One of the best "exercises" you can do

A daily practice of opening the front body, expanding the breath and awakening inner spaciousness.

Hello beautiful friends,

Have you ever paused to imagine yourself at ninety? Not just your age, but how you might move—how your spine might feel, how you might stand, walk, and breathe.

Do you picture yourself still moving freely, at ease in your own body?

For most of us, unless we are dedicated movers or lifelong yogis, some mobility will naturally fade with age. I know it will for me, too. But this isn’t a reason to give up—it’s an invitation to pay attention.

Over my forty-plus years in physiotherapy, I’ve seen that maintaining balance in the flexibility of the body is essential for living well. Mobility and upright posture form the foundation of every functional movement we make. When we move freely, we feel lighter, stronger, and more resilient. When that freedom diminishes, so too does our vitality, confidence, and joy in simple movement.

Think of your body like a well-engineered vehicle. Imagine if one of your car doors developed a stiff hinge and could only open halfway. You could still get in and out, but it would take effort, and you’d have to adapt to its limitation. Now imagine that hinge is your hip, your shoulder, or your spine. Over time, those small restrictions quietly shape the way you move through the world—and the way the world moves through you.

The heart of my posture work, the Karana Posture Program, is about restoring that lost fluidity—particularly through the spine. From balanced flexibility comes natural strength, ease, and grace in everyday life.

One of the key qualities we aim to restore is extension—the opening of the front of the body. This includes extension of the hips, the lumbar spine, and the thoracic spine. In modern life, where most of us fold forward over desks, screens, and steering wheels, this opening is revolutionary.

We also explore shoulder mobility, particularly the ability to move the arms behind the body. Almost everyone I see—young or old—has a forward-drawn shoulder posture that contributes to tightness, tension, and even headaches. Restoring this range not only frees your shoulders but helps open your chest and uplift your head and heart.

And now for the simple part—the “exercise” I’d like to share with you today.

I place the word exercise in quotation marks because it doesn’t require effort. It’s a passive practice—no pushing, no straining. You simply lie down in a particular way, allowing gravity and time to do the work.

How easy is that?

Ten minutes a day could transform how you move, breathe, and feel.

This gentle posture practice offers an abundance of benefits:

1. Restores natural spinal and shoulder movement

2. Invites stillness—a moment to pause and simply be

3. Teaches relaxation through surrender, not effort

4. Deepens body awareness, awakening your sensory intelligence

5. Brings you into presence—with yourself, and with life

6. Reconnects you with your breath, allowing it to flow freely and naturally

7. Expands the diaphragm, nurturing calmness and vitality

How to Practice

What I’m about to share is the most gentle version of this restorative posture (as seen above). Begin here. Let your body learn gently. Once you’ve practiced this version for a few weeks and can rest comfortably without any discomfort, you can gradually increase the depth of the stretch.

1. Set up your space. Choose a quiet place with a rug or yoga mat. Take two pillows (or folded towels if you prefer a firmer surface).

   
   

2. Position your supports. Lay the pillows sideways on the mat — one for your hips and one for your mid-upper back and chest.

   
   

3. Come into the posture.

   • Lie down so that your pelvis rests over the first pillow and the back of your chest rests over the second.

   • If your head tips backward, support it with another small pillow so your neck can settle in a neutral, relaxed position.

   • Extend your legs fully, slightly apart allowing the legs to relax.

   • Open your arms to “cactus arms”—shoulders and elbows bent at about ninety degrees, hands relaxed, palms facing up, and arms comfortably supported on the floor.

     
     

4. Rest. Allow yourself to remain in this position for 10 minutes. Soften the effort to do anything. Let your body open naturally as you breathe. Feel your front body gently expanding—the chest, ribs, abdomen, and hips.

   
   

5. Progress gradually. As your body adapts to this practice, you can increase the depth by raising the supports—for example, placing yoga blocks under your hips and a bolster or firmer cushion under your chest.

Photo (ii): 1 pillow + 1* block - intermediate version

Photo (iii): 2 pillows + 2* blocks - advanced version

*Refers to block height.

For each exercise place two blocks side by side to support the breadth of your buttocks.

Adapt your props as required, eg: a large folded blanket may be sufficient height for some people.

Coming Out & Integrating the Practice

When you’re ready to come out of the posture, do so slowly—as though awakening from a dream.

1. Gently bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor.

2. Roll softly onto one side, allowing your spine to curl and your body to rest for a few breaths.

3. When you feel ready, press yourself up gradually to sitting, keeping your eyes soft and your breath steady.

   
   

Sit quietly for a moment and notice how you feel. Sense the new spaciousness across your chest, the ease in your spine, and the quiet rhythm of your breath. This is the afterglow of the practice—the body remembering its natural openness.

Carry this awareness with you into the rest of your day. Let your movements—standing, walking, reaching—reflect the freedom you’ve reclaimed.

Each time you return to this posture, think of it not only as restoring mobility, but as an act of devotion to your body—a way of saying thank you to the vessel that carries you through life.

So take a few moments each day to open your body, to breathe space back into your being. Your future self will thank you—with every graceful step, every deep breath, and every moment of effortless presence.

Perhaps you can commit to doing this practice every day for a week and then notice how you feel. I'd love to hear of your experience.

Yours in openness,