Lesson Four • Shashasana & Sirsasana
A Rotator Cuff Symphony:
Supporting the Gleno-humeral Joint
with Shashasana & Sirsasana
Shoulders are Elves, Hips are Dwarves:
The Gleno-humeral joint is encircled by the rotator cuff muscles from every direction. This joint connects the glenoid fossa, a shallow socket in the upper lateral part of the scapula, with the head of the humerus bone in our upper arm. The remarkable feature of this shallow joint lies in its spaciousness, granting it an extraordinary range of motion— the most of any joint in the body. A fun metaphor is to imagine the shoulder joint like the agile elf archers in so many ancient fables— capable of fast and free movement. The rotator cuff muscle plays a crucial role in supporting and facilitating this expansive movement of the Gleno-humeral joint, while maintaining stability. Contrast this with the hip joint which we looked at in Fluid Folds— a deep socket surrounded by strong ligaments and multiple layers of musculature. The hips carry the weight of our body all day, and therefore are more like the strong and stable dwarves in the fairy tale.
Exploring the Rotator Cuff:
To explore the rotator cuff muscles, start by placing your fingertips at the top of your shoulders and gently move them backward until you sense a bony ridge, similar to your collarbone, but on the backside of your shoulder. This ridge is known as the spine of your scapula. Within the deep fossa created by this spine, you'll find the supraspinatus rotator cuff muscle. This muscle stretches over the scapula, connecting to the upper part of our humeral head, enabling smooth arm lifting.
Below the spine of the scapula, we have a pair of rotator cuff muscles called the Infraspinatus (meaning 'below the spine') and the Teres Minor. To feel their activation, place your hands below the bony ridge, extend your arm to the side, and then rotate your palm upwards. You'll notice these two rotators engaging to support the external rotation of the arm.
Moving to the front of the scapula, you'll find the subscapularis, aptly named for its position under the scapula. This broad rotator cuff muscle plays a crucial role in controlling the abduction of the arm, such as lifting it to the side until it reaches a horizontal position. When you throw a ball, for instance, it is the subscapularis that keeps your shoulder in its socket against the forward momentum of the throw.
A symphony of movement:
In our daily movements, our shoulders rarely operate in a single plane; instead, they require the harmonious collaboration of all the rotator cuff muscles, orchestrating infinite and intricate motions. By pausing to listen to this symphony through our felt sense of awareness, we naturally support the spaciousness essential for rotator cuff movements.
We can take a moment now to conduct this symphony, as a way of becoming familiar with the 3-dimensional movement of the scapulas on the curved surface of the rib cage. You can stand like an orchestra director with arms raised in front of you, almost like you were going to get ready to catch a ball. Imagine an extra large beach ball in front of you, your supple hands naturally curve around its surface as you stand in a neutral position. Lift your elbows, leaving your hands on the imaginary beach ball— watch as your hands pivot to mirror the upward rotation of the scapula that occurs when you lift your arms overhead. Squeeze the shoulder blades together and watch the hands mirror the retraction so the scapulas. Draw the shoulder blades down the back and see the action of scapular depression in the hands. Wrap your hands around the sides of the beach ball and see the action of scapular protraction as the scapulas wrap around the edges of the ribs. All of these actions are essential in healthy shoulder movement, and all of these actions require suppleness and sensation.
Working in a posture like Dolphin pose can allow us to dive deeper into the fine tuning of our rotator cuff. Specifically the action of drawing circles in the shoulders can move us through many supported actions of the scapula, promoting slide and glide. From this kind of supple strength, we can approach more demanding postures such as headstand, Shirshasana. This kind of preparatory work also ensures that our shoulder girdle is a solid foundation for postures like Sarvangasana, which rest our entire body weight on the shoulders from a slightly more complex angle.
Rotator Cuff and Headstand
The rotator cuff muscles play a significant role in the headstand pose (Sirsasana) by providing stability and control to the shoulder joint. During a headstand, the weight of the body is supported by the shoulders and arms, placing considerable stress on the shoulder joints. The rotator cuff muscles help maintain proper alignment of the humeral head within the shoulder socket, preventing excessive movement or shifting that could lead to injury.
Additionally, the rotator cuff muscles assist in controlling the movement of the arms and shoulders as the practitioner balances in the headstand pose. They engage to stabilize the shoulder girdle and provide support as the body maintains the inverted position.
Overall, the rotator cuff muscles are crucial for maintaining shoulder stability and preventing injury during headstand practice. Strengthening and properly engaging these muscles can help practitioners achieve greater stability and confidence in performing the pose safely.
Sasasana aka Sasangasana
Anatomy in Motion
Sasasana is an experience of deep spinal flexion that has an extra emphasis on the head and neck. Here, the increased neck flexion stimulates the thyroid and relieves tension in the backline. The crown of the head rests on the floor, allowing for the rare opportunity to gently massage and stimulate the epicranium. There are many different options for the arms that we will talk through in the explorations. The first one that we present is not the classic arm placement, but it provides the most support to the head and neck.
Set-up
From kneeling, bring hips on heels.
Place hands to the floor ahead of the knees.
Place the hairline to the earth.
Primary movement (Deep Core integration and hip/spinal extension)
Inhale Press shins and hands into the earth to float the hips up and forward.
Exhale Hollow the body to gently and evenly round the spine with the strength of the core.
Let this action tuck the chin so a minimal amount of weight transfers to the crown of the head.
Note: Use the hands and legs to offload the pressure in the head.
Classic Arms
(If core strength allows you to perform the above sequence without relying on support from the hands)
Begin with hands can begin interlaced at the low back.
As you enter the primary movement, allow the arms to reach up and slightly back (towards hips, not beyond the head). Notice how this action stabilizes the scapula onto the ribcage.
Exploration of the Epicranium
Keeping minimal weight in the head, imagine there is a quarter underneath the crown of the head. Slowly and gently circle the pressure around the rim of this imaginary quarter to massage the epicranium.
Sirsasana
Anatomy in Motion
Please note, this is not a level one pose and most practitioners will not benefit from this work until they have brought balance to their bodies and developed considerable strength through the deep core, the neck and the spine. We include this pose so that you may safely explore it one day when the urge arises.
This approach to Sirsasana uses the hands flat to the earth helps bring awareness to how the front and back arm lines can work together to provide support for the shoulder girdle and the axial skeleton without competing with the deep core.
The following practice of Sirsasana requires that the practitioner float their legs up to meet the wall. This experience shouldn’t feel like a ‘leap of faith’, and if there is fear surrounding this movement one should respect it as a real caution. The ‘jump’ from a dolphin pose to the legs at the wall overhead should feel controlled and light, anything less indicates a lack of deep core support and a gripping of superficial musculature. If this is the case for you, take your time and enjoy the journey to Sirsasana. Work for longer durations in dolphin pose, lift one leg for inversion benefits, learn to breathe while in these challenging positions, and let the eventual experience of Sirsasana come to you.
Set-up:
Start from table top position and lower onto your forearms, making sure your elbows are directly under your shoulders. Let your index fingers touch, forming a triangle with your hands (see image).
Position yourself a hand's length or one and a half hand lengths away from the wall, measured from your fingertips.
Circle your shoulders around your elbows to engage and bring awareness to the shoulder girdle.
Place the crown of your head lightly on the floor, ensuring most of the weight remains in your arms and shoulders. Initially, try to keep all weight off the head to avoid putting pressure on the neck.
Elevate your hips into dolphin pose.
Primary Movement (Deep Core Integration):
Bend both legs slightly and slide your less dominant foot towards an imaginary midline while maintaining a springy bend in the knee. Bend your other knee and lift the more dominant foot and shin parallel to the floor.
For now, keep your head off the floor to ensure no inadvertent weight shifts to the neck.
Spring up from the grounded foot and catch yourself on the wall with the elevated leg, your more dominant foot. This will require some coordination, which is why we wanted it to be your more dominant foot.
Extend your other leg up so it's parallel to the wall. Draw your navel in and tuck your tailbone to align your hips over your shoulders, facilitating a more effortless posture.
Here, the crown of the head may lightly touch the floor for balance. Be mindful of any pressure on the neck; it can be subtle.
Practice extending the foot that's touching the wall upward. As you do so, press down through your forearms to elongate your body as a whole.
Bend the other leg to support you at the wall, and try extending the opposite foot up.
If you feel very comfortable and balanced with one leg lifted, you can try lifting the second legs and floating alongside the wall.
Pay attention to how your hands and fingertips can assist with balance. Experiment by subtly shifting your weight into your fingertips for better support.