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What is poise?
Poise is about how you stand, sit and move. Good poise reflects
balance, alertness, comfortable body use and
presence.
What is important about poise?
Your poise has a significant effect upon your health and wellbeing. Comfortable,
healthy natural poise allows the joints of the body to move freely and easily.
The body is upright and stable.
By contrast, poor poise reflects notable mobility problems, bad habits of body
use and tension throughout the body.
Habits
Most people never think about poise. They simply do whatever it is they have
always done. This is regarded as being 'natural' when in reality it is merely
familiar.
Nature
Animals tend to have great poise. How come humans do not? The answer is
simple. We operate in an artificially constructed environment that is not
fundamentally healthy.
We do things that are unnatural; such as sitting for long periods of time,
slouching and slumping. Humans no longer need to move around as much in their
everyday lives. The outcome is deterioration.
A trained body
Usually, poise is developed through deliberate, conscious training. It can also
be a by-product of working towards a specific physical activity or skill e.g.
figure skating.
An athlete, martial artist, dancer or actor must become aware of how they are
using their body. They must shed old habits and acquire new ones. Usually, poise
is affected.
Random, haphazard body use will not lead to good performance. Habits must be
identified and corrected.
Consider this:
Most people live lives that are
not particularly physically challenging. They sit at a desk, or if they move
around, it's not a lot. They aren't performing manoeuvres that require
tremendous balance and coordination. Thus they settle into a low level of
physical capabilities - enough for day-to-day activities or maybe even
hiking or biking or playing golf or tennis on the weekends, but far from the
level of physical capabilities that a highly trained athlete possesses.
The reason that most people don't possess extraordinary physical
capabilities isn't because they don't have the capacity for them, but rather
because they're satisfied to live in the comfortable rut of homeostasis and
never do the work that is required to get out of it.
The same thing is true for all the mental activities we engage in. We learn
enough to get by but once we reach that point we seldom push to go beyond.
(Anders Ericsson)
Untrained body
An untrained body is seldom operating in a
skilful way.
Often people are off-balance, their
shoulders may be lifted through the shortening
of the trapezius muscle or they stoop.
Poor poise is tiring for body.
Imbalances must be compensated for.
This is unhealthy. An untrained body will struggle with
coordination, dexterity,
nimbleness and mobility.
Mindfulness
Not all forms of physical training are healthy nor will they lead to good
poise. Quite often people exercise without being mindful. They essentially
'space out' or they are too goal oriented.
In order to use the body well, you need to be present at all times. Each
movement must be felt. Imbalances must be identified and removed.
e.g. watch how runners use their bodies... How many truly show good poise?
Aesthetics
Often, poise is an artifice. It is designed to convey a fashionable
aesthetic e.g. the gym body, the yoga body,
a dancer's body. This is a foolish way to address body use.
The body should be used in accordance with its nature not a
trend/fashion/aesthetic.
Good poise
Good poise looks graceful. It looks elegant, relaxed, smooth and agile.
There is a sense of ease. Good poise cannot be faked.
Held
It is not uncommon to see people sitting (or standing) bolt upright in a
military-style pose. This may look healthy but it isn't because it is
forced/contrived. It is the by-product of tension.
Poise is not something that you hold. It is not a yoga posture. Poise is
your bearing...
Poise affects your emotions
In a tai chi class you might be invited to adopt a variety of unhealthy
poises such as 'gym shoulders', a fighter's defensive stance or a mobile
phone user's stoop...
Then you will consider how these positions make you feel emotionally.
Students are often surprised to discover that they feel awful.
Yet, these very same poises are the ones they started class with... No
wonder people feel anxious, stressed, tired or annoyed.
Youth
A youthful body has a sense of ease.
No struggling, grunting or groaning, no pain in the
back or the
knees. The body responds instantly to the dictates of the mind.
A young person is spontaneous and free.
Their poise is comfortable and natural. They can squat, kneel down, sit on
the floor and stand without any problems.
How
we move conveys energy and
youth – not how buff we are.
(Anne Elliott)
Form
An authentic tai chi
form teaches poise. It trains the
individual to move continuously through shapes that exhibit good poise. Each
movement feels vital, alert and free.
Over time, and with extensive corrections, refinement and development, the
individual becomes more graceful. They understand how to move in a healthy
way. Good poise is cultivated.
Page created
18 April 2005
Last updated
16 June 2023
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