By Eve Bell

There was a moment in yoga the other day when my teacher gave us a pose and said, imagine you are holding up the world.

My arms lifted and for a second, in the quiet of the room, surrounded by others, it felt possible.

But then my arms felt heavy as the realisation came that this is what it feels like every day.

Holding up the world. Holding it together.

Trying to make the right choices in a system that pushes the weight downward. Straight onto our backs.

We are constantly told it’s up to us. Bring your own cup, recycle your packaging, boycott fast fashion, eat less meat. Good actions. Necessary actions. But they only scratch the surface when the real weight of change sits elsewhere. In boardrooms and in governments. In the hands of those who have the power to transform with a signature. But instead of using the power in their hands, they but shift the burden onto individuals.

I’m all for small steps. Those ripples that create change. But without structural change, those ripples can dissipate fairly quickly. The same corporations that sell us reusable water bottles flood the oceans with plastic waste. The same politicians who urge personal responsibility make deals with industries that profit from destruction.

Yet it is us who are made to believe we are failing if we don’t do it all. If we forget our bag for life, if we take a flight, if we buy something wrapped in plastic. The guilt of it all, pressing down as we try to hold it all up.

We were never meant to hold up the world alone. The weight of change is collective. It happens when individual choices spark movements and those movements demand accountability. It happens when we refuse to be distracted by manufactured controversies and keep our focus on what really matters.

Perhaps the real pose isn’t about holding up the world at all. Maybe it’s about standing side by side with our shoulders touching. Creating a foundation strong enough that no single person bears too much.

In a community of shared purpose, we don’t just survive the weight.

We transform it into something that lifts us all.