Hopefully, this is the last snow this winter for us New Englanders. This being said, many of us need to shovel snow and sometimes slush these days. The way you handle your body shows up whether you are practicing yoga, whether you play an instrument, you rake leaves or shovel snow!

And if you experience excess tension in your daily life, 
the last thing you want is to enhance or trigger your tension level 
which would easily manifest NECK, SHOULDER, BACK OR JOINTS TROUBLES.

Now, I am not saying that challenging yourself is not a good thing.
What I am saying is that there are different ways to do so. Some are beneficial to your whole body while others are detrimental to your wellbeing.

MUSCLING THROUGH SHOVELING IS THE BEST WAY TO GET HURT!

TRUSTING YOUR WHOLE-BODY STRENGTH
BASED ON YOUR MUSCLES & SKELETAL STRUCTURE WORKING TOGETHER
IS THE WAY TO MOVE SAFELY!
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HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO SHOVEL SAFELY?

1. Allow your muscles and joints to be as relaxed as possible. You movements will naturally be more fluid and efficient. Your energy will be able to flow more easily throughout your body.

2. Keep in a state of skeletal expansion. Avoid slouching into yourself as you relax like the woman in red in the above picture.

3. Use your body weight whenever possible by pushing or dragging a shovel full of snow with your whole body strength to spare isolated muscles to overdo .

4. Stay present to your body from head to toes as much as possible. That is one way to avoid doing something that feels good or right for one body part while creating excess tension in other parts.

You will discover that your strength comes from your mind and bones more than from tight muscles. You’ll feel much better than usual after you shovel & can prevent your back to go out this way.

When you minimize tensing isolated muscles, you enlist your skeletal structure, and you access greater strength with less efforts. What could be better than that? Plus, it adds a spring to your steps.

So good luck with your shoveling and your way to moving in general!

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Cécile can be reached by responding to this blog or by contacting her through her website: https://cecileraynor.com/ where you can schedule a free consult or sign up for events like her incoming workshop on Alexander Technique for Musicians

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Cécile Raynor has been teaching for 30 years, published the Wise Way to Yoga as well as numerous articles, and she was featured several times both on TV and on an “Expanded Awareness” radio show. Her blog has been read by thousands of people in over 100 different countries. Her work is based on the Alexander Technique, the best-kept secret of Olympic athletes and famous performers. They swear by it because it allows them to perform at their best with optimal safety. Although it is now commonly used by everyone. She also created the Body Intelligence Activation Process™, a mind, body, heart and spirit work that affects her students in all aspects of their life as they experience increased wellbeing.
Cécile has been helping people with poor posture, chronic muscular tension and pain, joints issues and headaches reclaim their ease of movement, their natural good posture, and the joy and peace of mind brought by well-being. She has also been a mentor for many students interested in embodied and integrated personal growth.