“Calm up and tense down” is a short sentence that many have found useful. How about trying out this post’s suggestion, to sit while standing and stand while sitting, as another short postural words-to-live-by.

Imagine, and only imagine… as best you can… that you are sitting while you are in fact standing and, vice versa, that you are standing while you are sitting. This peculiar but straightforward image can help you to carry out both activities in a posturally healthier manner.

Yet, there is more that can be learned from the advice. When you stand up from sitting on some occasions, do not completely stand… almost but not completely. Then give your body/self time to ease into more full standing on its own. Also, when sitting sometimes, prevent yourself from entirely sitting. This can happen muscularly even after you have touched down on the seat and are technically “sitting.” Then slowly allow your body a little more “sitting pleasure” if necessary. That should not mean that you have to slump, however.

The lesson here is that movement should be a loop… it should contain a bit of its opposite. Boomerangs loop and so should humans… when we stand and sit, throw baseballs, drive cars, anything. (Incidentally, overcorrecting to avoid an accident while driving is a major source of accidents. The loop movement, back and forth, has been lost.)

This advice does not mean that we should not extend ourselves and “jump for joy” or endeavor to fold ourselves snugly up while squatting flat-footed to the ground. I think, oddly and wonderfully, that the “thought reversal” suggested here can help, over time, in achieving both of those extremes in movement.

I hope you give this a good try.