What we teach
Our focus in relearning natural posture is to develop new habits that inform our movement all day long. By improving our everyday activities we can reestablish the healthy alignment that we enjoyed as little kids. Sitting, standing, walking, bending and lying down cover the greater part of the ways we move throughout the day, shifting these habits allows us to steadily rework our structure back to its intended design. While there are a few specific strength elements needed, the key to this work is finding the postures where we can relax our muscles around a well aligned skeleton. Moving away from the paradigm of “bad” posture (relaxed, but slouched) and “good” posture (upright, but strained) we introduce a third option, naturally upright and relaxed posture. These techniques encompass a whole body wellness program, affecting your musculoskeletal system in ways that are dynamic, invigorating and profoundly healing.
Who we help
We believe that all people can benefit from knowing more about their natural posture, however in or out of alignment they may be. For those experiencing aches and pains of a musculoskeletal nature, we feel the root that must be investigated first is the underlying structure of bones and ligaments and how they are relating to the surrounding muscles. Aligning your skeleton well in the field of gravity allows the surrounding muscles to relax, in large part, rather than fighting against gravity to hold you up. This newfound sense of ease profoundly reduces the level of tension we previously assumed was necessary to keep ourselves upright in space, leaving us more relaxed all around. Addressing your posture as a preventative tactic or to work on a current or chronic issue are both relevant and welcome cases. Our goal is to help all people, of all ages and shapes, restore their healthy posture and get them back to what they love.
Who we are
Natural posture education was pioneered by Noelle Perez-Christiaens and has been propagated by her many students whom have gone on to teach in their corners of the globe. Noelle, a longtime student of B.K.S. Iyengar, noticed a stark difference between the way the students moved and used their bodies from France to India. Within their work together and beyond her time with Iyengar, she studied this closely and created a system to get back to the healthy posture she was observing in the more traditional cultures of India. Our small team is thrilled to bring these techniques to the Portland area, as well as being available for travel teaching opportunities. Learn more about our lead teacher here:
Joanna Cowan, Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) & Certified Office Ergonomic Evaluator (COEE)
