Anyone who practices with me regularly knows I have a soft spot for the lateral plane of movement — think all those delightful side stretches that feel like you’re creating space where there wasn’t any before. I love how opening through the side body feels both grounding and freeing.
And maybe that’s why this theme feels so right for November. The days are growing shorter, the air cooler, and our bodies instinctively start to curl in, conserving warmth and energy. But as we begin the descent toward winter, it is more important than ever that we find ways to tap into the lightness and space within.
This month in class, we’ll explore side body opening and strength, focusing on both those expansive stretches that lengthen the space from hip to armpit and on activating the muscles that support a sense of freedom through the ribs and spine. This area plays such a vital role in how we breathe, move, and feel, and I think it will be the perfect antidote to any emerging winter blues.
The forgotten pathway of the side body
We tend to focus on movements like forward folds, backbends, and twists. And yet, the sides of the body are where so much happens. It’s where the breath expands, where the spine finds space, and where balance between left and right truly begins. These subtle muscles, the obliques, intercostals, and quadratus lumborum, are the stabilisers and connectors that help us stand upright, move with ease, and breathe deeply.
When they’re tight, everything feels smaller: our breath, our posture, even our energy. But when we stretch and strengthen these areas, we feel taller, lighter, and more open to the world around us.
The energy of expansion
Side body work is about expansion, not just in a physical sense, but energetically. In yogic philosophy, the side body is often linked to the flow of prana, or life force. When we open up the ribs and intercostal muscles, we create more room for the breath, which means more energy, clarity, and vitality.
As the breath deepens, the mind naturally begins to quiet. The nervous system softens. We start to feel grounded yet uplifted, a balance that’s especially valuable during the darker, colder months.
The unsung hero: Quadratus lumborum (QL)
One of the key muscles that benefits from side bending is the quadratus lumborum, or QL. It’s a deep muscle that sits on either side of your lower spine, connecting the ribs to the pelvis. The QL plays a major role in stabilising the lower back and is often the culprit behind that nagging tightness we feel after long periods of sitting.
When the QL is tight, it can pull the spine out of alignment and create discomfort through the lower back and hips. By consciously working to lengthen and release this area through side stretches, we create more balance and ease in both our yoga practice and how we move through daily life.
Lateral stretches and backbends
You might notice that your backbends feel deeper and more effortless when you’ve spent time opening through the sides. That’s because a flexible side body creates space in the ribcage, allowing the heart to lift and the spine to arch without compression.
If you’ve ever felt a pinch in your lower back during a backbend, try incorporating more lateral stretches into your warm-up. Movements like gate pose (Parighasana), extended side angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana), or half moon (Ardha Chandrasana) help you find that upward lift and elongation that support deeper, safer backbends later on.
When we strengthen and lengthen the sides evenly, we also encourage symmetry, essential for balance in the spine and for the graceful ease that yoga cultivates.
Exploring lateral movement in practice
In class this month, we’ll be playing with familiar poses in new ways, finding side bends where we might not expect them.
In addition to the poses mentioned above, you can expect gentle lateral movement added to cat-cow, a stretch through the side ribs in down dog, or a balancing challenge in side plank with tree pose. We’ll also explore transitions that blend strength and fluidity, such as dipping in forearm side plank or unfolding from side plank into wild thing into fallen triangle.
Breathing through the dark
As the season shifts and daylight fades, the body naturally contracts. The shoulders hunch, the chest tightens, the breath shortens. When you open through your sides, you give your lungs, ribs, and heart more room to move. You literally breathe more life into your system, improving circulation, digestion, and even mood.
So if November starts to feel heavy, remember: every breath is an act of expansion. Each side stretch is a reminder that spaciousness and potential for growth still exist, within you and around you, always waiting to be rediscovered 🙂
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