Shoshin Movement Studio

Bend, don’t break – the Jefferson Curl is one of our favourites 💪

This one tends to raise eyebrows. 🤨

A slow, weighted spinal roll-down? Sounds risky, right?

But, the Jefferson Curl is one of the best ways to build strength and control through your entire posterior chain – from your upper to lower spine, through your hamstrings and down to the calves.

The truth is, your spine should be able to flex.

We do it every day – picking up kids, loading the washing machine.

The goal isn’t to avoid bending, it’s to build the capacity to do it safely and confidently.

By strengthening the muscles that support spinal flexion, the J-Curl can actually reduce back pain for many people.

It improves hamstring flexibility, builds resilience through the lower back, and increases mobility in the spine and hips – helping you move with more ease and less tension.

This exercise also helps people build confidence in their spine – learning to trust their back and move without that fear of hurting it.

It’s not about touching your toes – it’s about building strength through your full range, so your body feels capable and ready for everyday life.

Move better. Feel better. Live better. 😌

Flexibility isn’t just about touching your toes or doing the splits.

It’s about having a body that moves well, feels good, and supports you in everything you do – from training to everyday life.

At Shoshin Movement, we take a practical, long-term approach to flexibility.

Our method combines three key steps that work together to build flexibility safely with the strength and stability to control it:

1️⃣ Daily 7 warm-up

A flow of 7 simple exercises/ positions that cover the body’s main ranges of motion, helping prime you for movement - in just 5 minutes or less.

This isn’t your typical warm-up. It’s a mindful check-in our members run through at the start of every class – a few minutes to notice how your body feels and prep it before you move.

We’re tuning in to energy levels, stiffness, and areas that feel more open or restricted, so we can move intentionally and get the most from the session ahead.

We believe ‘warm ups' or any prep work should be intentional and relevant for the movement you'll be asking your body to do.

2️⃣ Active stretching

Flexibility without control can leave you vulnerable to injury. By moving through strength-based stretches, we build mobility – flexibility you can actually use.

This is where we unlock movement potential and create lasting change.

3️⃣ Passive stretching

Passive stretching - longer, targeted holds at your end range of motion helps the tissues adapt and yield over time and is a potent part of your flexibility training.

It’s important to note, passive work alone won't create functional flexibility - it must be combined with active stretching.

When you put these three pieces together, you build a body that’s strong, supple, and capable – one you can rely on for life and movement 💪

If you’d like a flexible body that feels as good as it moves, our Mobility classes are designed to help you get there.

👉 shmv.com.au/intro

Stretchy Strong or Just Stretchy?
🧘‍♀️💪

We hear it all the time –
“I want to be more flexible!”

But what most people actually want… is better mobility.

Mobility vs Flexibility:
Flexibility is about how far you can move into a position (like touching your toes or doing the splits).
Mobility is about how well you can control that movement – with strength and stability through your range.

And that control?
That’s what keeps your joints healthy, your movements smooth, and your body feeling good day-to-day.

At Shoshin, that’s exactly what we train for. We teach mobility – so you’re not just stretchy, you’re strong, capable, and moving with freedom.

Whether it’s getting off the floor with ease, keeping up with your kids, improving your posture or feeling less stiff and restricted in your everyday movements – mobility makes it all possible.

Something that often surprises people is that mobility isn’t just reserved for our Mobility classes – it’s woven into everything we do at Shoshin.

This seated overhead hold, for example, builds end-range shoulder strength and thoracic mobility.

You’ll find it in our current Strength block, helping our crew get stronger and freer in their every day movement. 💪

Just a casual holiday handstand at NICA from Dave 🤸 but this one’s got a little story behind it…

While we were in Melbourne last week, Dave popped in to visit Holly, who’s now training full time at NICA.

Holly first joined us in our kids classes, moved into the adult classes, and worked her way from no handstand at all to a solid one arm handstand (which takes serious time and commitment to master). 💪

We’re so proud of how far she’s taken her practice, and grateful to have played a part in her journey.

It’s always special to see where a movement practice can take you when you’ve got the spark AND the staying power.

Keep going, Holly – Your Shoshin cheer squad will always have your back! 🤩

✨ Easter Giveaway Winners! ✨

A big thank you to everyone who entered our Easter Giveaway!

We appreciate your support.

Now, drumroll please… our lucky winners are:

1-Hour Massage from Nordic Massage:
AMY EMERSON

1 Month Unlimited Membership at Shoshin Movement:
NATALIE DEANNE
HOLLY FOWLER

Congrats to all our winners! We'll be in touch via DM to organise your prizes!

💙

Build Strength From the Ground Up With Kettlebell Front Squats

Holding kettlebells in front of your body does more than just load the legs. 💪

Kettlebell front squats help build serious lower-body strength while forcing your core and upper back to work hard to keep you upright.

✅ Strengthening quads, glutes, and hamstrings

These muscles are your body’s main engines for walking, lifting, climbing stairs, and getting off the floor. Strong legs mean less strain on your knees and hips and more confidence moving through your day without feeling wobbly or worn out.

✅ Building postural strength from holding the weight in front

Holding kettlebells in front lights up your core and upper back to keep you upright. Great for improving posture and reducing that ‘slouchy’ feeling many of us get from sitting too much. It teaches your body to stay tall and braced, whether you’re lifting a box, a kid, or a shopping bag.

✅ Improving control and depth in your squat

Working through a full range of motion with control builds mobility and strength where it counts. That means squatting down to pick something up feels easier, more stable, and less like a chore.

Bit of a leg day classic around here. 👌

Learn how to get strong and move better with exercises like these kettlebell front squats at our Cairns studio!

P-Bar Dips - These'll get your upper body talking!

The Shoshin fam have been getting after P-bar dips lately, and let’s just say... the triceps are feeling it. 💪

They might look simple, but once you're a few reps in, you realise pretty quickly that it’s a full upper body burner.🔥

Chest, shoulders, arms…everything gets involved!

They’re great for:

- Building push strength without needing a barbell
- Training shoulder control through a full range
- Developing that kind of strength that’s useful beyond the gym

It's definitely a humbling movement but the tribe’s been leaning into them and the gains are showing! 🤩