonderfully capable....though not as hairy!

I lead my body with my feet, taking my straight legs from the hips in one movement, not moving the hips, or upper body as I do this, & taking long strides where possible.

I would say that the muscles & bones carrying the load the most are naturally engaged without any conscious tension with WWPosture; - unlike holding the stomach muscles in tightly, tucking in and tightening the bottom so that forces people to breath in the upper chest causing more exhausting tension everywhere.
Whole Woman breathing is to belly breath, so that allows the body to hold its natural weight-bearing tension.
- While standing and walking, even though my lower belly is relaxed enough to allow belly breathing, I can feel with my hands, the naturally taught muscle of my abdominal wall with no effort from me.

I walk upright and straight not leaning back or forward, my chest quite lifted which naturally & proudly supports my breasts without a bra ( wear them as little as possible)- a good posture reminder when I am bra-free.
Keeping my head lifted at the back and chin tucked stops the "neck and head forward look". The head and neck feels as one with the back hinging from the hips.

Hope this helps,
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Proof positive that WW posture is gorgeous, and transforms us inside and out. Keep up the great work. - Surviving

I have started Nordic pole walking. It is a great help in keeping one's chest high and has the added benefit at easing stress on knees and hips. It also increases the workout intensity by 30%. There are many on-line videos to explain the technique. Astronaut