The muscles involved in movement of the shoulders are attached to the spine, shoulder blade (scapula), collar bone {clavicle) and/or upper arm bone (humerus).
Once you have released the neck area, the next step is to start the process of freeing and realigning the shoulders. We have already seen how tension can be focused in both the neck and shoulders. At times of mental and emotional stress the shoulder muscles tighten and over time become shortened, which pulls the upper body out of alignment. Hunched and rounded shoulders limit the expansion of the chest and therefore have a restrictive effect on breathing.
Add to this the problems caused by crouching for long periods over a desk that may be the wrong height, and the strain and long-term distortion caused by carrying heavy loads such as bags of groceries or a heavy briefcase always in the same hand and the result is one in which free and balanced movement of the upper body and arms is a virtual impossibility. However, it's possible to get your shoulders back to how they should be.
Benefits of shoulder release
In Pilates it is a key principle that the shoulders should always be relaxed downward. When you hold your shoulders correctly in this way your entire spine, from neck to pelvis, lengthens. The ribcage is also freed up, which allows greater expansion of the lungs and therefore creates more effective breathing. When the shoulders are mobile and stabilized through appropriate exercise, the range of movement of the arms is increased and the risk of strain is reduced.
Visual indicators
The tops of the shoulders can be seen easily if you look into a mirror, so it is relatively straightforward to spot when they are hunching up toward your ears or if one is raised higher than the other. A few shrugs that allow the shoulders to drop down from the ears will often help to release this area.
You are probably less aware, however, of the position of your shoulder blades. When you are tense these tend to ride up the back, which contributes to a round-shouldered appearance. When realigning the shoulders, a prime consideration is to develop a sense of the shoulder blades "sliding down" the back toward your waist. Once you have taught yourself to recognize .when this is happening, you should make it your mission to remind yourself to keep your shoulder blades dropped at all times. Try checking every ten minutes or so to see if your shoulder blades are still in a dropped position you will soon come to recognize how to tell if they start riding up again.
Shoulder mobilization
The initial exercise for adjusting the shoulders is a simple, vertical arm stretch and dropping movement, which eases out tension and allows the newly relaxed shoulder to fall back into a more natural position. The exercise then progresses to an overhead stretch. All of this is done in the supine position, which helps to support the rest of the body while you focus on the shoulders. Rest your head on a folded towel or thin pillow if you wish.
1 Lying in the neutral position with your arms at your sides, visualize your body lengthening without strain, from head to toe. Breathe into the ribs and as you breathe out raise your arms vertically with the palms facing each other. Stretch your arms up as if you were being pulled by your fingertips, but keep your elbows soft.
2 Take another in-breath and stretch one arm further to lift the shoulder blade from the floor.
3 On the out-breath, allow the shoulder blade to drop back to the floor, keeping the arms raised. Be aware of how your shoulder position has changed. Alternating sides, complete a total of five repetitions on each side.
4 Return to the neutral position. Breathe in and engage your centering muscles. On the out-breath, lift one arm overhead, keeping it extended but soft at the elbow.
5 Take the arm only as far as you can without arching your upper back—for beginners this is usually to the level of your ears. Keep your ribs and shoulder blades relaxed down toward your waist. Bring the arm back on an in-breath. Note: If your arm can't comfortably touch the floor, place a cushion behind your head to support it at the end of the movement, then allow it to relax into the floor for a few breaths. Alternating sides, complete a total of five repetitions on each side.
