Resting position

Pissarro - Haymakers Resting, 1891

A resting position or rest position is a default human position or pose assumed (typically deliberately) when a person is not engaged in an activity that demands some other pose, or between poses.

General rest positions[]

Common resting positions of the body include kneeling, leaning, lying, sitting, and squatting. In microgravity, the relaxed human body naturally assumes neutral body posture.^[1]

Rest positions in specific activities[]

Uniformed officers standing at ease

The Shavasana pose in yoga

Home row on a standard keyboard

A number of disciplines specify particular resting positions, with various purposes.

Body[]

Ballet incorporates several resting poses, including a neutral pose described by Cesare Negri and Jacob de Gheyn II with the feet at 45 degrees, back strait, and chin erect.^[2] Neoclassical ballet includes a rest or "preparatory" position called "B plus" (possibly named for George Balanchine), also called attitude a terre, in which the standing leg is straight, and the back leg curved with the toe pointed.^[3]

Military parade discipline includes standing rest positions, generally assumed following a command of "At ease", "Stand easy", or "Relax".^[4][5]

Some forms of yoga incorporate the Shavasana or "Corpse Pose", a rest position used for wakeful relaxation and meditation, often at the end of a session.^[6]

Hands and arms[]

Gun safety rules generally specify that the trigger finger should not rest on the trigger when not firing, but alongside the trigger guard.^[7]

In various sign languages, rest positions may be used to convey grammatical meaning.^[8]

In touch typing, the home row is a rest position for the hands, placing all the standard keys within easy reach.^[9]

References[]