Newsletter 19/03/21 - What shoulders tell about you

Hello dear you!

I hope you've been keeping well lately. You know what's today, right? Spring is finally here and I can already feel that impulse of energy that goes with having more light and longer days!

If you've been practising with me for a while, you probably know that I generally don't come to class with a set sequence in mind. I love going with the flow and respond to the energy in the room. It's funny now thinking we used to be in the same room, right? Mats side by side, trying to avoid bumping into each other's elbows, synchronising our breaths, giving a sneaky look at the neighbour or person behind. Is her downdog more good looking than mine? Is he going to nail that crow pose?

I have so much appreciation for those of you who've managed to keep up with a regular practice through screens and despite not being able to feed from everyone's energy in a studio. I have so much understanding and empathy for those of you who found it too challenging or demotivating.

I also realised there is something interesting in practising at home. As opposed to a lot of studios and gyms, there are no mirrors in the rooms we now practise in, for most of us. No way to know what poses and shapes look like on us. Therefore, I'm assuming that for most of us, the āsana practice has been so much more physical sensations and experience driven rather than look. And, ultimately, this is what this practice and philosophy are all about. Turning inwards, listening to your own body and self, embracing all the possibilities, boundaries without worrying about the external look and outcome. So I am comforting myself in thinking that something great actually came out of all this mess on an āsana practice level.

As I generally sequence on the spot, I go with the flow, the mood, the forecast, light and energy of the day. And intuitively, when spring time comes around, I'm drawn towards more heart-opening shapes, opening-up chest and shoulders. Did you know that shoulders tell so much about us? There are one of the key body parts to look at to get an idea on one's overall posture. They often tell a lot about how our days are occupied. And for many of us surely, there's a lot of hunching happening from sitting, scrolling and staring at screens far too many hours in the day. People would also think how much they tell about the way we move through life with more or less confidence and how it shows into our stance.
So, after getting all the benefits from having a more tuned in physical practice, I'd find it interesting to focus on how specific parts of the body feel whilst moving on and off the mat.

From a physiological perspective, shoulders play such a great part in potential chronic spine/back pain. The shoulder joint is one of the most mobile in the body, at the expense of stability sometimes. As a ball and socket synovial joint, the range of movement really is huge. To keep happy shoulders, there is a balance to find in yummy stretches and strengthening work.

From a body language point of view, they tell a great deal about or emotions and play such a huge part of the way we communicate non-verbally. Without realising it, everyday we use the shoulders to communicate non-verbally what we think. When someone asks us, “Which way is it to the supermarket?” and we immediately shrug the shoulders, elevating them quickly and emphatically, this is our way of saying, “I really don’t know.” It is a universal gesture. This quick gravity defying behavior (lifting up or shrugging of the shoulders) positively reinforces what was said. We have greater confidence in others when we see the nonverbal confirmation of the verbal message. Interesting, ha?!

As we prepare ourselves to let go of some layers when temperatures warm up, let's give our shoulders some love and extra care before setting them free in our coolest tanks and allowing them to be sun kissed! You know I love a good hands/shoulders mini-sequence within the sequence so be ready for even more of that!

See you on the mat!

Sending you love!