Hippie Chicks - 3 - Linda- Different Drum (Shoulder Blades)
Her Mexican roots seem obvious once you know. Notice how Linda’s posture improves with success. source: www.biography.com
Hippie Chick with Pow Poppies. Source: “ I Am Woman” album cover.
Hippie Chicks - 3 - Linda - Different Drummer (Shoulder Blades)
Lift Your Tips
Based on a “Clarifying the Shoulder Blades,” a JKA lesson as taught by Tiffany Sankary, GCFP®
Lift those shoulders, sternum and upper back from within - by pressing the shoulder blades to the center line - and find more space in the rest of you.
When thinking about the shoulder blades, sternum and that mysterious almost flat space at the top of the shoulders, think Sergeant Pepper Epaulets Dropping the shoulders and opening the chest widens the ‘epaulets’ and lifts the clavicles. Just like the jackets. image source: blog.artscommons.ca
This lesson is a deep, detailed exploration of the relationship between the shoulder blades and the sternum, upper arms and ribs. It comes from Jeremy Krauss, a direct student of Dr. Feldenkrais, who is developing his own canon of lessons.
The scapula, shoulder blade, reminded ancients of a shovel. There’s a tip at the bottom, a wide bowl in the middle, and the top is flat-ish. It connects to the rest of the skeleton only at the outer tips of the collar bones, but muscles move the torso relative to the shoulders and arms.
The anatomy cues us to notice how the shoulder blade’s orientation and arm position move the chest in front.
Lying on your back or side, or seated on a chair, we will follow a now familiar format. We press inward toward the center line (spine or sternum) with the inner edge of the middle’ of the shoulder blade. Then the bottom tip of the blade, and, finally, the upper, inner edge towards the spine. Notice how the sternum and ribs respond to the shoulder blade and arm movements.
This step-by-step exploration creates a pathway to recreating a lifted chest in the car, at your desk, walking.
And what does all this have to do with Linda Ronstad? Frankly, in her early years, her eyes said it all, and she slumped. As she came into her own, expanding her repertoire to include Mariachi and Gilbert and Sullivan, she gained in power, confidence and lift. She no longer sings in public due to her Parkinson’s; she leaves a legacy of the sound of a girl who followed a different drum.
Science Nerd Candy Bowl:
Ribcage Movement During Respiration : (O:45) Will Larson, just what it says
Biomechanics of the Shoulder: (6:42) Young Lae Moon, clear animation of how the shoulder blade and upper arm work together
The Movements of the Scapula: (7:11) 3D Anatomy Lyon - shoulder blade movements in all anatomically correct trajectories
Set Up:
Lie on a mat, either supine or side-lying, whichever you prefer
OR - sitting on a firm, comfortable chair, knees level with hips.
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Open Ribs: Front, Back, Side to Side; Deep breath; Shoulders active and mobile; Chest lifted from back to front; Chest to Pelvic Floor connection; Taller and leaner; All around alignment.
So young. Not the best posture, but what sound!
Did you know this song was written by Mike Nesbit of The Monkeys?