Correct Posture Gives you Grace

graceful Indian girl
An aesthetically attractive posture needs neither the classical features of a Venus or an attractive Shakuntala nor the figure of a celestial nymph or an Apsara. A pleasing posture can be easily acquired and perfected.

Posture is an essential part of a well-groomed woman. One must walk erect-no hunching and no slouching. The body must be upright.

At the same time, the body must be relaxed and one’s movements should be fluid. In other words, one must not give the impression or a bamboo pole or a military man or imitate the unduly gait of a camel.

When walking, the leg should swing forward from the hip, in one gentle motion. Try to bend the knee as little as possible.

When the foot touches the ground, its toes, and not heel, should contact the ground first. When the heel touches the ground first, the walk, or rather the movement, seems “heavy”.


The toes should not slant outwards away from the ankle. The toes should either be straight or slightly inclined towards the inside of the ankle. Otherwise, the walk may resemble the waddling of a duck.

In many cases, people feel uncomfortable with their hands. They just can’t make up their minds about how to keep them occupied. Fold them across one’s chest, tuck them behind or swing them? Crack one’s knuckles or twist one’s fingers?

Hands look best, when they hang straight down by your sides. Don’t hold them rigidly – let them hang loosely.

The most important and probably the most neglected, is the elbow. The elbow should not turn inwards, towards the body. The inside of your elbow should face the side of your body.

Initially, this pose may seem rigid and stiff. But with practice, it will look graceful and elegant. When walking, don’t swing your arms from your shoulders, as in a march-past. Not only is this ungainly, but it looks rather unmanly too. All that a stylish walk requires is a gentle sway of arms, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

An elegant appearance
When you sit down too, small points have to be noticed to give that elegant appearance. The first ever rule, as every mother who has taught her daughter knows, is that the two knees should be placed as close as possible for that demure look. The feet should be planted straight together or inclined at a 450 angle, to the right or left.

It is painful to watch a woman who knows only half her rules – who puts her knees together and forgets her ankles. Sit with your knees together, with your hands folded in your lap – and you will make an enchanting picture. Women who prefer to cross their knees should practice their posture before the mirror, a couple of times.

Often, ladies, especially in a sari or skirt, cross their knees while the lower knee is held at a right angle and the upper leg is crossed at 450 or more. The mirror will reveal quire an immodest picture, for it exposes the calf of the lower leg. This pose, however, can be carried off in a pant suit, jeans, capris or a salwar-kameez suit, without giving an impression of immodesty.
woman crossing her legs

A more charming and eye-catching posture will be to turn the knee of your lower leg slightly inwards and then cross your other leg, at an incline.

At the same time, I must add that the old-fashioned pose of placing your knees and feet together, either straight down or at an incline, gives the well-bred genteel appearance, at any time and any place.

And finally, a couple of tips for your face and head. The head should be held high and neck straight, to create that delicate swan-like look. Not everyone is small-boned and petite, nor is the neck always long and slender – but thinking of the swan is a good way ot start, when positioning your neck and face!

Let us not forget the insignificant little chin. It should be tilted up, ever so slightly, for that cool, suave, confident look. But beware of your chin sticking out too much lest it should give you that supercilious look.

When I was a teenager, I had acquired all the bad postures and habits peculiar to that age – hunched shoulders, bent neck, a springy walk that was almost like a hop-skip-and-jump, hands inevitably digging into pockets and a bobbing head, revolving like a little merry-go-round! All well-meaning advice and scolding fell on deaf ears until my father took a firm stand and put his foot down. No scolding – but just a little exercise.

A book was placed on my head and I was required to walk the length of our corridor! Before I could take three steps, the book would come tumbling down! But I was forced to persist and the results began to be visible after two weeks. It corrected my posture admirably. Father’s advice is as trusted as any of granny’s home remedies. Try it.
balancing book on head for better posture

A woman’s appeal, to a certain extent, lies in her graceful posture. A classical and refined posture is aesthetically pleasing. It is not a dream that vanishes in the morning and cannot be attained. After all, Prof Higgins transformed a mere flower-girl into “My Fair Lady”, didn’t he?
Graceful Sushmita Sen
The posture that pleases the eye and flatters  your vivacious person with lavish praise speaks volumes of your cool, confident ways.

(Guest Post by Agnes D.)

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22 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:37 AM

    Good posture practice refers to both maintaining the normal shape of the spine, and satisfying the body’s ongoing desire for motion.So, posture is important on a few different levels, but perhaps the two most important are health and image.

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  2. The basic concept of good posture is maintaining a neutral spine position, so in order to do that, you have to know what the normal shape of the spine is. Then, you should be better able to appreciate poor posture positions that are bending the spine out of its normal shape.

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  3. Yoga Guru9:40 AM

    Poor posture impedes energy flow, with a resultant negative impact on one mentally, physically and spiritually. Conversely, good posture will help improve one’s mental, physical and spiritual state of being.

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  4. Swami Kriyananda9:42 AM

    “A bent spine impairs the flow of energy. It also cramps the breath, making it almost impossible to breathe deeply. Right posture, however, from a standpoint of yoga, is by no means the rigid stance of a soldier on parade. One must be relaxed even while standing straight.
    “Indeed, until one can learn to keep his spine straight, he will never know how to relax perfectly.”

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  5. Anonymous9:43 AM

    The way you carry yourself says a lot about your personality. If you squirm and slouch your way around, it shows your lack of confidence. And if you don't think you're any better, then why would anyone else? So stand tall. Pull your stomach in, hold your head high and throw your shoulders back. (But for heaven's sake, don�t stick your chest out!)

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  6. Anonymous9:44 AM

    DON'T

    Bob your shoulders up and down or back and forth.
    Move your neck forwards with every step you take.
    Swing your hips too much unless you are on a catwalk! A slight, barely-there swing does the trick.
    Lead with your head.
    Take too large or too small steps.

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  7. Anonymous9:44 AM

    Grace is the keyword here. Think Grace Kelly. Just a photograph of her standing straight would speak miles of her grace. It was the way she carried herself - ramrod shoulders, squarely held chin... the personification of elegance. She was recently voted as the most elegant woman ever, with Audrey Hepburn a close second. And elegance is something you can achieve, even if you are not born with it. All it takes is determination. And practice, practice.

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  8. Vaibhavi9:45 AM

    lovely article!! it does work wonders on girls who really wanna groom themselves and will surely help me to.

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  9. Cynthia9:51 AM

    Posture and grace is everything. Just the other day, I was walking to work and someone rolled his window down and said to me, "I love the way you walk."

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  10. Anonymous9:51 AM

    Your posture is often influenced by your emotions, which means if you are feeling intimidated or shy, you might drop your chin, hunch your shoulders forward and avoid eye contact. This is a dead giveaway that you are not feeling comfortable and chances are that others will feel just as uncomfortable in your presence.

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  11. With good posture, half the battle is won to achieve an elegant poise.

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  12. Umesh9:59 AM

    HI, this article stands good for both men and women.Good posture not only makes one look good but also Relieves one of Backaches. The most common reason for many backaches is posture.Specially people who work long hours on Computer should sit straight.The rule being ur ears,shoulders and hips should fall in the straight line

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  13. this article is sure gonna influence every single person beacause gonna read it. really good one with lots tips for nyone who wanna improve their posture. Thnx a lot !!!

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  14. Herambh10:11 AM

    Very good article. very informative and helpful.

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  15. Rudresh10:12 AM

    I bumped into this article while surfing.This site has wonderful articles advice and this one on posture is really good.

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  16. Very realistic topic. I also agree that correct posture gives the grace. Thanks for sharing your all excellent tips and ideas.

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  17. I've recently discovered your blog here, and wish I would have stumbled upon it much sooner! It's now and my

    list, and I'll be back to read more very soon.

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  18. Mandakini9:40 AM

    Great source of information!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Shri RAVISHANKAR9:19 AM

    Good posture is important because it makes you look confident, proud and healthy. It also helps showing your breasts from their best side. ;)
    In order to get correct posture, you need to be relaxed in your body and mind. Ever tried yoga? I warmly recommend it.

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  20. For women, proper posture gives additional poise and it attracts men.

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  21. Anonymous9:52 AM

    You can have good posture sitting and standing. All you need to do is straighten your back, push your shoulders back and hold your head up. Imagine there is a piece of cord in your head, to keep your posture imagine pulling on that cord to straighten up. Kind of like a puppet lol!

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  22. Yoga loosens your muscles so when you practice better posture, it will be much much easier for your muscles to naturally give you better posture.

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