Wide Spaces

In yoga class, I raise my arms to a T shape, but tightness limits my movement. The instructor comes over and says, “You can reach out further than that.” She places her open palm in the middle of my back and pushes into it gently. As she does, my chest lifts, allowing my arms to extend still further.

This shift, from limitation to possibility, happens in a moment—from a movement in the body, from a choice of words in a conversation, or even from catching a recur- ring thought and not letting it run wild. The slight change allows me to find the open window behind the closed curtains. Such subtle shifts are sometimes barely visible, but they are present if I pay attention.

In this brief experience during yoga class, my body becomes my teacher. I feel the soles of my feet on the cool hardwood floor, and in the next pose, I lift my arms straight up over my head. I allow my chest to broaden, directing my energy toward what is available rather than toward what is restricting me. In this expansion, I am opening myself to possibility.

“We always look for the windows of opening in the body,” my instructor reminds me. I realize I don’t have to force the effort, but rather receive it. I don’t have to push into surrender, but rather release into its spaciousness.

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