this gets me fired up
On January 31st, I sent an email out. The subject line was “I have a confession to make”. Maybe you remember it. In that email, I wrote: “I have so much energy right now! I can't remember the last time I felt this good.”
Days later, the universe responded and struck me down with the first of what has felt like an endless series of viruses.
So let this be a warning. If you’re tempted to announce to the world that you feel amazing, unstoppable, or simply better than you have for a while, don’t do it. Save yourself the hassle and keep it to yourself 🤧.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, I’m climbing out from under a mountain of Kleenexes to share something that recently got me fired up.
I was listening to a podcast about movement and mobility in the car the other day. At about the one-hour mark, the interview gets into the topic of overhead mobility. They start with a great example: looking at folks raise their arms overhead in the airport scanner. The majority of the adult population has lost the ability to reach their arms higher than their shoulders. When they’re asked to do so, you see all kinds of compensations ranging from banana backs to shoulders that hike up so high the neck disappears.
Then they go on to talk about other overhead positions we might encounter in the movement space and how these positions and exercises can expose us to this range of motion: downward-facing dog, hand-balancing, hanging, and prone shoulder flexion (laying face down with your arms reaching overhead).
One of the main messages in this conversation is to spend more time in the positions you want access to. "Use it or lose it.” And they’re right—the reason so many lose access to overhead range of motion is that we simply don’t use it enough.
But here’s the thing: the first step in restoring these lost ranges of motion isn’t to spend more time in downward dog. Why? Because downward dog isn’t going to train your shoulders to be more mobile. Downward dog is an expression of whatever mobility already exists. For many people—especially those with restricted overhead range of motion—downward-facing dog feels horrible. Spending time there doesn't feel good.
As a teacher, you might recognize that and regress the pose. In the podcast, they use the example of walking your hands down a wall while bringing your hips back over your heels, creating an L-shape with your body.
When you ask students to move into a shape like downward dog at the wall, what do you notice? Here’s what I usually see:
- Spines that either round out or overextend (chest sinking toward the floor)
- Shoulders that have a hard time externally rotating
- Lots of tension around the neck and upper traps
- Elbows that can’t fully extend
Often when I ask people to mobilize their spines in that position ("Keep your hands pressing into the wall and move your spine through cat/cow"), they struggle. If I ask them to breathe diaphragmatically, the tendency instead is to breathe into their upper chests. That’s because they don’t feel comfortable. They’re in a sympathetic state. Rather than finding a calming breath, they’re stuck in restricted, short inhales and exhales.
Taking students with mobility restrictions into these positions is good for one thing only: assessment. Notice how their bodies respond when they come into downward-facing dog. See how their shoulders feel if you ask them to hang from a bar. Observe if it’s possible for them to lay face down and straighten (or even lift) their arms overhead without their spines getting involved.
These assessments will show you where the mobility gaps are. Once you identify those gaps, you can zero in on the missing components that will actually restore their range of motion. If I was helping someone improve their access to overhead positions, we’d follow a protocol that looks something like this:
- Diaphragmatic, 360-degree breathing
- Spinal segmentation with a specific focus on thoracic flexion and extension
- Shoulder internal and external rotation work
- End-range isometric control in shoulder flexion and extension
We’d ensure that each of the above steps can be performed effectively before moving on to the next. For a lot of folks, that’s the hardest part: figuring out how to layer these movements logically and progressively.
That’s the beauty of Yoga Detour’s Isolate-Activate-Integrate approach. We go from simple (not easy) movements to more compound actions while giving your body (and nervous system) time to adapt and figure things out. I don’t push you into shapes that your joints aren’t prepared to support. Instead, we look for ways to bridge the gaps in mobility and strength so that movement in all ranges becomes more accessible.
This month’s online workshop Shoulder to Shoulder will use Isolate-Activate-Integrate to restore range of motion and enhance upper body strength. We’ll look at:
- The often neglected relationship between your thoracic spine, scapula and shoulder joint
- Why addressing the breath isn’t something you want to skip over
- Why improving shoulder rotation needs to happen before asking the shoulder to flex or extend
- How to transform poses like downward dog and chaturanga so they’re more sustainable and less likely to cause pain
- Simple movements you can do (and teach others) every day to keep your shoulders feeling their best
The live workshop takes place Wednesday, April 26th from 9:30-11:30am PT (Vancouver time). Our two hours together will include a 60-minute movement practice along with time for discussion and Q+A.
As usual, this workshop will be recorded so there's no pressure to attend live. And unlike our past workshops which were only available to revisit for a limited time, this workshop will be downloadable. For $47 USD, everyone who registers before April 26th will get lifetime access.
Here’s where you can claim your spot.
See you soon,
Cecily
ps. After last month's Core Reform, I had a bunch of requests for access to Lowdown on the Low Back, a downloadable workshop I originally led back in September. If you purchase Shoulder to Shoulder, you can add Low Down on the Low Back for 25% off its regular price. Look for the add-on at checkout and click the + to put it in your cart!
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