#138 - ELEANOR DALTON - The Posture Myth
When most people hear the word posture, they think of standing up straight, pulling the shoulders back, or trying to “hold” themselves better. In this episode, I’m joined by Posture Ellie, a posture therapist and coach who dismantles that idea entirely. @postureellie
Ellie reframes posture not as a static position, but as a dynamic reflection of how well your body moves. Your posture isn’t something you fix by forcing alignment — it’s the visible outcome of your movement patterns, habits, nervous system state, and the environment you live in. When movement becomes limited or repetitive, posture becomes “stuck”, and pain, tension and injury often follow.
We explore the difference between default posture and natural posture. Ellie explains why comfort isn’t always a good guide, how modern life quietly strips movement variety from our bodies, and why pain rarely originates where it shows up.
We also dig into posture therapy as a whole-body, investigative process — using simple functional tests to identify which movements reduce pain and which don’t — rather than treating symptoms in isolation. Ellie shares why so many people arrive at posture work after “trying everything else”, how this approach differs from yoga and physio, and why slower, simpler movements can sometimes be more effective than complex ones.
Along the way, the conversation widens into self-care, hustle culture, data obsession, intuition vs metrics, and Ellie’s own journey from burnout and panic attacks in London to building a life — and career — rooted in listening to the body.
This episode is a reminder that your body isn’t broken, ageing, or failing you. It’s adapting — and with the right inputs, it can adapt back.
NOTABLE QUOTES
“Posture isn’t something you hold — it’s something you move.”
“Your posture is a reflection of the quality of your movement patterns.”
“Comfort doesn’t mean healthy. It just means familiar.”
“Pain is rarely the problem — it’s a symptom of how the whole body is moving.”
“You don’t have one posture. You have thousands.”
“Default posture isn’t natural posture.”
“Correlation isn’t causation — ageing doesn’t cause pain, ingrained movement patterns do.”
“Modern life removes movement variety, and the body pays the price.”
“Posture work isn’t about forcing alignment — it’s about restoring options.”
“When joints move well, posture takes care of itself.”
PERKS FOR YOU
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THE HOST
@adamhusler - Fuelled by a fascination with anatomy and a desire to ask ‘why’, Adam specialises in a signature style of Alignment-Based Vinyasa— inspired by decades of study of anatomy, mediation, yoga and mobility . He’s taught classes, workshops and trainings in over 60 studios across over 20 countries, along with countless conferences and events. You can find him chatting on the Honestly Unbalanced podcast, consulting for studios and brands, co-leading one of Europes largest teacher trainings, writing for the likes of Yoga Journal and trying to be an awesome dad.
For workshops, trainings, events and retreats, find out more here.
