Natural posture for pain-free living: the practice of mindful alignment

283 Pages·2013·4.55 MB·English

by  Kathleen Porter

To Milo, Fiona, Ellery, Tabor, Jay, Talia,
and all children everywhere
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the earth in peace.
THICH NHAT HANH
NATURAL POSTURE
for Pain-Free Living
“Never before in the world of fitness has there been a more readable, ground-
breaking, or seminal book than Natural Posture for Pain-Free Living. Through
this revolutionary book, Kathleen Porter is about to rock your world!”
JEAN COUCH, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF THE BALANCE CENTER
AND COAUTHOR OF THE RUNNER’S YOGA BOOK
“As a family physician treating my share of patients with back pain, neck pain,
osteoporosis, and dysfunctional labor, I find this book instructive. Kathleen
Porter’s observation of peoples around the world who retain their natural
alignment, movement, and relaxation is a clear window into the healing of the
chronic pain syndromes of our culture. More than that, her work has been
personally transformative.”
LEAH MORTON, M.D., FAMILY PRACTITIONER
“In Natural Posture for Pain-Free Living, Kathleen Porter powerfully portrays
the extensive damage we do to our bodies when we lose connection to natural
principles of body alignment. Rather than looking to surgery, medication, and
infinite exercise technologies to find freedom from discomfort and pain, we need
only learn to stand, sit, walk, and move the way we did as young children when
we learned organically to let our bones support us. Porter offers an abundance of
useful tools for returning to our natural wisdom and greater body fluidity.”
INGRID BACCI, PH.D., AUTHOR OF THE ART OF EFFORTLESS LIVING
AND EFFORTLESS PAIN RELIEF
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
After traveling the solitary and sometimes lonely road of self-publishing this
book, it was pure joy to have the assistance and dedication of an entire talented
team working together to bring this new revised edition to life. My agent,
Deanna Leah, started this wonderful ball rolling, and Jon Graham at Inner
Traditions, along with Jeanie Levitan, Jamaica Burns Griffin, Elizabeth Wilson,
Manzanita Carpenter, Peri Ann Swan, Virginia Scott Bowman, and support staff
shepherded it across the finish line. Throughout this process, I have been in their
highly capable hands, for which I, and the reader, can be grateful!
Evan Ing worked alongside me for hours on end, offering his multiple talents in
upgrading and organizing the photographs and illustrations. He managed to save
the day, yet again.
For a healthy number of decades now, I have been the beneficiary of the wisdom
and guidance of many brilliant teachers who have held my hand, pointed the
way, and even given a not-so-gentle kick down this road. I especially want to
single out Jean Couch, who has given generously and worked single-mindedly
all these years to empower people with the resources for knowing how to heal
their own pain. Noelle Perez laid a foundation so large and solid that Jean and
many others, myself included, have been able to add an ever-evolving structure
that is destined to change our understanding of how the body is designed to
work.
I am blessed by friendships, family ties and professional associations that,
woven together, sustain me with continuous acceptance, encouragement, and
support. I thank my lucky stars that I have been brought together in this life with
Thea Beckett, Irene McNeely, Patra Conley, Kathryn Grout, Patricia Salmon,
Wendell Ing, Kenneth Lahti, Jan Cooper, Carter Beckett, Jacob Trubin, Elaine
Lee, Cindy Berry, Sally Mermel, Jeffrey Mermel, Anne Marie Claire, Rhona
Klein, Jill Schatten, Rebecca Erickson, Betty Lee, Tabor Bergh, Stacey Tripeny,
Sally Ho, Ira Ono, Sandra Pickard, Anne Kokubun, Russell Kokubun, Linda
Haynes, Wendy Thomas-Miyamoto, Moline Whitson, Norman Skinner, Kristin
Porter, Jack Nguyen, Diane McChesney Parfitt, Nancy Morgan, Barb Isham,
Cindy Debus, Patti Chikasuye, Colleen Ziroli, Diane Li, Marianne Kuipers
Tilanus, Hettie Schofield, Ho Sheng Chi, Milo Jarvis, Karen Umehara, Sherry
Genauer, Gabe Genauer, Lorna Larson-Jeyte, Cynee Wenner, Marilyn
Nicholson, Kathleen Golden, Peter Golden, Dianne Horwitz, Dawn Pung, Tanya
Paltin, Sam Paltin, Maria Jaramillo, Barbara Heintz, Billy Sammons, Joanne
Hunter, Carol Cohan, Mary Copenhaver, Daralynn Higgins, Sharon Kaneshiro
Mols, Kaila Kukla, Susan Buswell, Avigail Roberg, Arline Krieger, and
elementary school teachers extraordinaire, Kaholo Daguman, Kathy Wines, and
Jeff Rood.
My beautiful family continues to grace my life with their love, patience, and
unending goodwill. I love you Meredith Ing, Kendra Ing, Evan Ing, Wendell Ing,
Evan Bissell, Weston Willard, Israel Sims, and Milo Heuluokaha'i Willard.
CONTENTS
1. Cover Image
2. Title Page
3. Dedication
4. Epigraph
5. Acknowledgments
6. Foreword by Jean Couch
7. Preface
8. Introduction
9. PART ONE
10. A Body of Knowledge
1. Chapter 1: Design for Life
1. THE NORMALIZATION OF PAIN
2. HOW CULTURE AFFECTS THE PHYSICAL
3. EACH SPECIES WITH ITS OWN DESIGN
4. HUMANS ADAPT
5. BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN AS TEACHERS OF
ALIGNMENT
6. REMEMBERING WHAT NATURAL LOOKS LIKE
2. Chapter 2: Architecture in Flesh and Bone
1. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BONES
2. SCAFFOLDING AS FRAMEWORK
3. THE TRUNK OF THE TREE AND SO MUCH MORE
4. SAD DOG, TENSE DOG, HAPPY DOG
3. Chapter 3: The Core of Well-Being
1. A PARTNERSHIP OF MUSCLES AND BONES
2. FOR EVERY ACTION, AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE
REACTION
3. BREATHING LIFE INTO STRUCTURE
4. ONLY ONE WAY TO BREATHE—NATURALLY
5. TURNING ON THE POWER BUTTON
6. DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
7. SO AS THE PSOAS, SO IS THE PELVIS
4. Chapter 4: Meet Your Feet
1. THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE FOOT
2. FROM ALIGNED TO MISALIGNED
3. A TALE OF TWO FEET
5. Chapter 5: Wheels, Bells, and Puppet Strings
1. THREE WHEELS OF ALIGNMENT
2. TURNING THE PELVIC WHEEL
3. TURNING THE RIB CAGE WHEEL
4. TURNING THE HEAD WHEEL
5. RINGING THE BELLS OF ALIGNMENT
6. PELVIC FLOOR HAMMOCKS
7. THE BELL ON TOP
8. SHOULDERING WEIGHT WITH EASE
9. PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
10. PULLING YOUR OWN STRINGS
6. Chapter 6: An Exploding Crisis in Children’s Health
1. COMMAND CENTRAL RUN AMOK
2. STAYING CONNECTED
3. BACK TO FRONT
4. CRAWLING, WALKING, AND SQUATTING
5. GROWING TREND TOWARD UNHEALTHY SITTING
6. PROMISING THERAPIES TO COMBAT THE RISE OF
AUTISM DISORDERS
7. WHAT CAN BE DONE
8. CHILDREN HEALING THEMSELVES
7. Chapter 7: Amazing Grace
8. Chapter 8: Pregnant with Possibilities
1. POSTPARTUM NOTES
9. Chapter 9: In Fitness or in Health?
1. TRADITIONAL DANCE AS AN EXPRESSION OF
ALIGNMENT
2. IT’S QUITE A STRETCH
3. FITNESS VS. HEALTH
4. ORDERLINESS VS. “DISORDERS”
5. OSTEOARTHRITIS AND HERNIATED DISCS
6. OSTEOPOROSIS
7. THE RELATION OF SKELETAL ALIGNMENT TO SPINAL
DISORDERS
8. BREATHING AND STRESS
9. KEEPING AN OPEN FLOW TO THE BRAIN
10. Chapter 10: Beyond the Physical
1. HOW MEDITATION CAN HELP
2. OPENING CHANNELS
3. BODY AS METAPHOR
4. A MIDDLE WAY OF BEING
5. BALANCE IN THE BELLY
11. PART TWO
12. Putting It All Together
1. Chapter 11: Down to Basics
1. HOW TO SIT
2. HOW TO LEAN BACK ON A BACKREST
3. HOW TO STAND
4. HOW TO WALK
5. TAKE YOURSELF FOR A WALK
6. HOW TO BEND
7. SITTING DOWN AND BENDING TO SIT
8. GETTING UP FROM A CHAIR OR SIT TO STAND
9. SITTING TO MEDITATE
10. LYING ON YOUR SIDE
11. SLEEPING AND RESTING ON YOUR BACK
12. THE ULTIMATE IN RELAXATION
2. Chapter 12: Yoga on the Axis
1. CHAIR POSE
2. TREE POSE
3. TRIANGLE POSE (MODIFIED)
4. WARRIOR II
5. GARDEN GATE POSE
6. PLANK POSE
7. SPHINX POSE
8. HEAD-TO-KNEE POSE
9. SEATED SPINAL TWIST
10. RELAXATION—CORPSE POSE
13. A Few Parting Thoughts
14. Resources
1. TEACHERS OF NATURAL ALIGNMENT
2. YOGA TAUGHT IN NATURAL ALIGNMENT
3. COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES AND MODALITIES
4. USEFUL TOOLS
15. Footnote
16. Endnotes
17. Index