Plank Pose and winging shoulder blades

This post explores how to guide a student to feel when their own shoulder blades are winging out and then how to move into a plank pose from the floor with the proper shoulder blade alignment.

Winging shoulderblades could be caused by
1) not enough upper body strength or
2) not engaging and using the core and side body muscles to support the plank.
3) being unaware of what is occurring in the back body while doing a plank, or

To build strength start small and build up. Plank or push-ups on the wall, then a chair. Then on the floor on knees do a “let down.” This is just half of the push up. As the student progresses with building strength, assess how things look with the shoulder blades. Shoulderblades should be flat on the back.

While the student is building up strength over time, check that she understands the principles of pulling the belly in and firming up the whole core which includes the side muscles.

Sometimes a student has enough strength for a plank but is unaware that shoulderblades are winging out. This is where some hands-on assisting is necessary. The next series of photos illustrate how to do this.
Start out in sphinx pose with the elbows right under the shoulders. Make the movement of sinking and dropping in thru the shoulders. This is how the body hangs on the shoulder ligaments. Its ok to do as a moving pose, but not healthy to remain hanging. Then do the opposite movement of pushing down in the elbows and out of the shoulders. Go back and forth a few times.

Now the teacher will come and with hands and fingers outline the winging shoulderblades until the student can feel what’s happening and how their upper body feels when the shoulders are retracting and winging. Then when the student is pushing out of the shoulders again the teacher brushes the flat of her hands across the back which should feel flat and broad because the shoulder blades are pulling away from each other.

This can be done as a partner exercise. But have the top partner just put hands right where the shoulder blades are and as the other partner goes up and down, the blades move closer and farther. This helps everyone to see on the other person how much the shoulders move, and how they look and should look in plank or other arm balances.

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If the student is still having trouble feeling it in her own body, then switch places and have the student feel and see the shoulderblades retracting and protracting on the teacher.

When this awareness happens in sphinx pose then it should be easier to feel when in a table top.

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More instruction would be needed at this point to develop the awareness of a rounded upper back which is needed in the kneeling plank or full plank. But with the awareness of the proper action of the shoulderblades, that should be not be difficult. If needed, let the student see and feel the difference in the teacher of the rounded upper back.

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Once the student looks good in the kneeling plank with the tailbone moving towards the feet, shoulders on the back, upper back slightly rounded, core and side muscles supporting, then keep all of that and just lift the knees.

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