Avoid Future Suffering by What You Do Now

The yogis have a wealth of ancient philosophy to inspire and educate us and one of my favourites is a quote from Master Patanjali who says “Future suffering is to be avoided by what you do now.” This has always inspired me to think about my actions in the moment.

When we think about movement of the body this applies in a very simple way. If we move, stretch out, or relax it will help us for the rest of our day, week, month etc. The effect goes on and on by simply mobilising the body. Our daily lives in a train, a car, behind a desk , on a computer also give us a future result: they can make us tense, hunched, tight and uptight. So loosening our joints – in particular shoulders, wrists, hips, ankles and of course spine – is so important. It doesn’t have to be hours and hours but regular stretching is the key.

Think about your posture for a moment, how are you reading this blog ? Behind a desk, sitting down, lying down, what are your shoulders doing? If you roll your shoulders back and down a few times, how does that feel? Being aware of our movements in daily life can be a sign of how we may feel later on.

If you work behind a desk try taking regular walking breaks , take some deep breaths and stretch out. Have a look at the sessions for shoulders and wrists on MFML to pick up some tips.

My favourites are a wall hang: putting my hands on the wall and walking my hips backwards until my back is at a right angle. It gives a stretch between the shoulder blades and feels great afterwards. Try interlacing the hands behind the back, drop your chin to your chest, and lift arms away from back while squeezing your shoulder blades together.

“Future suffering is to be avoided by what you do now.”

I’m off to stretch out…….