This week in our flow classes, we focused on opening through the chest and shoulders — an area that is so important! So much of modern life pulls us forward. Sitting, driving, working at a desk, looking at our phones — we spend a huge portion of our day in a kind of “C-shape,” gently collapsed in on ourselves. Over time, this has an impact on the body. The front body, particularly the chest and hip flexors, becomes tight and shortened, while the back body becomes lengthened and often weaker.
To create balance, we need to work from two angles:
1) Open the front body
2) Strengthen the back body
This isn’t just about posture — it’s about how we feel. Opening through the front of the body can create a sense of space and energy. Strengthening the back body helps us feel supported, steady and more upright in both body and mind.
Coming into stillness
At the end of class, we did a heart-opening Yin posture. Using bolsters and cushions, we created a ramp and lay back, allowing the chest to open and the arms to fall out to the sides, palms facing upward. It’s a posture that people tend to love.
With the next posture being Savasana, there were no more transitions, nothing more for the mind to anticipate or think about – just the body, supported and open.
Here, we practised ‘interoception’ — being aware of what’s happening within the body. Noticing sensations, the rhythm of the breath, what thoughts arise. Simply observing, without trying to change anything. It sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. The mind is very good at wandering — especially the moment we stop moving. But this is the practice: gently returning, again and again, to what is here right now.
A simple story, a big reminder
While resting in the posture, I shared the story of the millionaire and the fisherman which goes like this… a millionaire is walking along the beach and meets a fisherman relaxing beside his boat in the sun, smoking his pipe. The millionaire says “are you finished for the day?”. “Yes”, replies the fisherman. “Why don’t you go back out and catch more fish, it’s still early in the afternoon”. The fisherman looks confused and says “why would I do that?”. The millionaire replies “well, if you catch more fish, you can sell more fish to the restaurants, make more money, buy bigger nets, sell more fish…”. The fisherman, still looking confused, asks again why he would do that. The millionaire says “well, then you’d be rich like me and you can spend your time doing what you enjoy”. The fisherman replies “well, what do you think I’m doing right now?”
So the millionaire thought fulfilment and happiness lay somewhere at the end, after all the striving, working harder, earning more money. Whereas the fisherman was wise as he knew it was available right now.
So often, we are striving for more — doing more, achieving more, thinking that happiness or peace lies somewhere in the future. But what if, even briefly, we stopped? What if we noticed that what we’re looking for might already be available to us?
Taking the practice off the mat into a walk
This idea of presence doesn’t have to stay in the yoga room. In fact, it becomes even more meaningful when we bring it into everyday life. Often when I go for a walk, I will say to myself…
“I’m not going to check my phone at all for the duration of this walk“
Or maybe re-framing the walk in your head from being something that you need to ‘get done’ before you rush to something else, to something that you experience ie. the purpose of this walk is to enjoy the walk!
You might notice the sounds around you, the feeling of the air or the rhythm of your steps. You might watch your dog completely absorbed in the moment — curious, engaged and present. I do this a lot with Bess (my dog) – they can seriously teach us a lot about being present!
You might also bring awareness into the body like we practised in the cabin:
- Do you carry one shoulder slightly higher than the other?
- Do your feet land evenly?
- How does your body naturally move?
5 simple ways to practice being present:
- At a red light or the infamous train gates by the cabin, resist reaching for your phone. Instead notice your breath, soften the shoulders and look around.
- When having your first drink in the morning, don’t do anything else whilst you’re drinking it (and that includes checking your messages!)
- Do something with the opposite hand eg. brushing your teeth, washing up. Notice how instantly present you are.
- Any time you instinctively reach for your phone, before picking it up, take one breath and ask yourself why. This small gap can shift habits over time.
- Sit or lie in complete silence for one minute – no agenda, just being.
See you soon in the cabin!
Michelle x
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