Human position
Encyclopedia
Human positions refers to the different positions that the human body
can take.
There are several synonyms that refer to the human position, often used interchangeably, but having specific flavors.
in the sagittal plane. The sway of quiet standing is often likened to the motion of an inverted pendulum. There are many mechanisms in the body that are suggested to control this movement, e.g. a spring action in muscles, higher control from the nervous system or core muscles.
Although standing per se isn't dangerous, there are pathologies associated with it. One short term condition is orthostatic hypotension, and long term conditions are sore feet, stiff legs and low back pain.
Sitting
requires the buttocks resting on a more or less horizontal structure, like a chair
or the ground. Special ways of sitting are with the legs horizontal, and in an inclined seat. While on a chair the shins are usually vertical, on the ground the shins may be crossed in the lotus position
or be placed horizontally under the thigh in a seiza
.
(the normal such posture in the many parts of the world that use squat toilet
s); or as a temporary position during lower body squat exercises
.
When in lying position, the body may assume a great variety of shapes and positions. The following are the basic recognized positions.
Lying on either side, with the body straight or bent/curled forward or backward. The fetal position
is lying or sitting curled, with limbs close to the torso and the head close to the knees.
Kneeling
is standing not on the feet, but on one or both knees or shins approximately parallel to the ground, possibly raised to an angle depending on the position of the feet. The torso is usually upright but can be considered kneeling at other angles not touching the ground.
Crouching may involve squatting or kneeling.
which is instinctive form of locomotion for very young children. It is a commonly used childbirth position
in non-Western cultures.
Such positions are common to break dancing, gymnastics
and yoga
.
Stress positions place the human body in such a way that a great amount of weight is placed on just one or two muscles. Forcing prisoner
s to adopt such positions is a method of ill-treatment used for extracting information or as a punishment, possibly amounting to torture
. Such positions also are sometimes used as a punishment for children
.
position is a body position created by physical restraint
s which restricts locomotion, use of the limbs or general freedom of movement.
still commonly used by many obstetricians, childbirth positions that are successfully used by midwives and traditional birth-attendants the world over include squatting
, standing, kneeling
and on all-fours
, often in a sequence.
and sitting
. The squatting posture is used for Japanese toilets and squat toilets. It is also commonly used for defecation in the absence of toilets or other devices. The sitting defecation posture is used in Western toilets, with a lean-forward posture or a 90-degrees posture. In general, the posture chosen is a cultural decision although the case has been made that squatting provides health benefits over sitting.
, it is simple to control the direction of the urine stream. Most males urinate in a standing position although they could urinate sitting down
or squatting
.
For females, the urine does not exit at a distance from the body and is therefore harder to control. Females most commonly urinate sitting (on a toilet) or squatting. Many females are able to urinate standing, sometimes using a female urination device
.
are intended primarily to restore and maintain a practitioner's well-being, improve the body's flexibility and vitality, and promote the ability to remain in seated meditation for extended periods.
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
can take.
There are several synonyms that refer to the human position, often used interchangeably, but having specific flavors.
- Position is a general term for a configuration of the human body
- PosturePosture (psychology)In humans, posture can provide important nonverbal communication. Posture deals with:* how the body is positioned in relation to another person or group of persons and how they are positioned relative to each other various body parts In humans, posture can provide important nonverbal...
means the intentionally or habitually assumed position - Pose implies artistic or aesthetic intention of the position
- Attitude refers to postures assumed for purpose of imitation, intentional or not, as well as in some standard collocationCollocationIn corpus linguistics, collocation defines a sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. In phraseology, collocation is a sub-type of phraseme. An example of a phraseological collocation is the expression strong tea...
s in reference to some distinguished types of posture: "Freud never assumed a fencerFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
's attitude, yet almost all took him for a swordsman." - Bearing refers to the manner, of the posture, as well as of gestureGestureA gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body...
s and other aspects of the conduct taking place
Standing
Although quiet standing appears to be static, modern instrumentation shows it to be a process of rocking from the ankleAnkle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
in the sagittal plane. The sway of quiet standing is often likened to the motion of an inverted pendulum. There are many mechanisms in the body that are suggested to control this movement, e.g. a spring action in muscles, higher control from the nervous system or core muscles.
Although standing per se isn't dangerous, there are pathologies associated with it. One short term condition is orthostatic hypotension, and long term conditions are sore feet, stiff legs and low back pain.
Sitting
Sitting
Sitting is a rest position supported by the buttocks or thighs where the torso is more or less upright.- Sitting on the floor :The most common way of sitting on the floor involves bending the knees...
requires the buttocks resting on a more or less horizontal structure, like a chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
or the ground. Special ways of sitting are with the legs horizontal, and in an inclined seat. While on a chair the shins are usually vertical, on the ground the shins may be crossed in the lotus position
Lotus position
The Lotus Position is a cross-legged sitting posture originating in meditative practices of ancient India, in which the feet are placed on the opposing thighs. It is an established posture, commonly used for meditation, in the Hindu Yoga and Buddhist contemplative traditions...
or be placed horizontally under the thigh in a seiza
Seiza
Seiza is the Japanese term for the traditional formal way of sitting in Japan.- Form :To sit seiza-style, one first kneels on the floor, folding one's legs underneath one's thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels...
.
Squatting
Squatting is a posture where the weight of the body is on the feet (as with standing) but the knees are bent either fully (full or deep squat) or partially (partial, half, semi, parallel or monkey squat). It may be used as a posture for resting or working at ground level when the ground is too dirty to sit or kneel; for defecationDefecation
Defecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...
(the normal such posture in the many parts of the world that use squat toilet
Squat toilet
A squat toilet is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. There are several types of squat toilets, but they all consist essentially of a hole in the ground...
s); or as a temporary position during lower body squat exercises
Squat (exercise)
In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...
.
Lying
- Supine positionSupine positionThe supine position is a position of the body: lying down with the face up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down, sometimes with the hands behind the head or neck. When used in surgical procedures, it allows access to the peritoneal, thoracic and pericardial regions; as well as the...
: lying on the back with the face up. - Prone positionProne positionThe term means to lie on bed or ground in a position with chest downwards and back upwards.-Etymology :The word "prone," meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578, but is also referred to...
: lying (or laying) on the chest with the face down ("lying down", "laying down", or "going prone").
Lying on either side, with the body straight or bent/curled forward or backward. The fetal position
Fetal position
Fetal position is a medical term used to describe the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops...
is lying or sitting curled, with limbs close to the torso and the head close to the knees.
Kneeling
Kneeling
Kneeling is a human position in which the weight is distributed on the knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal.The position of kneeling may be assumed for practical reasons and for reasons of social or religious custom.- Practical reasons :...
is standing not on the feet, but on one or both knees or shins approximately parallel to the ground, possibly raised to an angle depending on the position of the feet. The torso is usually upright but can be considered kneeling at other angles not touching the ground.
Crouching
To crouch means "to bend down; to stoop low; to lie close to the ground with legs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey or in fear."Crouching may involve squatting or kneeling.
All-four
This is the static form of crawlingCrawling (human)
Babies usually learn to crawl before they develop walking skills.Crawls can refer to the specific gait or to any gait involving the arms and legs.Crawling is used mainly:...
which is instinctive form of locomotion for very young children. It is a commonly used childbirth position
Childbirth positions
The term childbirth positions refers to the various physical postures the pregnant mother may assume during the process of childbirth...
in non-Western cultures.
Atypical positions
Atypical positions include:- standing on one leg
- handstandHandstandA handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder-width apart...
- head standHead standThe head stand is a pose that is an inversion posture of standing head up. The technique is used in different settings, like yoga, breakdancing and beginner gymnastics.-In Yoga:The head stand is called Sirsasana or Sirshasana in Hatha yoga....
- spreadeagleSpreadeagle (position)The spread eagle is the position in which a person has his or her arms outstretched and legs apart, figuratively resembling an eagle with wings spread. It is a style that appears commonly in nature and geometry. In human style it is represented by the letter "X".A spreadeagle is a common position...
- crab positionCrab (posture)The Crab is the name given to a body position sometimes seen in basic gymnastics, yoga, and breakdancing. The body is supinated so that the back faces the ground, the legs are bent like sitting in a chair, and the arms extend straight backward. Only the feet and hands touch the ground, and the...
- Humans can hang in various positions. It is a position where the support is above the center of gravityCenter of gravityIn physics, a center of gravity of a material body is a point that may be used for a summary description of gravitational interactions. In a uniform gravitational field, the center of mass serves as the center of gravity...
. It may be voluntary or involuntary.
Such positions are common to break dancing, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
Stress positions
Prisoner
A prisoner is someone incarcerated in a prison, jail or similar facility.Prisoner or The Prisoner may also refer to:* Prisoner of war, a soldier in wartime, held as by an enemy* Political prisoner, someone held in prison for their ideology...
s to adopt such positions is a method of ill-treatment used for extracting information or as a punishment, possibly amounting to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. Such positions also are sometimes used as a punishment for children
Child discipline
Child discipline is the set of rules, rewards and punishments administered to teach self control, increase desirable behaviors and decrease undesirable behaviors in children. In its most general sense, discipline refers to systematic instruction given to a disciple. To discipline thus means to...
.
Bondage positions
A bondageBondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
position is a body position created by physical restraint
Physical restraint
Physical restraint refers to the practice of rendering people harmless, helpless or keeping them in captivity by means such as handcuffs, fetters, straitjackets, ropes, straps, or other forms of physical restraint...
s which restricts locomotion, use of the limbs or general freedom of movement.
Childbirth positions
In addition to the lithotomy positionLithotomy position
The lithotomy position is a medical term referring to a common position for surgical procedures and medical examinations involving the pelvis and lower abdomen, as well as a common position for childbirth in Western nations...
still commonly used by many obstetricians, childbirth positions that are successfully used by midwives and traditional birth-attendants the world over include squatting
Squatting position
Squatting is a posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees are bent either fully or partially . In contrast, sitting, involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object such as a chair seat...
, standing, kneeling
Kneeling
Kneeling is a human position in which the weight is distributed on the knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal.The position of kneeling may be assumed for practical reasons and for reasons of social or religious custom.- Practical reasons :...
and on all-fours
All-Fours
All Fours, also known as High-Low-Jack or Seven Up, is an English tavern trick-taking card game that was popular as a gambling game until the end of the 19th century...
, often in a sequence.
Dance positions
Dance position is a position of a dancer or a mutual position of a dance couple assumed during a dance. Describing and mastering proper dance positions is an important part of dance technique.Defecation positions
The two most common defecation positions are squattingSquatting position
Squatting is a posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees are bent either fully or partially . In contrast, sitting, involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object such as a chair seat...
and sitting
Sitting
Sitting is a rest position supported by the buttocks or thighs where the torso is more or less upright.- Sitting on the floor :The most common way of sitting on the floor involves bending the knees...
. The squatting posture is used for Japanese toilets and squat toilets. It is also commonly used for defecation in the absence of toilets or other devices. The sitting defecation posture is used in Western toilets, with a lean-forward posture or a 90-degrees posture. In general, the posture chosen is a cultural decision although the case has been made that squatting provides health benefits over sitting.
Heat escape lessening position
The heat escape lessening position (HELP), is a way to position oneself to reduce heat loss in cold water. It is taught as part of the curriculum in Australia, North America and Ireland for lifeguard and boating safety training. It involves essentially positioning one's knees together and hugging them close to the chest using one's arms.Medical positions
The following positions are specifically used in medicine:Recovery position
The recovery position or coma position refers to one of a series of variations on a lateral recumbent or three-quarters prone position of the body, in to which an unconscious but breathing casualty can be placed as part of first aid treatment.Resting positions
A large number of resting positions are possible, based on variations of sitting, squatting, kneeling or lying.Sex positions
Sex positions are positions which people may adopt during or for the purpose of sexual intercourse or other sexual activities. Sexual acts are generally described by the positions the participants adopt in order to perform those acts.Shooting positions
- Kneeling positionKneeling positionThe kneeling position is a position for rifle shooting. There are no longer international competitions in pure kneeling shooting, but it is included as the last part of 300 metre rifle three positions, 300 metre standard rifle and 50 metre rifle three positions.It takes a very long time to achieve...
- Prone positionProne positionThe term means to lie on bed or ground in a position with chest downwards and back upwards.-Etymology :The word "prone," meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578, but is also referred to...
- Standing positionStanding positionIn shooting, the standing position, also known as "offhand", refers to shooting while standing. It is often regarded as the most difficult position. The rules vary depending on the shooting discipline. Generally, one must stand freely, without the aid of a rest or bench. Highpower rifle, smallbore...
- Three positionsThree positionsInternational Rifle events in Three positions are conducted with an equal number of shots fired from the Prone, the Standing and the Kneeling positions, always in that order....
Sleeping positions
The sleeping position is the body configuration assumed by a person during or prior to sleeping. Six basic sleeping positions have been identified:- Fetus (41%) – curling up in a fetal positionFetal positionFetal position is a medical term used to describe the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops...
. This was the most common position, and is especially popular with women. - Log (15%) – lying on one's side with the arms down the side.
- Yearner (13%) – sleeping on one's side with the arms in front.
- Soldier (8%) – on one's back with the arms pinned to the sides.
- Freefall (7%) – on one's front with the arms around the pillow and the head tilted to one side.
- Starfish (5%) – on one's back with the arms around
Submissive positions
- GenuflectionGenuflectionGenuflection , bending at least one knee to the ground, was from early times a gesture of deep respect for a superior. In 328 BC, Alexander the Great introduced into his court etiquette some form of genuflection already in use in Persia. In the Byzantine Empire even senators were required to...
(or genuflexion) is bending at least one knee to the ground, was from early times a gesture of deep respect for a superior. - KneelingKneelingKneeling is a human position in which the weight is distributed on the knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal.The position of kneeling may be assumed for practical reasons and for reasons of social or religious custom.- Practical reasons :...
is associated with reverence, submissionSubmissionSubmission is the acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the power of one's superior or superiors.Submission may also refer to:* Submission/Submitter , an Islamic organisation...
and obeisance, particularly if one kneels before a person who is standing or sitting. - Kowtowing is the act of deep respect shown by kneelingKneelingKneeling is a human position in which the weight is distributed on the knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal.The position of kneeling may be assumed for practical reasons and for reasons of social or religious custom.- Practical reasons :...
and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. - ProstrationProstrationProstration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...
is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone positionProne positionThe term means to lie on bed or ground in a position with chest downwards and back upwards.-Etymology :The word "prone," meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578, but is also referred to...
.
Urination positions
For males, because of the flexible and protruding nature of the penisPenis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
, it is simple to control the direction of the urine stream. Most males urinate in a standing position although they could urinate sitting down
Sitting
Sitting is a rest position supported by the buttocks or thighs where the torso is more or less upright.- Sitting on the floor :The most common way of sitting on the floor involves bending the knees...
or squatting
Squatting position
Squatting is a posture where the weight of the body is on the feet but the knees are bent either fully or partially . In contrast, sitting, involves taking the weight of the body, at least in part, on the buttocks against the ground or a horizontal object such as a chair seat...
.
For females, the urine does not exit at a distance from the body and is therefore harder to control. Females most commonly urinate sitting (on a toilet) or squatting. Many females are able to urinate standing, sometimes using a female urination device
Female urination device
A female urination device or female urination aid is a device which aids a female to urinate while standing upright. Variations include basic funnel shapes to more obscure and comedic designs...
.
Yoga positions
Yoga positionsAsana
Asana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union...
are intended primarily to restore and maintain a practitioner's well-being, improve the body's flexibility and vitality, and promote the ability to remain in seated meditation for extended periods.
See also
Further reading
- Hewes GW: The anthropology of posture Scientific American, 196: 122-132 (1957)