Monthly Through Line: April 2025
The Shoulder Blades aka the scapulae
WELCOME TO MONTHLY THROUGH LINES
SHOULDER BLADES!
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Week 1: Protraction – Shoulder blades spread apart, like in Plank or Child’s Pose.
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Week 2: Retraction – Shoulder blades draw together, like in Cobra or Locust Pose.
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Week 3: Upward Rotation – Shoulder blades lift and rotate outward, like in Down Dog or Warrior I.
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Week 4: Anterior Tilt – Top of the shoulder blades tips forward, like in Thread the Needle or Chaturanga prep.
PATRICK’S TOP TIPS
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Protraction: Plank, Chaturanga, Child’s Pose – MONDAY, APRIL 7
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Retraction: Cobra, Locust, Bow – MONDAY, APRIL 14
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Upward Rotation: Downward Dog, Warrior I, Handstand – MONDAY, APRIL 21
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Anterior Tilt: Thread the Needle, Chaturanga Prep, Low Push-Up – MONDAY, APRIL 28
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Protraction: Instead of saying “spread your shoulder blades,” try: “Push your hands into the mat to spread your shoulder blades apart until you feel your serratus anterior engage.”
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Retraction: Instead of saying “squeeze your shoulder blades,” try: “Draw your shoulder blades toward your spine until you feel your rhomboids turn on.”
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Upward Rotation: Instead of saying “lift your arms,” try: “Reach your arms overhead to lift your shoulder blades outward until you feel your trapezius kick in.”
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Anterior Tilt: Instead of saying “press down,” try: “Lower your chest toward the ground until you feel your pectoralis minor turn on.”
FOR CHROMATIC STUDENTS:
As a practitioner of Chromatic Yoga you can of course expect to experience these PTL’s in Chromatic Classes around the world. You can also practice these within any yoga class without the guidance of a teacher. For example, within a vinyasa class you can try squeezing your feet toward each other throughout the standing posture sequence and observe what that creates for your practice.
CHROMATIC TEACHERS:
Let’s see what you come up with this month. What peak postures will you be using? After you teach your class, share in our Global Facebook Group which layering postures worked best for you, which did you find students struggled with? We look forward to our collective collaboration to offer top level yoga experiences world wide.
~Patrick Heffernan
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