A Class You Won't Want to Miss!!

Food for Thought

Deane Juhan in Job's Body, a must read for any bodywork practitioner, notes "bones can only go where muscles pull them, and muscles can only respond to conditions which prevail in the nervous system."

Diversity matters

What I find increasingly important over the years of
research and experiential anatomy is that diversity
of movement dictates more than we realize.

Notice your posture. How do you present yourself to 
a friend as opposed to a stranger? Do you always have 
your arms crossed in front of you? Do you notice or even
care that your posture represents how you feel about
yourself and the world?

What are you doing right now? Notice your breathing. Is
your breathing something that you are ever aware of during
the course of your busy day? Does it change with activities
or even the weather?

How often do you sit? You would be surprised to find out that
even if you are a daily walker, runner, exercise enthusiast....you still spend a large majority of your waking
hours in one seated position in a chair.

How do you change these habits? Acknowledge them. Notice
what you do daily and then alter your position to the floor or standing more. And, if you live in the area, attend one or both of my healthy movement classes coming up this September and October.

If you have any questions, please email me: 
yoginiofoz@gmail.com

Effective shoulder stretching happens with proper body alignment

 Don't confuse the familiar with the healthy. 

~ Judith H. Lasater

Alignment really is the key to unlocking tension patterns in the body. As most humans are aware, we carry a lot of tension in our neck and shoulders. 

What I would like to discuss today is that while stretching tight muscles is great, you might not be reaching certain muscle groups effectively due to your posture. 

Misalignment patterns can have a cascading effect that may result in not only tight muscles but compression of the vertebral discs in your spine.

Let's look at the biomechanist, Katy Bowman, and her two photos below.                                                                                                       

My hope is that you can tell the difference between the left picture and the right. When the arms are raised either straight or in this bent elbow position, it becomes very obvious that the anterior ribs are thrusting forwards. While this movement is very normal, it isn't healthy if we are in a rib thrusting position for most of the day.

This rib thrusting over time can be problematic due to the shearing force that is applied to the anterior spinal discs (which are fluid filled sacs between the bones of the spine). 

If you default to this postural position, this constant compression can become chronic as the muscles adapt to your postural habits and the discs may burst or a nerve may start to pinch. Pain doesn't always result immediately but over time issues will become more dramatic and less likely to change with just proper alignment cues. 

The reality is that if it took you decades of bad posture to get into this predicament, it will take some time to get you back into a healthier position. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, but I do believe that change will come with persistence over time. The first step is knowing what a neutral, healthy spine looks like. 

 Rib thrusting not only affects the bones but the soft tissues as well. Muscles, organs, nerves, arteries, and veins; it's all connected. Chronic misalignment in one area isn't isolated but systemic.

 For the first few years, I was just taking the ribs back and lengthening the spine from the heels all the way to the crown of the head. That works as a first step in the process of observation and integration.

Now I not only think about the anterior, front body but have a new focus. Taking the posterior ribcage (approximately where the kidneys are located) back and up, again lengthening the spine from heels to crown of the head.

In the video above you will be introduced to an excellent exercise to discover how tight your shoulders REALLY are and to then how to work on isolating the shoulder movement while keeping great alignment.

Just remember your tissues need time to repair. Short intervals several times a day will help with the repair and strengthening process.

I hope this essay helps move you in the direction towards better range-of-motion in your shoulders. I will be spending the next several months introducing concepts relating to the shoulders and building on those ideas with each essay. My want is that you will leave with a better understanding over time. I do well with repetition, approaching the topic from a variety of angles to uncover little gems along the way.

Have fun and I will be back soon with more shoulder health tips.

Namaste`

 

Recap of the Shoulder Health Exercises Class

Just a brief blog entry. 

I wanted to share a few of the slides that I displayed during the PowerPoint because I think they are important.

More mobility = less stability

There is a lot of space in the shoulder joint and the only way that the upper arm bone (the humerus) is attached to the body is by soft tissue (muscles, tendons, and ligaments).

Let's compare the hip joint to the shoulder joint.

As you can see with the x-rays, the hip joint is a 

very stable joint. The acetabulum (in Greek means vinegar cup) sits on top of the femoral head. I have even heard that when the thigh bone is removed from the hip socket it makes a "pop" sound because of the suction. Our body wants the femur to stay in the socket.

When you look at the next x-ray of the shoulder socket, what you may notice first is the largeness of the ball of the humerus (upper arm bone). The cup that that "ball" sits in (the glenoid fossa) is very small and shallow. My teacher describes it as looking like a snow man. Smaller at the top and larger at the bottom.

 What you can see from the center scapula in the picture above is the glenoid cavity (aka glenoid fossa) and how it is shallow and sort of shaped like a snow man. :-)

Knowing what your shoulder joint looks like and how to move it in a healthy way is key to keeping this important joint happy. 

Those that attended the workshop will remember
this video. I really appreciate having all these tools to help me learn what my shoulders are doing while I move my arm bone.

You can probably deduce from the x-ray above, our posture matters. My plan over the next several months is to expand on the original workshop topic of the shoulder joint in this blog and in my weekly Yoga classes. I have learned so much in the last year and a half, and there is so much more to discuss and learn that was not addressed fully in the workshop.

So with that said, I do hope you can attend class at either the PBPN Health Center or the Rossville Community Library very soon!

Questions: yoginiofoz@gmail.com

Take care and see you on the mat!!

Shoulder health class and exercises at the Silver Lake library

Shoulder health, nutritious movement, and why we all should move MORE!!

You have heard of the phrase, "Use it or lose it," right? What I want to focus on today is shoulder health and get you to think a little more about how little we move our shoulders. This will be the first in a series of posts on this topic.


Inquiry: In relation to your trunk, where do you hold your hands and arms the most?

'Movement matters' is a concept that my teacher, Katy Bowman, has been discussing for at least a decade now. She is a biomechanist which for me is a refreshing approach on how the body works and moves due to the fact that I have been a yoga teacher for 18 years (and practicing for 22 years). Katy has introduced some new ideas plus reinforced theories that I had over the years (and she has the scientific studies behind her work).


Katy's work essentially states that we have put ourselves into a cage (like what we do to wild animals when we put them into a zoo cage) which limits our natural movements. The "cage" is the office, our homes, and all the devices that make life easier. And no, you don't need to get rid of your car and home and go back to the wild.


What we should do is assess what we do the most (sit in chairs) and then decide how to increase our range-of-motion and walk more.

I am currently putting together a 2-hour workshop on shoulder health which will inform the student about the importance of increasing the variety of movements in the should socket while learning lots of healthy stretches. I have a slide presentation and along with the stretches we will use Yoga Therapy balls (made out of rubber so that there are no issues with hurting bone, etc.) to rub out tight muscles which feels amazing!


I have personally been practicing these stretches for 2 years now so I can attest to the efficacy of these stretches. I have always had tight shoulders so no only is my alignment better but now I can sleep on my side again without my arms falling asleep!!! Yay!!

If you look at the first photo, you will see all the basic movement of the shoulder. I think the reason why people feel so good after a Yoga class that they have increased their range-of-motion considerably in just one class. However, you don't need to go to a Yoga class to do this (although if you are attending a class and love it....of course, continue).


First, notice your posture. The second photo is a good example of an extreme flexed (forward fold) spine, except the head that is over extended (backbending) to see the screen. We all do this periodically during the day. I notice it most when I am in a hurry and driving or am tired.


The easiest advice is to just sit up when you notice that you are hunching over. Believe it or not, that is the first step. Notice your "bad" habit (one that doesn't serve you) and change it to a better, healthier habit. It takes time and attention. Be patient and try not to be upset when you catch yourself in that compressed position.


Okay, now that you are thinking about sitting up more and checking in throughout the day, here's a stretch that you may be doing already.


**Contraindication: If have a "frozen shoulder" or any other issues with your shoulder, talk with your doctor or therapist before trying a new exercise. And for everyone else, use common sense. If it hurts, stop.

Easy shoulder exercise:

1.) Lace your fingers together, palms facing you.
2.) As you turn the palms away, straighten your arms chest height in front of you.
3.) Stay in this position for a couple of inhalations and exhalations.
4.) On your next inhalation, raise your arms above your head.
5.) Stay in this position for several cycles of breath (one cycle is inhalation and exhalation).
6.) Bend you elbows. Release fingers and lower arms to a resting position at your sides.
7.) The pauses are just as important as the posture. If you have time, close your eyes and take your awareness inwards. Allow the arms to be heavy and the shoulders naturally settle down towards the floor.

To change this up:

1.) While lying on your back in bed, lace the fingers together, palms away, and press up towards the ceiling. If you have enough room, bring the arm overhead and towards the bed. Notice if your ribs stick up toward the ceiling. Bring the lower ribs back towards the bed.
2.) Press into the fingers, when the fingers are laced and arms extended, to increase the stretch. Pull the thumbs away from each other to help keep the little fingers together and increase the stretch.


Please let me know what you think. I hope this is clear, so if it isn't let me know. As I was saying earlier, I am finishing the details of this workshop so I have shoulder health on the brain right now.

Take care!

Namaste`

~ Cat