Blue Portance framework concept

Natural postures

A repertoire of positions and transitions in which the body can keep adjusting its balance and support.

Scientific basis

Resting postures vary across people and contexts. A study of the Hadza notably describes squatting postures and muscle activity different from that measured in chair sitting. It does not define universal “natural postures” or an ideal posture.

Blue Portance / SBNFA™ reading

Blue Portance uses this expression as a framework for observing the positions and transitions a person can actually adopt. It does not refer to a closed list of body shapes to reproduce.

Contribution to the analysis of sitting

In the SBNFA™, the analysis examines the positions and transitions actually accessible during a task: can the person change the orientation of the pelvis, vary their support and move between several stabilizable balance configurations while continuing their activity? This reading makes it possible to examine how the workstation and the support promote or limit this repertoire, taking into account the person’s capacities and tolerance.

Not to be confused with

the idea of a universal “good posture.”

Sources and scope

This study describes a specific context. The term “natural postures” and its use in seating analysis belong here to the Blue Portance framework.

Further reading