The Shoulder Blades Hold Your Heart

It's Valentine's Day! The day of 'The Heart'. In Yoga, we constantly refer to 'The Heart' in terms of energetic principles related to 'The Heart Chakra' or philosophical principles concerned with morals and ethics. However, for the purpose of this article, in accordance with 'Alignment Yoga' we're going to view 'The Heart' from the back body. And we're going to identify the Shoulder Blades as the 'Seat of the Heart'.
The idea being that the more we engage the tiny muscles of the shoulder blades, the infraspinatus, the more open and receptive 'The Heart Space' becomes. All of us can benefit from this very simple action of squeezing the shoulder blades together.
In the above photo, I'm using a chopstick as a prop to demonstrate where this action occurs. Squeezing the shoulder blades together widens the front body and collar bones. And it's crucial to remember a very important aspect of often complex shoulder anatomy. All arm movement originates from the shoulder blades. Squeezing the shoulder blades together should be the first step of any and all arm expression.
Holding the chopstick, while performing Gomukhasana 'Cow Face' arms is the best way I can show you an integrated posterior body. In a sense, shoulder blade action reverses the unhealthy forward slouching we all experience from leaning over tech devices, while often protruding our head and neck down and forward. Squeezing the shoulder blades together gives our 'Heart' space; space to softly spiral forwards and backwards (motility). It gives our lungs more capacity for breath.
This is just a broad introduction into the techniques we have for alleviating common shoulder pain. The shoulder girdle requires enlivened shoulder blades. So on this Valentine's Day I invite you to picture a chopstick, or pencil, or even the stem of a rose nestled between the shoulder blades. Being held by intentional muscle movement of the back body, we can experience our beautiful 'Heart Space', feeling fully and accessing the most powerful force in the universe - Love...

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