Are you holding yourself up — or holding yourself back?
- May Yap
- Dec 6
- 4 min read
Notice how different movement can feel when you’re supported and balanced — when your body isn’t working harder than it needs to.
Sometimes the way we hold ourselves takes more effort than we realise. We might lift through the neck and shoulders to hold ourselves up, or pull the shoulders back so firmly that the effort actually holds us back. Your shoulders don’t need to carry the weight of the world — they just think they do. These patterns often begin quietly, almost automatically — long before we ever think to notice them.
Listening to the body behind the posture
Every gesture holds information if we pause long enough to feel it.
Notice how your hands are resting — are they listening, quietly poised, or already preparing to do? Is your breath moving easily — flowing in and out, being pulled in and pushed out, or quietly working harder than you realise?
We often think of posture as something to correct — shoulders back, chest lifted, core engaged. But posture isn’t a shape to hold. It’s a reflection of how you move, think and respond to life.
Posture is the story of how your body meets gravity from moment to moment. It shifts with how you feel, how you breathe, and the habits you repeat. When you work hard to hold yourself up — especially through the neck and shoulders — you may be adding tension rather than support. Over time, that effort can quietly limit your ease and natural movement.
The rhythms that shape how you stand and move
The human body is built to move. Even at rest, subtle rhythms ripple through you — breath expanding the ribs, the spine lengthening and shortening, muscles balancing effort and release.
Posture is a living pattern — a responsive conversation between your structure, your breath and the world around you. But long hours at a desk, repetitive work, or stress can dull this adaptability. Some muscles overwork to keep you upright, while others fade into the background, their neural pathways growing quieter as familiar, worn-in patterns dominate. Over time, these compensations can create fatigue, tightness or pain.
Posture isn’t fixed — it’s fluid. And because it’s learned, it can be re-learned. You can help your body rediscover its natural support.
Noticing posture patterns: every posture tells a story of adaptation
Shoulders lifting toward the ears might be your body’s way of creating a sense of readiness or holding.
A forward head might come from leaning into screens — or leaning into caring for others.
A tucked pelvis might be the body’s quiet way of creating a little more security or steadiness.
These aren’t “bad” postures. They’re intelligent responses to your experiences. But when they become automatic, they can start to limit how freely you move. Awareness opens the door to change — not through correction, but through curiosity.
Ways to invite balance back
Begin with a moment of connection to yourself. Balance often begins not with effort, but with returning to your own centre. From there, you can explore gently:
Breathe into your back. As you inhale, imagine your ribs expanding in every direction — forward, back, sideways, up and down. Notice how your spine subtly lengthens without effort.
Find your ground. Whether sitting or standing, feel how your weight meets the floor or chair. When you let gravity support you, the rest of your body can lift naturally.
Let your head float. Picture your head balanced on top of your spine, light and buoyant. The neck doesn’t need to hold it up; it can allow it to rise.
Shift your attention. Instead of “fix my posture,” try “how could this feel easier?” That small change often softens long-held tension.
Hands-on work like Rolfing® or remedial bodywork supports gentle posture awareness by helping the nervous system rediscover alignment through sensation rather than force. True postural change begins with sensing, not forcing.
Posture as relationship
Posture isn’t something you ‘put on’ or perform. It’s a reflection of how you move, think and respond to life. It’s a relationship we discover, step by step.
Alignment isn’t about standing straight — it’s about connection. When your structure is balanced, you breathe more deeply, move more efficiently, and use less energy to stay upright.
Posture is how you relate to the world: to gravity, to movement, to yourself. When that relationship is flexible, you feel more grounded and at ease in everything you do.
So ask yourself — are you holding yourself up, or are you ready to let your body support you?
When posture becomes something you sense rather than something you hold, you start to move differently. Breath deepens. Tension softens. Ease returns.
At MY Integrated Body in Warners Bay, Lake Macquarie, I help people explore these patterns through Rolfing, movement and awareness. Together, we uncover what your body has been trying to show you — and how you can move through life with less effort and more ease.
If you’re curious to explore what this might feel like in your own body, I’d be glad to explore that path with you.
Take gentle care
May