Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny. -- Upanishads
Whether you are a teacher or a student who attends yoga classes, you have probably seen “Slouchy Sue” walk into class. Slouchy Sue has a rounded upper back, forward-rounding shoulders, a chest that is collapsed inward slightly, a head that protrudes or pokes forward, and a bunchiness of skin, muscle, and connective tissue right around her C7/T1 vertebral joint.
Slouchy Sue demonstrates the smushed, rounded posture many people in our desk-bound culture experience – none other than “Slouchasana.”
The question is, how can Slouchy Sue move from Slouchasana to a smooth, soft, and strong Tadasana?
First, let’s analyze Slouchy Sue’s posture as it relates to her scapulae and shoulder girdles.
Her rib cage tilts so that the bottom of her rib cage moves inward toward her body.
The heads of her humerus bones round forward, and her scapulae creep up her back toward her neck.
As a result, the muscles that attach to the scapulae have all moved away from their natural position, losing their ability to provide flexibility, stability, strength, and power to arm movements and posture. This weakens Slouchy Sue’s core stability.
The muscles that will help Slouchy Sue move into a smooth, soft, and strong Tadasana are also the muscles that will help her create stable and strong scapular movement:
Rhomboids
Middle trapezius
which draw the scapulae together
Serratus anterior
which moves the scapulae away from the spine
Upper trapezius
Levator scapulae
which raise the scapulae up the back
Lower trapezius
which pulls the scapulae down the back
Pectoralis minor (the only muscle in this list that is on the front of the body)
which pulls the scapulae forward and down (as if going down the front of the body)
