The Power of Alignment
The Key to Stability and Strength
Have you ever looked at your feet and your knees?
Take a moment and have a look.
What I mean is stand up, or sit down and then look down. Are your feet in parallel, your knees pointing forward and parallel with the same gap as your feet, and are your hips pointing forward?
I’m asking because I notice we are not often standing - weight balanced evenly between our feet. And here’s the point - this seemingly minor detail can throw our entire alignment off.
“Misalignment doesn’t just affect stability; it diminishes the power in our lower bodies. And who wants to feel less powerful? It makes it easier for us to fall over, to be pushed, or accidentally knocked over.”
Today is Bank Holiday Monday and I’ve run two classes.
Class one - 7 am, can you believe this, at the local public sector leisure centre.
Class two - 11 am, an older person's community, at a more social time of the day.
In both sessions, we focussed on standing alignment. You might think, “Why waste a whole class doing that,” well because, as I said misalignment can be the cause of many falls, especially in older people, and also I reckon 80 to 90% of us are not standing in alignment —unless we make a concerted effort to be.
So, today, take a moment and have a look at your stance. Is it robust and stable enough to withstand a nudge without toppling over? If yes, great! If not, take a cue from the top image. See if you can realign your body to stand stronger and more balanced.
