Bending forward

Body: 

Hello Ladies,
It is funny, but after practicing the posture for many month, I realized that I still dont know how to bend forward properly. I"m tall and it"s always a challenge for me to pick up something from the floor, or to pull up my socks or shoes without collapsing my spine. Of course I"m trying to do my best, but I think I can"t do this properly, because I feel that I push my intestines down when doing so. Could anyobody help me with pictures or a detailed descripton maybe? (Is it ok if I bend my knees when picking up things?)
Thank you in advance. budahazya

Forum:

You hinge from the hips, budahazya. If you feel your back is rounding out, then you know you are not bending properly. Breath deeply into your lower belly and think of your hips as hinges as you bend from them. Reach back with with one hand if you need to, to see if your lumbar curvature is there. And, yes it is ok to bend your knees, just keep the object you are picking up close to your body as you stand back up.

How are you doing on posture these days? I know you were having lots and lots of trouble learning to relax the belly. - Surviving

Dear Surviving, Thank you for asking, relaxing my belly is not a problem for me any more, but I have to concentrate all day, and and correct the posture a hundred times.

This is what we all had to learn to do. Eventually it will be automatic. I never had a problem relaxing my belly, as long as I remembered to. This happened sometime in the second year of this work. - Surviving

Hi Dear Budahazya,
I discovered that I was still at times slightly holding my belly in a while back.
A great reminder for me now is to belly breath along with being in the posture as much as possible at all times & with the exercises, particularly upper body, I can hold the posture more automatically, like after learning how to drive a car, or anything new - eventually all the steps to do that become more automatic. Also, when driving a car it is a constant pressure on & correction of the steering wheel to keep the car going in the right direction.
It is something I accept now and work on because of the benefits.
I treat it as a form of relaxation and mindfulness to be in posture, it is so much more relaxing & energy conserving than the tension of the muscles & chest breathing of common posture, while at the same time it is a form of exercise in itself.
Take your time, listen to your body and be consistent - it is a wonderful journey.
Wishing you all the best,
Aussie Soul Sister