You are as Old as Your Spine

"You are as old as your spine"

-Chinese Proverb

Whilst having good posture in itself is not equivalent to having good form (see previous blogpost Degrees of Good Form), cultivating good posture is not at all a bad place to start :)

I have gathered some resources which I thought would be helpful to people interested in doing this. They offer a range of different perspectives on the subject.

Take a look at the following clips:

This first clip is by a gentleman named Danny Dreyer, the founder of the Chi Running Method (http://www.chirunning.com). In his video blog Danny describes finding optimal posture by lengthening the spine. 

This second clip is by kit Laughlin, one of the world’s  most sought after authorities on the subject of stretching (http://www.pandf.com.au/). In this clip he describes a drill called the 3 point spinal alignment drill. Through moving the hips, then chest then neck, Kit demonstrates how you can both align and lengthen the spine.

This third clip is of Jane Kosminsky, a teacher of the Alexander Technique (http://www.balanceofwellbeing.com/). At about (1:41) She explains how observation and awareness of the head in space, can affect the structure of the spine and the whole body. I was unable to embed the clip, but just click on the following youtube link: http://youtu.be/BgplXmILzoQ

The final clip is of Systema Master Vladimir Vasiliev (http://www.russianmartialart.com/). From 9:32 to 23:26, Vladimir both explains and demonstrate how Systema employs a concept called the Natural Body Position, involving the straightness of the spine, feeling the body as one whole unit, and the benefits for movement. Vladimir goes onto demonstrate drills and exercises in order to cultivate this very important attribute.

This is excellent as it demonstrates how cultivation of good posture, can lead to the cultivation of good form, and the practical applications.

I hope that this information is useful,

Justin Ho
Principal Instructor
Systema Sydney Russian Martial Art
www.systemasydney.com