Our Posture Tells the Story

Did you know that more than 80% of our communication and language is NON VERBAL? If you spend a few moments watching people in a public place who are unaware of your gazing, you can see that the human expresses their emotions, attitudes and current mood through body language. Body posture can be deep rooted in the past or a reflection of the present. Either way, our bodies speak volumes. Mabel Todd, who's book the "Thinking Body" now considered to be a classic study of physiology and the psychology of movement, once said "For every thought supported by feeling, there is a muscle change,primary muscle patterns being the biological heritage of man; man's whole body records his emotional thinking."

Facial features and expressions alone tell us so much about another person. We have etched lines and creases in the skin that reflect years of happiness and sorrow, triumph and tragedy, love and rejection. We can see into the history of a human through their body and in their face.

"The features of our face are hardly more than gestures which force of habit has made permanent. Nature....has arrested us in an accustomed movement"-

Marcel Proust

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Humans whose emotional thinking reflects a defeated attitude will have a slight slouch and drop in their upper body, a collapse in their rib cage and a chin that juts forward and down. Their eyes may hold a downward gaze with a facial expression that  appears sad. Their weight shifts uncomfortably from side to side and their movements are hesitant and lack energy.

Humans whose emotional thinking reflects a tense, worried and/or defensive emotions will have narrowing of shoulders with slight lift, hands clenched or arms closed to the body. The low back and pelvis appear stiff and immobile with short hurried steps and quick movements from the joints that appear straining and stressful. The lips close tightly around their mouth and the eyebrows narrow together in a furrow. Breathing is short and shallow.

Humans whose emotinal thinking reflects confidence, clarity and a connection with their body stand erect, looking forward with chest forward, shoulders back with an obvious fluidity of their motion and lightness in their body. Movement appears effortless.Breathing originates from the diaphragm and is deep and full because the rib cage is open and expanded. Their expression is open and positive with attention to their surroundings and an energy that comes from their emotional core. We are attracted and interested to know a human whose body language projects these characteristics and so is YOUR HORSE!!!!

The study of posture and body language gives us an insight into how we communicate with others including our horses. We influence our horse with our body in every movement, from the moment the horse sees us. I've come up with three specific postures that are common in humans and show up often in riding. I've given them names, Tillie, Lucy and Fran.

Tillie is TIGHT and TENSE and holds her muscles in tension in everything she does. Instead of staying grounded and working from the strong core muscles of her center, she overuses her external muscles to walk, lift, sweep, bend or ride. On a horse she tightens and tenses her muscles around the horse's belly and clutches the reins with a tight grip, jaw clenched and neck rigid. Her 3 springs can't move because they can't fight the tight grip that the muscles have made around the joints of the hip, knee and ankle. She takes short shallow breaths that originate high in her chest, the muscles of her abdomen held in tension. The horse senses a gripping and feels trapped underneath the hold of his rider. 

Lucy is LOOSE AND LIMP and allows her body to collapse and move without conscious control. Her breathing is affected by the collapase in her rib cage. Her balance is constantly challenged as her body moves in all directions, making it difficult to complete small tasks. Her muscles are constantly being overworked as they try to overcome gravity as it pulls her body in the different directions. Lucy does not know how to access her core muscles and so is unable to create a stable foundation from which to move all of her body parts, fluidly and effortlessly. Her horse senses dead weight and cannot move easily in his own body.

Fran is FIRM AND FLEXIBLE and has identified and strengthened her core muscles (they are deep in the body, not found at the surface in the abdomen). The stability she derives allows her to easily direct the movement of all other body parts with minimal energy and effort.  She is able to use her external muscles at the joints to move her 3 springs as well as maintain an erect posture that allows for expansion of her rib cage. She has mobility and fluidity in all body parts and breathes from the diaphragm. Her horse feels the movement and joins her in shared energy.

So which one of these riders would your horse like you to be for him? What would it feel like to have posture that says you are calm, confident, clear and interesting? Next time you sit, stand, perform small chores or big activities, check in with your posture and see if you are a Tillie, Lucy or Fran. Observe others in their normal activities and see if you can identify through nonverbal communication just what they are saying about themselves. Remember, our posture tells the story.