Right now, as you are reading this article, you are either sitting, standing, kneeling or lying down. Whatever your position is at the moment, I bet that you are probably not aware of your posture. Now most of us feel that posture is a matter of standing up straight, but that is not all there is to it by far. Posture -good posture- doesn't necessarily mean standing at attention. Body alignment and balance are what make good posture. Your body should be so aligned that it is supple, toned, flexible and free to move. Good posture is a feeling of aliveness in all parts of your body.

As you read the first couple of sentences, you might have had the urge to "straighten up." You might be surprised at how far away from good posture your body really is. In checking your posture, you will benefit far more from a systematic procedure which begins with your feet. Yes, your feet! How we take out feet for granted! We walk on them all day and they take us everywhere. Your balanced, aligned body begins with two feet planted firmly on the floor. Stand with both feet slightly apart and notice if you are rocking to the outside of your feet. Some people have crooked legs and feet and they must wear foot pads. If you use foot pads, use them now. It will help you.

Begin by relaxing into the floor. Feel your feet along the bottom. Check your ankles and try to relax them. As you move up your leg to your knees, unlock them. Never stand at attention when you are singing and try to avoid locking your knees when you are just standing around. This will get you in the habit of standing up straight but not locked.

Now, moving along to your seat muscles, check to see if they are relaxed. Relax your pelvis as well. Tilt your pelvis slightly forward while still being aware of your feet. You should be feeling a stronger connection to yourself and a more solid connection to the floor.

Next release your abdominal muscles and let your belly hang. Feel space inside the trunk of your body and keep the pelvis and the seat muscles relaxed. As you feel the space in your lower abdomen, be aware of the expansion in your rib cage. Your rib cage is all around you -in front and in back. As you are breathing you'll probably be aware of how good you are starting to feel. Feel your spine. Think of your spine as a tall spine. It doesn't really matter what height you are. Just think of your spine as tall.

Now we are up to the chest area. Relax. Breathe. Think of space. In my last few articles, I have been talking extensively about breathing. In order to have an ample supply of air (plus a reserve of air), it is essential that you first have good posture. You cannot expect your lungs to work if you are all hunched over. Even the slightest straightening of your posture can produce significant changes in your breathing capacity. Your body should be relaxed to its fullest extent so that you can draw from it whatever reserve you may need.

Now we are in the upper back and shoulder area. Pretend that you feel the muscles of you back slightly pulling downward. Feel how this causes a natural lifting of the chest. Keep your belly loose and keep in touch with your feet. Feel space. Breathe. Let your shoulders hang and your arms hang loosely from your shoulders. Feel the weight of your arms. Now feel the lift in the back of your head. Breathe. Your head should sit on the top of your spine in a relaxed and free state.

This is how you check for posture. Unlike most people's concept (which really makes you stiffen up) this way of checking your posture allows for the kind of loose, free, body feeling that makes it possible to function with a minimum of effort. As you stand there with your new sense of what posture is, don't you feel good? It is from this relaxed position that you can sing in a really free way. Try walking and maintaining this posture and this feeling of spaciousness. The more you practice this posture check, the more natural it will seem to you.

As you walk around, as you sit, as you do any of your daily activities, you can do this posture check so that when you sing you naturally stand correctly. This will enable you to get the most out of your breathing capacity and this, of course, is totally necessary for you to use your voice to its full capacity. More next month.