Move · Videos · Technique · 9 min

How to Sit Tall: Seated Posture Alignment Lesson

How to Sit Tall: Seated Posture Alignment Lesson — video by Margaret Martin, Physical Therapist Play · 9:05

Video by Margaret Martin, Physical Therapist on YouTube · Open on YouTube

A registered physical therapist teaches a seated alignment practice from feet to crown: set up the chair, share weight evenly through both sit bones, then lift the ribs away from the pelvis. Quiet and slow, for anyone who sits a lot.

  • 9 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • chair

Good forBetter posture

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Step by step 8

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Chair set-up: hips slightly above the knees, no sharp edge under the thighs, feet under the knees. 0:48
  2. Feet hip-width apart; wake them up by curling and spreading the toes as much as they will go. 1:37
  3. Soften your gaze or close your eyes and feel how the chair and your feet support you. 2:18
  4. Sit bones: notice any lean to the right or left and share your weight evenly through both. 3:06
  5. Restore the small arch in the low back and feel the breath widen the tummy and ribs. 3:46
  6. Lengthen the ribs up away from the pelvis as the sit bones press down, without arching; hold 10 seconds to start. 5:16
  7. Let the shoulders relax down onto the lifted ribcage rather than pulling them back. 6:39
  8. Ears away from the shoulders, crown of the head reaching up; then a few relaxed, tall breaths. 7:02

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Hips slightly above knees and weight even on both sit bones
  • Lengthen the ribs away from the pelvis; let the shoulders rest down
  • Think of the crown of the head reaching to the sky

What it works

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Upper back moveslifting the ribs up away from the pelvis
  • Lower back movesfinding a small arch in the low back

Easier option from the coach: Done entirely in a chair; start with 10-second holds of the lift

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by Margaret Martin, Physical Therapist; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety