Keep Your Shoulders Down!
ByRachael Maddalena is a senior Pilates Instructor, dance conditioning and Thai Massage practitioner in Bellingham, Wa.
She has worked in Los Angeles with the Pasadena Dance Theater, Rochelle Carson and Ed Begely Jr’s studio in Studio City among others. Working under Danish physical therapist, Carolyn Darville, she developed several muscular re-patterning exercises and apparatus, including the Pressure Pillow. Rachael is all about ’everything’ Wellness. She loves helping people find solutions to their bodies aches and pains. Read on as it may be you who she helps next!
How to Reduce Shoulder Tension and Improve Back Extension by Rachael Maddalena ‘The Studio Diva’
How many times do you have to remind your clients to keep their shoulders down during the early stages of Pilates training?
In most bodies, the shoulders, the Trapezius, are a common muscle group that fires and tightens when the body’s coordination is called upon in a new and challenging way:
When the core is not yet strong enough for a task, the trapezius muscles fire, and commonly compensate for the strain on the weaker inner unit and less powerful muscles.
The following is a series of simple exercises to help a beginning client release shoulder tension, and create a beautiful back extension helping to facilitate scapula-glide and stabilization that they will not soon forget!
In these examples we use the Foam Roller and the Pressure Pillow
Upper Trapezius & Rhomboid Release:
The Pressure Pillow is designed to relax the trapezius muscles and will help facilitate scapula glide.
Place the Pressure Pillow behind the shoulders. Using the straps, lower it down to the upper trapezius.
Lay back prone on the mat; the two hard inner balls will cradle the spine and press in to the muscles between the shoulder blades and the spine. Use a small pillow to bring the head in-line with the torso.
Breathe and imagine directing the inhale towards the pressure behind the shoulders. Once the inner balls have settled into the back comfortably, circle the arms several times like a ballet port-de bra. Change direction and move the pillow to a new place, repeating the above steps.
Swan on Foam Roller with Scapula Mobilization:
Inhale Shrug the shoulders, pointing the thumbs down.
Exhale Draw the shoulder blades down the back of the rib cage rolling the thumbs up. Lift the head neck and chest into flexion.
Inhale Return down shrug the shoulders up.
Cue your client by promoting the lift through the core, broadening the shoulders away from each other as the arms turn and the scapula glide down the back. Cue them to take deep full breaths expanding the back of the rib cage.
Your client will enjoy the simple understanding of easy scapula movement and stabilization with a relaxed shoulder girdle.
If you have any questions or comments about either the ‘Foam Roller’ or the ‘Pressure Pillow’ please don’t hesitate. Live in or near Bellingham, Wa. look into a session with Rachael. In NYC 50+ Pilates Body NYC will come to you. Pilates in the comfort of your home. Oh and by the way I will bring the Pressure Pillow with me! How easy is that?!
Enjoy!
Follow The_Studio_Diva on Twitter
Susan Sommers is a Pilates Instructor in New York New York 10023
