"Stand up straight. Don't slouch." I can't begin to count the number of times I heard my mother say that to me. She even made me walk around with a book on my head (how appropriate!) to teach the muscle memory what standing straight and walking smoothly felt like.

Turns out that Mom was right. Standing straight, sitting straight, lifting heavy objects with a straight spine is good for you. People who are hunched over develop curvature of the spine and other medical problems due to the compression of heart and lungs and, to some extent, the liver.

In severe cases, heart and lungs can be considerably compromised, beyond just not breathing properly.

Standing tall affects how other people perceive you. Hunched or slouching, you are seen as deferential, feckless, or fearful. People who stand straight and face-to are seen as forthright, confident, healthy, worthy of respect.

There's an inner, psychological, component, as well. Proper posture affects self-esteem. The outward appearance influences the inner reality. He whose body reflects the posture of subordinate and fearful, feels that way, disempowered, disrespected.

Perhaps the Buddha, who demonstrated postures of reflection and meditation as part of his teachings, was on to something. Yoga certainly focuses on body position, motion. Mom was right.