How a Posture Sensor Helps Engage Your Senses

Every day, we engage in rituals that keep us on the move. Whether hurrying off to work, rushing through a quick meal, or crossing off tasks on an ever-expanding to-do list, it’s easy to get caught in the habitual whirlwind of daily demands. As a result, we turn introspective, often disconnecting from the world around us. Moreover, tech neck and digital eye strain are testament of our increased downcast glances at glowing screens, rather than our environment.

You might be wondering how posture relates to the senses? We’ve seen how the benefits of good posture alleviate back pain, increase focus and create a leaner and taller physique. But what about reconnecting us to our atmosphere? Can good posture help us stop and smell the roses? Absolutely. Here’s how a posture sensor can help engage your senses.

Sight

The eyes are an extension of the brain and an important part of the body’s central nervous system. Why? Light strikes photoreceptors on the retina (behind the eye), that send signals through the optic nerve to the visual cortex, located in the back of the brain. The brain then processes information through the spinal cord and throughout the body. Upright posture assists these connections in traveling throughout the body. Conversely, bad posture obstructs the connections and can even lead to blurred vision.

Sitting upright enables light to transmit freely throughout the body and engage clearer vision. What’s more, when the spinal cord is aligned, the chest upward and chin parallel to the floor, a wider field of vision allows sights to enter into your eyes that otherwise might’ve been missed by slouching. Perhaps you hadn’t noticed the robin singing outside of your window or butterflies fluttering on the breeze during a brisk walk? With upright posture, you’ll catch more of these beautiful interactions throughout the day.

Touch

The brain is the great communicator of the body, and sends signals to the muscles via single nerve cells in the spinal cord called motor neurons. In order to activate the body to touch something, we rely on this smooth communication from the brain. Upright posture increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain by up to 40 percent. By sitting and standing upright, we foster the communication of the brain to the muscles, thereby engaging the powerful sense of touch.

Smell

A study on chemical senses demonstrated that posture affects auditory sensitivity, more specifically, sitting upright significantly helps to heighten olfactory sensitivity (the sense of smell). Sitting upright increases neuronal activity, or the rate at which neurons fire from the brain, and engages your sense of smell. So yes, sitting upright can indeed help you stop and smell the roses!

Sound

One of the fundamental principles of musicianship is good posture. Why? Consider singers who rely on breath capacity to engage their lungs. Or the concert pianist whose perfectly straight back posture allows the range of motion necessary to command the spectrum of notes. More relatably, ever notice how slouching seemingly shuts out the world around? The echoes of a colleague vying for your attention easily fade into the background. Truth is, when we’re in an upright position, we’re more alert and in turn, able to hear a greater depth of sound and audible signals around us.

Taste

The term “foodie” describes a person who has an immense interest in food. Yet, too often we rush through meals without even tasting a bite. Can good posture help us adopt the mindset of a foodie by savoring every bite? Mindful eating encourages us to devote our full attention to the physical act of eating, that is to eat slowly and without distraction. As demonstrated in any public cafeteria or eatery, hunched over devices at mealtime has become the status quo. Not only is this distracting, but it encourages slouching. Removing distractions during meals helps put the focus back on the incredible sensation of taste while also improving posture. Sit upright and relish in each sweet or savory, tantalizing bite.

Final Thoughts

Upright posture is instrumental in engaging the body’s senses. However, maintaining good posture is challenging to monitor daily. That’s why the UPRIGHT posture sensor is instrumental in posture training by vibrating when you slouch and turning good posture into a daily habit.

Now that you’re upright, you can better smell the espresso, hear the hum of the wind, see the smile of a passerby, taste the tart sweetness of a berry, feel the coolness of a raindrop. UPRIGHT helps kick your senses into overdrive to help you feel present, aware and engaged with the beauty all around you.