A lot of people are interested in sustainability these days, but is your posture sustainable? Another way of saying this is, “Do you have a sense of comfort and ease in your body when you’re going about your day, or do you struggle to have good posture and end up in pain?” If you’re not trying to have “good posture”, then are you just collapsing when you sit and stand?

This is so common today everywhere you look. A recent student told me that after taking the Balance Your Body course, she saw examples of unhealthy posture everywhere she looked. It’s our basic default posture in the U.S. But this can be changed at any age – it just takes some practice. Let’s look at posture in the garden, and I’ll give you some helpful tips from the Balance Posture Method as well as from Permaculture, so you can enjoy your time in your garden without sacrificing your back.

(I wrote about “Pain-Free Gardening” last year in August and September, and if you missed those articles, you can read them by going to the archive.)

Tips for Healthy Posture in the Garden

One thing we have learned from observing people in Balance (with natural, healthy posture) is that they use their feet to get to where they want to go. I described healthy bending in my August, 2009 article. One other aspect of healthy bending, in addition to bending from your hip joints, is to get close to the item you are bending toward.

If you want to pick something up, don’t try to grab it from 2 feet away. I’ve been known to do this in my “pre-Balance” days – to be in a hurry and think I don’t have the time to walk right up to the thing I want to pick up. People in Balance walk up to the object until they are usually standing right over it. If you do this, you’ll be in a much safer place to lift the object. Use your feet, not your back.

When you’re digging, again it’s important to bend at your hip crease, not your waist. If you’re shoveling dirt, don’t leave your feet facing one direction and then twist to dump the dirt into a wheelbarrow. Instead, like I mentioned above, use your feet! That way you won’t be twisting your spine, which is dangerous, especially with a load.

Use your abdominal muscles (we call this “bracing”) when you’re digging or pulling tough weeds out of the ground. This helps to protect your back by stabilizing your spine. I teach bracing in the Balance Your Body course. You need to first of all make sure your spine is fairly straight and elongated, then brace to stabilize your spine in that position. This gives you a lot of strength when lifting, carrying, digging, etc.

I’ve been asked numerous times about weeding, and how to work close to the ground. Some Balanced people squat to work low, especially in Asia. Others sit on a low support (in Portugal they may sit on a coffee can). Most of us in the U.S. will do better sitting on a low stool or chair than squatting, since squatting causes most people’s backs to round. You can also kneel to do some weeding, if your knees will allow it. Try a pad under your knees so they won’t be sore later. You’ll also need to make sure your back is straight & elongated in this position.

Tips from Permaculture

Finally, some of the things I learned from Permaculture (Regenerative Design Institute – www.regenerativedesign.org, Daily Acts – www.dailyacts.org) can be really helpful to make gardening more comfortable. Plan your garden for ease by putting things you need to tend to often in “zone 1”. This zone starts right at your front or back steps and extends out from about 0-25 feet. In other words, don’t put plants that you need to harvest daily at the far end of your garden. Make it easy on yourself.

Using perennial plants is another way to lighten your load. These plants don’t need to be replanted every year, thus saving you lots of work if they do well in your climate. You can reap the harvest from one planting for many years. Finally, consider where your water source is and put plants that need a lot of water close to it. Drought-tolerant plants can be placed farther away.

If you pay attention to your alignment while you’re in the garden, you’ll be more likely to keep gardening for many years in comfort. If you also plan your garden with some Permaculture principles in mind, you can save yourself extra work and time. Both the Balance Method of posture and Permaculture can help you to create a more sustainable life – for your garden, the environment, and your body.

© Dana K. Davis, 2010

But what I found most interesting was the discussion about back pain. It states that the spine wasn’t designed to sit for long periods. However, we see people in many less industrialized parts of the world who sit all day carving, preparing food, and more. It’s not the sitting that’s the problem, it’s HOW you are sitting.

The article also states that an “S” shaped spine wouldn’t collapse as easily as a “C” shaped spine. But any spine that is too curvy, whether an “S” or a “C” is headed for collapse. The people that have been studied for decades by those of us who teach the Balance Method and “Aplomb” (particularly Noelle Perez-Christiaens of Paris, France and Jean Couch of Palo Alto, California) have very elongated spines that have minimal curves in them. These people stay healthy and strong, able to move around well as they grow older.

Another point in the article is that “when you sit, the lower lumbar curve collapses…” Again, this totally depends on HOW you sit. The natural arch above the sacrum doesn’t have to collapse, and it’s possible to learn how to easily and comfortably sit maintaining your natural arch without struggling or straining to “sit up straight!”

I would agree that sitting on a ball chair isn’t good for your spine, because you’ll either collapse, or you’ll have to tighten your back muscles all day long – neither of those will leave you happy at the end of the day. Lumbar supports aren’t necessarily the answer either. You can sit in an unhealthy way in ANY chair.

The article suggests a treadmill desk. You’ve got to be kidding! I suggest: sit when you’re working, and then go exercise when you want to do that. You can learn to sit in such a way that you feel good at the end of the day, and then you can go dancing, ride your bike, or do something else you enjoy to move your body.

I read some fascinating information in a book called “Energy Medicine; the Scientific Basis” by James L. Oschman. He describes how gravity is a powerful force that affects us differently depending on our vertical alignment.

The work of Dr. Joel Goldthwait, who was a surgeon at Harvard Medical School, gives us some intriguing information. Dr. Goldthwait was the founder of the orthopaedic clinic at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in the early 20th century.

Surgery Reveals a Surprising Connection

When performing surgery, “He noticed that abdominal nerves and blood vessels are under tension in individuals whose bodies are out of alignment. He also reported ‘stretching and kinking’ of the cerebral arteries and veins in those whose necks were bent. Various cardiac problems were correlated with ‘faulty body mechanics’ that distorted the chest cavity in a way that impaired circulatory efficiency. Goldthwait also documented with X-rays a build-up of calcium deposits around the vertebrae of individuals with chronic arthritis, and observed that these deposits can diminish when the individual acquires a more vertical stance.”

Wow! That is dramatic information. If you sit, stand and move “out of Balance” (out of alignment with the vertical axis), you could be impacting more than just your spine and other joints of the body.

Dr. Goldthwait believed that you should align your body parts in harmony with gravity in order to experience less wear & tear on your body as a whole. This also makes more energy available, because when you’re out of alignment, you’re inefficient as well.

He says, “The malposition of an organ will disturb its function. If malposition continues long enough, permanent damage will result, but if the faulty mechanics is corrected, damage will be prevented.”

He encouraged colleagues to pay more attention to postural alignment, but around that time drugs began to be widely used. His methods have been taken up more by body and movement therapists rather than physicians.

Stay Alert While Driving Too!

I notice when driving for long distances that if my head, neck & shoulders come too far forward, I get sleepy. When I draw each shoulder back & down and stretch the back of my neck, not only do I feel more aligned and comfortable, but I’m more alert. I noticed this shift in alertness right away when I started driving in a more Balanced position. My neck had more range-of-motion, and I was less sleepy on my daily commute from San Francisco to the Balance Center in Palo Alto (www.balancecenter.com).

Chiropractors teach that the position of the spine affects the nerves that exit from the spine – which then control all of our bodily functions. If you have a spinal misalignment, realigning that joint can help reduce stress on nerves (and organs). But if you then go right back to your typical unhealthy alignment (out of Balance), you can keep recreating that problem.

To get help with changing your alignment, you’re invited to come to a Free introductory workshop to learn how to sit pain free (see www.sonomabodybalance.com for the details). If you want to learn healthy posture and movement patterns to reduce pain, prevent injuries and increase your energy, I also offer the Balance Your Body program. You can see the details on my website, or contact me if you’d like to discuss whether this program would be right for you.

Why not start now getting back on the vertical axis, for the sake of your bones as well as your organs, so you can experience optimum health and energy?

(© 2010 Dana K. Davis. If you want to use this article in your E-zine or website, please credit Dana K. Davis, MA, www.sonomabodybalance.com.)

In this article I’ll give you some basic information about scoliosis, and describe a stretch which is useful for elongating the spine (it’s good for everyone!).

Curves of the Spine

You are probably familiar with the 3 basic curves of the spine – the lumbar (lower back), thoracic (mid/upper back) and cervical (neck) curves.  These curves are front-to-back curves, whereas with scoliosis the spine curves laterally – to the side.

There are several common patterns for these curves.  In one pattern, “right thoracic” scoliosis, the spine curves to the right forming a convex curve on the right side of the back.  There is usually a rotation that goes with scoliosis, so in this case, the right side of the back will also protrude so that it looks like that side is farther back than the left side.

Causes

True Scoliosis is more common in women, and 80% of it is “idiopathic”, meaning there is no known cause for it (according to the Scoliosis Research Society, www.srs.org).  There are many theories for the cause of scoliosis, including its possible origin with pelvic misalignment.  Treatments can include physiotherapy, bracing and surgery, depending on the degree of curvature and the danger to the individual’s long term health.

Functional Scoliosis occurs when poor posture or a leg length difference makes the spine appear curved.  This can be corrected fairly easily, with changes in posture or an examination by a chiropractor to see if you have a true leg length difference or just a functional one.

If you’re not sure if you have scoliosis, this can be discerned by a visual exam with certain tests. X-rays are often used as well.

The Impact of Posture

An “out of Balance” spine which is excessively curved front-to-back tends to cause symptoms in most people.  If you have scoliosis, this extra curving can make things worse.  Fortunately, you can make a big difference in your posture, lengthening the 3 curves of your spine.  This can reduce your symptoms and increase comfort.

Yoga for Scoliosis

Practicing yoga can also be extremely useful for scoliosis.  Elise Miller, a yoga teacher with scoliosis, has found that yoga dramatically reduced her pain as well as decreased her lateral curvature.  Her DVD, “Yoga for Scoliosis”, can give you some guidance for practicing yoga at home.  Her training is in the Iyengar tradition, which is the style of yoga that I trained in as well.

If you have scoliosis, it’s important to stretch the muscles on the concave side of your spine, which tend to be shortened and tight.  You may want to do some asymmetrical stretches to help rebalance your body.  It’s helpful to know the pattern of your scoliosis (“right thoracic”, etc.), so that you can get the most benefit from your stretches.

The main thing to focus on is to elongate and derotate the spine.  It is helpful to work with a qualified yoga teacher who can check your postural alignment.

A Helpful Stretch

One simple stretch you can do is often called “right angle” pose.  To do this, stand facing a wall and place your hands on the wall at about shoulder-height and shoulder-width.  Bend at your hip crease and walk your feet back until your arms are straight.  You will probably feel a stretch in your shoulders.  Relax your belly so that your pelvis rotates forward.  Now take one hand and feel your back, about waist level.  If you feel the bones poking out, relax your belly more and let your sitz bones rise up towards the ceiling.  You want to feel a stretch in your hamstrings, not your back.  You can also walk your hands higher on the wall if that doesn’t work.

If your bones are sunken towards the floor, you’ll need to engage your abdominal muscles slightly so that your front ribs move towards your pelvis.  Think of slightly shortening in front in order to lengthen in back.  Just make sure you don’t end up rounding too much, and end up in the opposite extreme!

Once your back is elongated, press your hands into the wall and lengthen your hips away from the wall.  Imagine your waist is lengthening in opposite directions simultaneously.  You’re creating additional length with the action of your muscles here.  This should feel wonderful, and it’s useful to do any time your back is sore or fatigued, or if you’re feeling sleepy from working on the computer.

In my Yoga for a Healthy Back classes, I can work with you to help elongate your spine, whether you have scoliosis or not.  Combining yoga with the Balance Method can make a big difference in your comfort level.

Here’s an example of how helpful this can be:

“As a teenager, I was diagnosed with Progressive Scoliosis and told that without surgery, I would probably not live to age 30.  I had the operation and for many years thereafter suffered from chronic low-grade pain in my back and hips, the result of 11 fused vertebrae in the middle of my torso from T4-L3.  Even though I exercised regularly to maintain joint mobility, it wasn’t until I began attending Dana’s Yoga for a Healthy Back class that I started to notice a real difference.  Even though I can’t twist very far or bend in places, the very act of trying has loosened up joints and muscles that were nearly frozen.

I never dreamt that I could live a relatively pain-free life but after studying with Dana, my entire body is not only stronger and more flexible, but the daily aches that were with me for thirty years have mostly disappeared.  I am self-employed and build my entire weekly work schedule around attending Dana’s Tuesday and Thursday classes and highly recommend anyone with back issues of any kind (even if you think you ‘can’t’ do yoga) to take this class!”

- Diane Schlactus, Petaluma

(© 2010 Dana K. Davis. If you want to use this article in your E-zine or website, please credit Dana K. Davis, MA, www.sonomabodybalance.com.)

In 2007, I attended a Yoga Therapy conference where one of the presenters said, “I make my living helping people who got hurt in other people’s yoga classes”.  You might be surprised to find out that people can get injured doing yoga.  After all, yoga is considered to be a health-promoting form of exercise (of course, it is more than just “exercise” when you include the more subtle aspects).

What kinds of injuries are common in yoga classes?  Typical injuries can include strain and overstretching of the low back, hamstrings, knees, wrists and SI joints.  I’ve heard from people who injured themselves in a yoga class, and then quit doing yoga.  This is one important reason to avoid injury – so you can keep doing yoga as long as you want to.

Everyday Yoga

You might believe that alignment in yoga poses is very important, and pay special attention to it.  Yet your postural alignment in daily life strongly influences your alignment in yoga.  If you have unhealthy alignment when you are standing and sitting, you will tend to carry those patterns into your yoga asanas as well (I know I did!).

Because of this, it’s best to learn healthy alignment in simple daily movements, such as sitting, standing, bending and walking, before doing a new physical activity.  Healthy alignment will protect you in your daily life and in your exercise life.  (For help with healthy daily movements, I recommend my “Balance Your Body” program).

Noelle Perez-Christiaens, who studied with the yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar beginning in 1959, pushed herself very hard in her yoga practice for many years and injured herself as a result.  Prodded by Iyengar, Noelle began a study of people with healthy posture, which she has continued for decades.  She changed how she did yoga as a result of this study.

By studying with Noelle, and with Jean Couch of the Balance Center, I have completely changed the way I do yoga.  I stopped doing some of the more advanced poses, and I changed my alignment in almost every pose.  It’s made a huge difference in my comfort and I now trust that I can do yoga safely for decades to come.

Here are 5 tips to help you enjoy your yoga practice while safely avoiding injuries (so you can keep practicing for years):

1) Don’t tuck your pelvis.  This includes in tadasana, in other standing poses, in forward bends – pretty much any pose you do.  You may have tried this for years because a teacher told you to do it, but it is very dangerous to the spine.  It flattens the “natural arch”, which is essential to a healthy spine.

2) Don’t lift your chest – it compresses your back.  There is a common misunderstanding in yoga alignment with instructions that say you need to “open your chest”.  It is somewhat like the “military position” of standing at attention.  What I see over and over again is people lifting their chest, tightening their back muscles and compressing the spine.  This is not healthy for your spine in the long term, even if you feel no pain initially.

To see the difference between a pose (Warrior I) done with the chest lifted versus with the back elongated, check out: http://www.balancecenter.com/yoga.htm.

3) Don’t lock your knees – in standing poses or forward bends – or ever.  Don’t press your knees back when you straighten your legs.  This can cause strain on the knee joint.  Focus on lengthening down the leg as opposed to pressing back on the knee.

4) Tell your teacher if you have any injuries or conditions that might interfere with your practice (herniated disc, high blood pressure, glaucoma).

5) Choose a teacher who has experience with healthy alignment.  This will help you to practice safely in class and at home.

If you pay attention to these tips, you’ll be on your way to enjoying your yoga practice without suffering injuries.  Practicing healthy alignment in yoga will allow you to continue to practice for many years and enjoy the many benefits yoga offers.

If you’d like help with finding safe alignment in yoga, come to one of my “Yoga for a Healthy Back” classes offered Tuesdays & Thursdays from 5:15-6:45 pm.  During the month of March, I am offering a “2 for 1” Special at these classes.  If you bring a new student, they can get up to 2 classes for free (or you can split the cost with them).

I’m wishing you many years of safe, enjoyable and enlivening yoga!

So, is it bad to carry weight on your back? Actually, when wearing a backpack, the weight rests on the shoulders, as is common in many countries around the world where people still have natural, healthy posture.  We know that some of these people carry hundreds of pounds on their heads or shoulders, often for decades.  They remain straight and active into their old age.  (For a nice photo of carrying on the head, check out the photo below).

When you stand “in Balance” like these healthy people, the spine stacks vertically and is very strong.  When you stand in the typical American  posture, the weight no longer goes through a straight spine, and compensations and compression result.

In the study, the children’s spines became more curved to the left or right with added weight, and they had to adjust their posture to bear the heaviest weight.

The problem is that most children in the US today have unhealthy posture.  They learn this from observing the culture around them.  That’s why children who grow up in cultures with healthy posture maintain that posture throughout their lives.

Setting a Bad Example

I saw a prime example of how we learn this posture unconsciously when I was at the mall buying gifts for my nieces recently.  The mannequins in the store windows had extremely “out of Balance” posture, with the pelvis thrust way forward.  They were standing in an extreme backbend!

You might think, “Well, I don’t stand that way.”  Actually, I didn’t think that I did either.  I was so surprised to learn that I had some version of that exact posture that the mannequins were displaying!  It’s wasn’t my fault – and it’s not your fault either.  We just unconsciously pick up the posture we see modeled around us.  I’d love to see these models change!

You Can Change the Pattern

Until then, the best thing you can do for yourself and your kids is to learn healthy alignment and practice it.  You can model this for others, and maybe we can slow the rise in back pain being observed in children.  Sure, it’s not great for young kids to carry heavy weights.  But an equal problem is HOW they are carrying the weight.

The researchers said that the kids in the study were carrying the backpacks on both shoulders when being measured, but that if they were to carry them on one shoulder, the results could be even worse.

“Low back pain in children may be worsened by discogenic [disc-related] or postural changes,” according to Dr. Timothy Neuschwander of UC San Diego.  With the posture of most kids these days, that is no surprise.  This CAN be changed.  By learning the healthy posture and movement patters of Balanced people, you can reduce pain and improve your posture for life.

If you’d like to get some help with your posture while carrying a backpack, (or your kids’ posture), you can contact me for a private Balance Method session.  With healthy alignment, you can carry your backpack in total comfort!

(© 2010 Dana K. Davis.  If you want to use this article in your E-zine or website, please credit Dana K. Davis, MA, www.sonomabodybalance.com.)

I can think of one particular resolution I had for many years before I finally accomplished it.  In 1988-1989 I was in India studying yoga and meditation.  While I was there, I meditated every day for months.  When I got home, I assumed it would be easy to continue the practice.  But somehow, I never seemed to find the time.  I always had some excuse for not doing it.  It was really frustrating to have this goal which seemed so important, but to make no progress on it.

I’ve found that sometimes I have to want it bad enough in order to “just do it”.  Well, I finally said, “I’m going to do it!”  I took a piece of paper and made a chart with the 7 days of the week and little boxes for me to check off if I meditated that day.  I put the paper right on my front door (on the inside!), so that every time I left my house, I had to see it.

That really worked for me!  I would be about to leave the house, and I’d see the paper – blank, with no boxes checked.  I would feel that nagging sense that I should act on this goal.  Then I started saying, “Okay, I’ll just do it for 5 minutes.”  Well, it started with 5 minutes here and there, and gradually I started meditating longer and more often.  After using these sheets for maybe 6 months, I finally realized that I didn’t need them anymore. It had become a new habit!

It is commonly believed that it takes 21 days (Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered this) or 30 days to change a habit.  Why not use the next 30 days to transform your posture and reduce your pain?

I’ve heard from many students that it’s hard to remember to practice.  Here are some ways that might help you remember to practice (aside from the chart on the door method):

-         Post photos of people with Balanced posture on your refrigerator, at your desk, etc., so that you see them everyday.  You can use the reminder sheets you received in the intro class or the Balance Your Body Foundations program for this.

-         When you see someone who is very “out of Balance”, that’s a great time to practice.  It can remind you of what you want to change.

-         When you see a Balanced person, that also is a great time to practice.  You may see people from other countries with Balanced posture who can model healthy alignment and inspire you to practice.

-         Remember WHY you want to change.  Think about how great it will be when you are pain-free, when you love your posture, etc.  You can use your imagination to flesh out what this will look like, feel like, and sound like.  Getting your senses involved will make it more realistic and be more effective.

-         Come to an intro Balance Method workshop or the Balance Your Body Foundations program for the first time or as a refresher.  Get inspired or re-inspired to practice.

-         Come to weekly Yoga in Balance classes at Sonoma Body Balance.  This is a great way to develop a regular weekly habit of practicing.  The benefits last beyond the class, especially if you remember to practice healthy alignment throughout your day.

-         If you are in pain, practice.  The Balance Method is a simple, effective way to shift out of pain by shifting how you sit, stand, bend, walk, and sleep.  Review what you learned in class or come for a private lesson to get personal attention.

-         Buy a copy of “Good Posture is Bad for Your Back” – my home study course with 4 CDs and a workbook (www.goodpostureisbadforyourback.com)

I hope that this New Year will bring you good health, comfort in your body, and many other blessings.  If you get in the habit of practicing Balanced posture, it will serve you for many years to come.

(© 2010 Dana K. Davis)

Some of the causes of back pain, according to the NIH, are trauma to the back, stress, poor posture, aging, and degenerative conditions such as arthritis.  Let’s look at one of these causes – poor posture.

The Problem with “Good Posture”

Why is back pain such a huge problem in the US today?  We’ve all been taught how to have “good posture”, and almost invariably the instructions are “tuck the pelvis, suck the stomach in, lift the chest, shoulders back”.  Does this actually work?

If you have tried this (which most of us have!), you might have noticed that it requires constant muscular holding and tension.  Also, it does not actually straighten the spine, but rather, makes it curvier.  It leads to fatigue, followed by slouching the moment we forget to “sit or stand up straight”.  It’s a never-ending cycle!

A Different Approach

Noelle Perez-Christiaens from Paris, France, and Jean Couch from Palo Alto have done decades of research on populations without back pain.  These people stay active into their old age and do not end up hunched over as we do in the US.  This healthy posture is found in numerous less-industrialized parts of the world.  It is also found in all children under the age of 3, in all countries.  It existed in the US through the 1920’s, when posture began to change as the “flappers” became popular.

These healthy people have several characteristics in common, such as:

1)      They have a tiny arch at the base of the spine, between the sacrum (S1) and lumbar 5 (L5).  This is the deepest indentation in the spine, and the spine is fairly straight above this “natural arch”.
2)      All the support bones of the body (spine, pelvis and legs) are lined up on a vertical axis, which you could see if you held a “plumb line” next to their body (like a carpenter uses to find a true vertical line).  They are aligned with gravity, not fighting it.
3)      They are always in maximum relaxation and do not overly tense their muscles.  Most surprisingly, they don’t hold in their bellies!

Pain-Free Sitting

When you align yourself like this, in “Balance”, you can eliminate pain, lengthen your spine, prevent future painful incidents and find comfort even in airplane seats!  Try an experiment right now to help you find more comfort sitting:

1)      Pick a chair with a flat surface, with a fairly straight back that leans backward at a slight angle.

2)      Stand in front of the chair and bend at your hip crease, letting your sitz bones (ischial tuberosities) move way back.  (Don’t bend past 90 degrees.)

3)      Aim the front of your pelvis towards the chair (We call this the “fig leaf area” – as in where Adam and Eve might place a fig leaf), and sit down.

4)      Now lean against the chair back.  You should feel your sitz bones underneath you.  Resist the tendency to slide forward.

5)      Let your belly relax.

6)      Let your back relax by dropping your chest.  Don’t “sit up”; sit DOWN.  This is a rest.  There’s no need to work at it.

7)      Let your thighs relax and place your ankles underneath your knees.  Your feet point in the same direction as your thighs.

8)      Draw each shoulder back and down separately, and then relax the shoulders.

9)      Draw your chin in and stretch the back of your neck briefly, then relax and let your face come to a vertical position.

10)  Don’t worry about holding any position.  It’s all about placing the bones in alignment, and then relaxing.  In “Balance” we don’t “hold” any particular position.  Just let the chair and your bones support you.

To get more instruction and practice in pain-free sitting, come to a 2-hour Balance  Method workshop. To learn this and more about sitting (including computer sitting, sitting in airplanes & cars), as well as standing, bending, walking, and sleeping, take the Balance Your Body Foundations Program.  For exact dates, visit http://www.sonomabodybalance.com/html/courses.html.

According to the Surgeon General’s report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, “it has been estimated that roughly 10 million individuals over age 50 in the United States have osteoporosis of the hip.” Another 33.6 million have osteopenia of the hip, which puts them at risk of osteoporosis and its symptoms, such as fractures of the hip, wrist and vertebrae.

There are many factors believed to contribute to the development of osteoporosis, including poor nutrition, being physically inactive, and smoking. Julie Halpin, a Certified Nutrition Consultant, suggests that you avoid sodas, eat a mineral-rich diet (with lots of fruits, vegetables & whole grains), and take a supplement with calcium as well as other minerals to balance it. (www.thefoodworks.com)

Stress is also linked with osteoporosis because high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can deplete calcium from bones and interfere with new bone growth. (For help with stress, check out my monthly restorative yoga class or www.solutiontostress.com).

The Forgotten Factor

What I haven’t seen in the media is the recognition of how important posture is for the health of the bones, and prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. When you stand, sit and move “out of Balance” in the typical American posture (such as sitting on the back of your pelvis rather than on your sits bones), you are putting undue strain on the entire body. Since the bones are no longer aligned with gravity, the forces going through them now cause stress and weakening, rather than strengthening the bones.

I’m sure you’ve all heard that weight-bearing exercise is good for building bone and preventing osteoporosis. But what about HOW we bear that weight? This is not addressed in typical discussions of osteoporosis. If you take a person who’s in a curvy posture, and look at them 20 years from now, they will undoubtedly be more curvy.

Healthy people in other cultures that are less industrialized tend to stay on the vertical axis, so gravity goes straight through the major support bones of their body – spine, pelvis and legs. Because they are “on the axis”, gravity doesn’t make them curvier. Some of these people carry large amounts of weight on their heads on a daily basis, with no apparent strain.

Encouraging Results

The good news is that by learning from these healthy, Balanced people, you can lengthen your spine and support the health of all your bones. The Balance Your Body program teaches you how to sit, stand, bend, walk, lie down and drive in comfort – in the optimal alignment with gravity.

Richard took some private Balance sessions with me and practiced Yoga in Balance with Beth Greenfield in Berkeley. He-mailed me a few months ago to say that according to his doctor, he has regained an inch and a half of height in the last year – and he’s in his 80’s! He credits his improvement to this work. He also says, “I found that continued regular practice, also at home, is a key ingredient in maintaining the gain.”

I’ve been teaching Balance since 1997 and I’ve seen my spine straighten and my posture improve noticeably in that time. I’ve also seen positive changes in hundreds of students over the years. With the practice of the Balance Method of postural alignment you can increase your chances of avoiding osteoporosis entirely, and if you have osteoporosis, you can help your bones to stay healthy and strong by aligning with gravity.

I encourage you to come in for a private lesson or sign up for the Balance Your Body program, and do your bones a favor!

The Balance Your Body Foundations Program starts in Petaluma on October 27 and 29, and the next Albany program starts on November 16. For exact dates, visit www.sonomabodybalance.com/courses.

(© 2009 Dana Davis. If you want to use this article in your E-zine or website, please credit Dana Davis, MA, www.sonomabodybalance.com.)

Last month I talked about Bending following the guidelines of the Balance Method. I’ve read some recommendations for gardeners that say to minimize your bending in the garden. While bending certainly can cause problems if done out of Balance, if you start to raise your garden beds up higher so you don’t have to bend, then you are restricting your movement. Movement is healthy for the body, and it helps us to maintain a healthy range of motion.

The Arthritis Foundation states that “…gardening is a great activity for maintaining joint flexibility, bone density, range of motion and quality of life.” Now, I’ve seen students who have incredibly tight hamstrings, and they are usually bending from their waist. By restricting their movement at the hip joints, their hamstrings just get tighter and tighter.

But, if you bend in Balance, then you are getting a hamstring stretch every time you bend!

What about Lifting?

Now let’s talk about Lifting. This is a common cause of back injuries. One thing we know from studying people with Balanced posture is that they get help when lifting heavy objects. Don’t let the desire to finish a project quickly cause you to forget your alignment or insist on doing it alone (like I mentioned in last month’s article). The pain afterwards isn’t worth it!

If you’ve learned how to bend in Balance, I recommend that you start practicing lifting with light objects first, and when you feel secure with your bending, then attempt to lift heavier objects.

When carrying heavy things, remember to stand and walk in Balance, not leaning backwards like most Americans do. When you stand out of Balance while carrying, you are adding extra weight to an already vulnerable spine. Carry objects close to your body and “brace” with your abdominal muscles. Remember, this is NOT sucking in your stomach.

Take Your Time

It’s important to pace yourself while working in the garden. We’ve observed that people in Balance take their time, especially if they have a job like carrying rocks on their head all day. Remember, you can make multiple trips rather than trying to carry it all at once. You can use a wheelbarrow to help you transport compost or mulch close to where you are working.

To avoid aches & pains as well as repetitive strain injuries (RSI), it’s helpful to warm up your body before doing strenuous work outdoors. A short brisk walk can be good for this. Take breaks periodically and switch tasks, so that you’re not pruning overhead for 3 hours in a row (ouch!). You can also do some stretches afterwards, to help relax those hard-working muscles.

A common cause of soreness is overdoing it in your garden on the weekend, but leading a sedentary life during the week. So it’s helpful to exercise some during the week as well. If you move and exercise in Balance, such as doing Yoga in Balance, you’ll be strengthening the right muscles that you’ll need to use for healthy movement.

Listen to Your Body

Awareness is a really valuable tool to help you here. When you take a break, notice how your body is feeling. You’ll be more likely to avoid problems (to “nip them in the bud”!) if you pause and really feel your body. If you’re in pain, it’s a good time to stop for the day, rather than driving yourself until you’re in agony.

There are so many benefits to gardening: being out in the fresh air, relaxing into the slower pace of nature, and the satisfaction of the harvest. Bring your body into harmony with nature as well, by aligning yourself in Balance, and you’ll enjoy your time outdoors much more.