My friend Nicole is a yoga buff. When we were hanging out one evening she asked me to assess her downward dog, as she was experiencing some shoulder pain.
As soon as she assumed the position, the reason for her pain became obvious. Can you see it too?
Her shoulders and lower back are hyper-extended causing a sort of collapse in the shoulder girdle and spine that allows her to “sit” on her joints. Resting on the joints in this way creates an unstable situation that results in unnecessary tension gathering in her neck, shoulders, and low back.
The joints are designed to hold the bodily structure up while the muscles are designed to move the body. When we reverse these roles by pressing into the end ranges of a joint, the muscles tighten down to provide the body support that the joints normally would.
The Shoulder Joint
The shoulder joint is highly mobile. When there is that much range of motion in a joint, more opportunity exists for something to go wrong; especially if you’re athletic and use your shoulders frequently.
There are three components of training:
Mobility
Stability
Strength
For the purposes of today’s article, we will be looking at gaining stability which will translate to some strength being built.
Check out the image of Pratima below. Notice the straight line that she has achieved throughout the entirety of her back.
By working her two-way stretch — pressing down through her hands while simultaneously reaching her tail up to the ceiling — she achieves balanced musculature side to side, as well as front to back. This allows her to work deeply into the posture without creating unnecessary pain / tension.
Armpit Shame
This has become a memorable phrase in the studio.
It not only gets my students laughing (which adds an element of play), the absurdity of the correction sticks in their minds (and therefore their bodies); yielding positive results.
Incorrect form
Correct form
Whether practicing downward dog or lifting something overhead, it’s easy to see that subtle differences in form contribute to overall shoulder function.
These subtleties send the body on a trajectory that leads straight into pain, injury, and impingements; or, has the potential to build a healthy set of shoulders that not only function well but are pain free.
My hope is that you’ll adopt an armpit shame mentality. Your shoulders will thank you! ;-)