Common Movement Blind Spot #2: The Shoulder Blade & Spine Connection
In my first blog post in this series, I discussed the importance of motor control as an important aspect of movement to consider alongside the more commonly-emphasized categories of flexibility and strength. I also introduced the concept of movement blind spots - non-optimal habitual movement patterns that are directly related to motor control.
The potent tool that we can utilize to change these unconscious movement habits (and our new vocabulary word that we learned last time!) is neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is certainly a fancy-sounding term, but it simply means the process of forming new neural connections in the brain in response to novel stimulation; in other words, changing the brain! There are many ways we can encourage neuroplasticity, such as learning a new language or memorizing new information, but within the context of yoga, we use movement (and specifically new and novel movement) to re-wire how the brain perceives and moves the body. In my ideal world, all yoga teachers would understand the general concept of neuroplasticity and how it relates to what we do every day on the yoga mat.
COMMON MOVEMENT BLIND SPOT #2
If you missed the first post in this series, I encourage you to go back and read it before you delve further into this one. We want to make sure we’re clear on Common Movement Blind Spot #1 before we work with Blind Spot #2.
Today’s focus is the shoulder blade and spine movement blind spot. In this pattern, movement of the shoulder blades is unconsciously “glommed together” with movement of the spine. These are technically two separate parts of our body and we should ideally have the motor control to move each of them individually, but in most of us they tend to move them together like one big, undifferentiated body part without our realizing it.
Important note: there is nothing wrong with moving your shoulder blades and spine together at the same time, of course. What is non-optimal and worth working on, though, is the unconscious habit of always moving both of these spots together when we really mean to move them individually. If we lack the body awareness to differentiate between these two areas, we’ll be denied the benefits of movement options and variability that come with increased proprioception and motor control quality.
In this video, I fully address how to recognize and change this shoulder blade/spine movement blind spot. We cover a quick bit of anatomy followed by two potent strategies for changing this extremely common movement pattern. I really recommend watching the whole video - there are some great twists on a classic exercise at the end of the video that I think your body and mind will love exploring. This video is great for your own personal movement explorations, and it’s also a valuable tool to use when working with your yoga and movement students. I hope you enjoy!