Good posture, we are always being told, is good for your health, great for your image and will prevent many aches, pains and sporting injuries. But what is it? How do you define it? And how do you get it?

How many times were you told as a child to sit up straight, don't slouch or to stand tall? How many times as a parent have you said it to your children? Whilst the intention may be good, the instruction is misleading and could be the cause of many problems including lower back pain and, ironically poor posture!

When you were told to sit up what did you do? The majority will tighten the lower back and push the chest forward, yet if you look at the back it is not sitting straight - its pulling the lower back in and shortening the spine. It also instils the belief that if you are doing something wrong, such as slouching, you need to do something extra to correct it rather than to just stop slumping. The tension you apply to carry out these instructions will soon become habitual until excessive effort and tension is applied to all your actions.

Posture has long been considered important, even our language recognises its desirability. We may refer to someone who is trustworthy as being upright or a pillar of the community, whereas spineless tells us the opposite. The recognition to the importance of posture has resulted in many exercises and corrective programs to achieve it. However, I believe exercise is not the way to get a good shape.

Let's get one thing clear. Good posture is NOT about standing or sitting up straight. This is just tightening your back and leg muscles and forcing yourself into a rigid position. Search the internet for advice for attaining a good posture and you will find all the wrong instructions such as chin in, shoulders back, chest out. Following this advice will lead to excessive muscular effort and unnecessary strain on your bones and joints.

So how do we get good posture?

This is the million dollar question, and the answer is by not trying! Okay, this does sound a little odd but it is perfectly true. If you knew what good posture was, you would already have it. So if you haven't got a good posture you obviously don't know what it is and how it should be achieved. I know this sounds tough but I had to learn the same lesson. Therefore, it is not a good idea to try and guess which position you suspect to be right.

The secret to achieving a good posture is to let go of the tension in your body that is pulling you out of shape. This will allow your innate postural reflexes to work unimpeded and bring your body into a state of poise that you possessed in your youth. However, you can go too far and end up collapsing into a heap. Your body does need tension to keep you upright but this should be controlled by your nervous system and not by you directly.

To make a start, try to become aware of what is supporting you and allow the surface beneath you to 'push' back up. Your reflexes respond to the pull of gravity in relation to your position. If you can release tension and be aware of this 'push' you may start to find you can let go a little and start to appreciate what poise feels like.

It is not an easy process initially because you will have developed habits that include unnecessary muscular actions. Re-education is essential to begin to break these bad postural habits. Perhaps the best-known and effective system for this process is The Alexander Technique. This 100 year-old system is, in a way, still ahead of its time as recognising the importance of habits and body concept as influential players in posture. Words cannot convey how it works, so why not find a local teacher and get a practical demonstration. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results and find many applications for this simple, yet remarkable technique.