Optimal Bony Alignment = Happy Cells
My friend Mark first used the words “optimal bony alignment” at one of our Gyrotonic “playdates” and I have adopted it ever since. It is the perfect way to name what we desire in our bodies when we reorganize from the inside. Our goal is – optimal bony alignment.
As we fold into the downward pressure of gravity on our flexion-prone postures, there are some simple ways to place ourselves in our world now that will assist our ability to stay unfolded (and healthier).
- Stand with your hips back over your heels.
Darlings, I see you standing at the checkout line with your cart carrying all your things and your pelves (plural for pelvis and I love it!) thrust forward over your heeled-shoe-wearing-toes. These are many folds in your upright posture which will lead to the decline of your soft tissue’s ability to hold you up and your bones to receive information about being strong. Stop doing it all the time and you are overriding one serious contributor to physical deformation and dysfunction. Keep your feet hip width apart, with your feet facing forward.
2. Drop your ribs.
Release them. Relax them. Close them. Hide them inside your torso. Call it whatever words help you really feel what happens when you drop those lower ribs down towards your pelvis. Your bony markers here are your bottom ribs and your two “hip bones” (the anterior superior iliac spines). They should lie in the same frontal plane. With this optimal bony alignment, your soft inner plumbing may have to take some time to adjust. This will improve circulation and digestion, not to mention removal of waste. Your diaphragm should feel relaxed, and so should your shoulders.
3. Line your pubic symphysis up with your ASIS and rib plane.
In essence, untuck your pelvis. Now, your pelvic floor is holding up the contents of your torso, the way it was designed to. Here is a picture of my teacher, Katy Bowman. You can click the photo to see her post about this if you like.
Once your bones are stacked like the Eiffel Tower, and not like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you have created an optimal environment for your cells to operate most efficiently. Let’s talk more about this!
