What is "Good Posture"?
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 3
This month’s blog post comes from Psoas massage therapist and Pilates instructor Derek Lozupone:
Many people seek bodywork to address “poor posture” and the pain associated with it, but what is “good posture” and who decided? A quick search will show you that the ideal posture is an “S” shaped spine, and that’s the posture that most people will strive for. Then, in around 2010, largely stemming from the research of Esther Gokhale, the “J” shaped spine began rising in popularity.
My personal experience as a clinical massage therapist and Pilates instructor (and as a body with scoliosis, chronic asthma, a low back injury from my 20’s, and a history of swimming and tennis playing) has led me to think a lot about posture, its impact on overall wellness, and what “good posture” really means. So I did a deeper dive into the history of posture.
Historian Sander Gillman’s research traces the roots of posture to sixteenth century military drill formations developed in Northern Europe as weapons like muskets became more widespread. Standing up straight was encouraged as best practice for handling weapons: better posture meant better aim.
By the 18th Century, posture had worked its way into Western civilian culture as “posture masters” began offering instruction throughout Europe. A service typically only available to the wealthy. An upright posture became an indicator of social standing, and, as a result, health and moral superiority. Children’s posture became a focus in schools, and as fashion and culture movements shifted away from stiff jackets and corsets to looser fitting flapper dresses in the early 1900’s, the moral divide between those who stood up straight and those who slouched became even more contentious.
What struck me most while digging into the history of posture was that all the discourse comes from American and Western European cultures. There’s a large part of the world noticeably unrepresented when it comes to the conversation about posture.
That led me to Esther Gokhale’s work, who was inspired by the prevalence of low back pain in Western society and the relatively low reported incidence of low back pain in indigenous cultures around the world. She found cultures with less sitting and more squatting, had stronger glutes and lumbar erectors, and a “J” shaped spine instead of an “S” shaped one.
But many practitioners who do postural assessments would call that “J” shaped spine lordotic, or hyperextended in the lumbar spine. And in the bodywork world, we see a lot of that posture causing people pain, because they might not have the glute strength to support it.
So what’s the right to do? S… or J…? Joseph Pilates, in his original Contrology, instructed his students to flatten their spine against the floor as the starting position for many exercises. But modern Pilates has evolved from that practice to encourage the curves of the spine. In my study of Shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’ve found that posture practices like Tai Chi and Qigong aim for an upright, elongated, and relaxed posture, but there’s no mention of an S shape or J shape, just that the curves of the spine should be allowed to express themselves.
Personally, my spine is somewhere between an S and a J. My thoracic curve is what some would call “slightly diminished,” and my lumbar curve is relatively more pronounced. And even with a history of low back injury, if I’m diligent in maintaining glute strength I do not suffer from low back pain. I make a conscious effort to include spinal mobility in my fitness routine, so although my upper back is flat, I can flex and extend my spine fully without pain.
My final thoughts are that posture is ultimately individual, and changes throughout our lives; I do not expect the posture I have now to be the same posture I have in 20 years. There is no cookie cutter correct posture, but I can offer you this series of videos from our Psoas Massage + Bodywork YouTube Channel to help guide you through finding the upright, elongated, relaxed posture that works best for your body.