REVERSE

Have you ever noticed how reversing a car demands a different kind of attention? Unlike driving forward, where muscle memory often takes over, going backwards pulls you out of autopilot. It requires focus, presence, and awareness. At that moment, you’re far more mindful.

What if we could bring that same quality of awareness into other parts of life by choosing, every now and then, to do something in reverse?

Setbacks often feel like the world is turning us around against our will. We become caught in ideas of “right” and “wrong” and can get stuck in frustration. But perhaps “reverse” moments are an invitation: a chance to pause, to see from a new perspective, and to notice what usually lies out of view.

There’s a saying in classrooms that teachers have “eyes in the back of their head.” Of course, it’s not literal but it speaks to a certain kind of awareness. It’s the ability to sense what’s happening beyond the obvious, to pick up on subtleties, and to stay connected to more than just what’s directly in front of us. This kind of awareness of what lies outside our immediate field of vision can be a powerful practice in life, reminding us to notice what we might otherwise miss.

The front is the polished version we choose to show the world: the neat, composed, and curated self. But behind us, our “reverse view” there can be messiness, vulnerability, or simply the parts of life we prefer to keep hidden. Yet these less-polished aspects are not flaws; they’re often where the most interesting and authentic truths live. 

We tend to live more in the front of our bodies. Our eyes, mouth, chest, and hands are all forward-facing, constantly drawing our awareness toward what lies ahead. This shapes how we move, how we interact with others, and even how we experience ourselves. But the back of the body, often quieter, less obvious, and sometimes forgotten holds its own wisdom and depth of support.

Take the back of the hips, for example. This area often holds tightness and compression from long hours of sitting or standing. When we gently widen and create space here, there’s often a surprising sense of release, as if the body finally exhales.

Then there’s the back of the lungs. Breathing into this space, your inhale expanding the ribcage not just forward, but also sideways and behind you creates a fuller, more three-dimensional breath. This simple shift can bring a sense of spaciousness, opening us to new capacity both physically and emotionally.

Even the backs of the knees, often overlooked, can tell us a story. Softening and opening here affects the entire chain of posture, influencing how we stand, how we walk, and how tension flows through the legs.

Energetically, the front of the body is more linked with the sympathetic nervous system, the part of us that is alert, active, and ready to respond. The back body, by contrast, invites a settling, a return to grounding and calm. It is the place we lean into for rest and support, both literally and symbolically.

Practices like walking backwards can highlight this difference in a simple yet profound way. Instead of charging forward, backward walking asks us to ground through the heels, to trust what we cannot see, and to awaken a different kind of balance. The energy shifts: rising through the front of the body, and flowing back down through the spine and heels, creating a loop of awareness that feels stabilising and whole.

By tuning into the back body, we invite a more complete sense of ourselves not just what we show to the world, but the unseen support that carries us quietly, moment to moment

Exploring “reverse” isn’t about undoing or going back in time. It’s about widening perspective. It invites us to soften our grip on the forward-facing rush of life and to honour what’s behind, within, and often overlooked.

Next time you feel stuck in routine or frustrated when life turns you in a direction you didn’t plan, pause. Try reversing: take a breath into the back of your lungs, soften the backs of your knees, or even take a few mindful steps backwards. You might discover that the view behind you has just as much to teach as what lies ahead.