All last week we focused on the lungs. We started class by breathing into the three sections of the lungs, creating spaciousness in these organs. Keeping that fullness, I added another piece of the torso puzzle. This week we focused on the rotator cuff muscles. I've often read that the shoulder is the most dislocated joint in the body (technically the glenohumeral joint). Furthemore the tendons of the four rotator cuff muscles are the most common & most persistently injured part of the body.
There are four rotator cuffs:
*The infraspinatus and teres minors live in the back of the scapula.
*The supraspinatus lives on the top of the scapula.
*The subscapularis lives on the inside of the scapula.
The four rotator cuffs originate from the same bone (scapula) and insert into the same bone (head of the humerus). They create a continuous cuff of support that together helps maintain the head of the armbone in place.
This week we practiced bringing awareness to this location of the body. I -as well as several students- had such a pround insight from exploring. Instead of bringing the "head of the armbones back and plugging it in," which is how I was taught, the discovery was that by moving the scapulaes back, it naturally aligns the shoulder complex, while keeping a spaciousness in the chest. We explored that in the poses, especially Down Dog, Ustrasana, Cobra. They felt so broad and free. No more "plugging in" aggressively. No more "head of the armbone back" but rather a widening in the collarbones, an openness in the shoulder blades, creating stability and spaciousness, without sacrificing either.
I brought a little model of the right shoulder that I own and showed the locations of these muscles. I invited them to look at the bones, at their form and shape and let that inform their movements. I also invited the students- and this is a note I got from Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen- that whenever they move their arms to move them from their scapulaes, and whenever they move their bodies to move them from their clavicles. Tiny, beautiful shifts occured. I felt honored to witness them. Lastly I invited them to stand in Tadasana and gently open their thumbs out, and see how that naturally opens the chest. We went down to our knees and went back to Camel that way. Then stood up and went down to Uttanasana with our thumbs turning it.
Now I leave for Restorative Yoga on Thursday nights, and tonight we will do heart openers, twists and side stretches to help release any tightness in the shoulder girdle.
And so it goes.
Several students thanked me after class, telling me how helpful and interesting it was. I hope that now and then we live with a greater appreciation towards the little miracles that the body performs and a zest to explore eloquence in our expression. May we create beauty with the way we move our arms, our fingers, ourselves.
Comments (2)
Karen Heaven Claffey:
Jul 27, 2012 at 05:18 AM
Interesting....
I have been discovering through my work with clients and teaching Structural Alignment Therapy (based on and evolved from Anusara Therapeutics) that the shoulder blades being engaged are more key than the head of the humerus being back. So maybe with this theory you are presenting, and with what I have been discovering in my work, we can use the mantra "stabelize the periphery and move from the core." For example, first side body long, then integrate the head of the humerus, and then with the lateral edges of the "wings of the heart" stabelized, we can then more effectively engage the root of the wings, the shoulder blades onto the back fully.
When working therapeutically with clients, out of all the actions of shoulder loop, keeping the shoulder blades has been most instrumental in moving them out of pain in shoulder issues.
Thank you for your insightful offerings, which I will try out!
Blessings,
Karen
Maria Cristina Jimenez:
Jul 27, 2012 at 08:18 AM
Karen, thank you for writing and for your insights. I agree that the shoulder blades being -as you say- engaged is more key than the humerus being back, because when the shoulder blades are engaged they will take the humerus back!
As a Certified Anusara teacher- which I will always remain, even though I resigned in 2/16/12- I found that I often relied on mantras or phrases in my teachings, and now I am trying to not use them (or at least over use them). Even the phrase "side body long" which I loved because it was about the breath now feels limited to me, as it implies one direction of the breath (vertical plane) whilst ignoring how the lungs also move forward and back and side to side and breathing -as you know- is a three dimensional shape shifting experience!
So now instead I will say breathe into the lobes of the lungs and guide them to where they are, and have the students take their time, instead of rushing the breath. Keeping that fullness, then move the scapulaes back in space. Now as I walk around the room I notice some people need to bring their right shoulder blade more aligned so I will bring my hands gently to that bone and have them breathe there.
You know, John Friend was my main teacher for 10 years and he would mostly teach packed rooms filled with hundreds of students. Maybe he needed phrases to get the room aligned? I just had that thought. For me who teaches rooms with 10-15-20 people, sometimes even less, I'd rather be more precise.
By the way, I loved what you wrote about the "lateral edges being the wings of the heart" I often use this or variations on it, and for some reason it doesn't feel trite or overused. Thank you for writing.
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