A Study of the Collarbones, Clavicles, Beauty Bones, Grand Horizontals, Shoulder Girdle
A series based on classic Awareness Through Movement® lessons with influences from David Kaetz, GCFT®, Deborah Bowes, GCFT® and Grand Master Mantak Chia
Audrey Hepburn, beauty bone beauty
For their prominent location in the body, the collarbones, formally named the clavicles, are also known as the "beauty bones" or the “Grand Horizontals.”
Why? The clavicle is naked, covered by neither fat nor bone. It is the body's only long horizontal bone. Its position and shape give us an idea of a person's body alignment, thus the name "beauty bone."
The clavicles connect the head, ribs and spine to the arms and shoulders. As part of the shoulder girdle, clavicles enable the full range of arm motion - they provide the only direct connection between arms and the support of the ribs, breastbone and spine. Remember: the shoulders rest over the ribs but are not connected to them or any part of the spine.
This series reviews classic Awareness Through Movement lessons with focus on the clavicles and shoulder girdle. We add the always-available super-tool, the Voice-O-Meter and International Healing Tao healing sounds to help identify and release habitual tensions.
Expect to carry yourself more regally, reach further, breathe more deeply, and even feel taller after these lessons.
The Grand Horizontals - 1 - Walk Like An Egyptian - The Candelabra Lesson
Walk Like an Egyptian - dance game source
Lying on the floor with arms out to the sides, fingertips pointed to the ceiling (like candles in a candelabra), we will feel deep into the joints of the clavicles. First hands drop back to the floor behind, rotating the clavicles like keys in the lock of the shoulder girdle. Then arms roll downward, and the clavicles turn the other way. After due warm-up, ‘walk like an Egyptian,' with arm one rolled up, one rolled down and the head turned in the classic form.
We will continue to use that fantastic tool: The Voice-O-Meter. Featured sounds this week:
Heart Sound: HAAAA, like a giggle or sigh of relief, releasing hate and making room for love
Lung Sound: SSSSSSSS, like wind in the dry autumn leaves, releasing grief and making room for courageFor this lesson’s science nerd candy, we will review some of the videos from the pelvic floor series.
The Grand Horizontals - 2 - Glide Like A Classical Violinist
The “Fiddling Arms” Lesson for Connecting “Beauty Bones” to Shoulders and Hips
Violinist Ester Abrami - source YouTube Niccolo Paganini - “Cantabile” by Esther Abrami.
“Fiddling Arms” aptly describes the lesson. Lying on your side with both knees pulled up and arms stretched forward, the top hand slides away and back to get the shoulder blades moving. The bottom shoulder gets a nice rolling massage, the top a great stretch. The spine gets a gentle twist.
The clavicles connect the arms to the breastbone, ribs and spine, and are the core to these gestures. Later, the arms and knees coordinate to synchronize the hip and shoulder joints. And, as it’s an ATM, there are a few brain-scrambling sequences where the shoulders, hips and head go in different directions.
For the Voice-O-Meter healing sound:
Stomach: HAWWWWWW - to release anxiety and ground
This is a side-lying lesson. Have some support for your head - a folded towel is good; as the lesson progresses, you may need less support under your cheek.
Read the full Post with additional descriptions and more video links
The Grand Horizontals - 3 - Reach Like a WNBA Star
A variation on the “3 Way Hip” lesson
Brittany Gniner dunaking at 2015 All Star Game - Danny Karwoski - Karwoski Facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia
This is a variation of the “3-Way Hip” lesson, where we go deep into the hip socket to plug the legs into the core via the pelvis. It’s a subtle action; once you get that connection, the power is undeniable. Learn to extend that power through the ribs up to the shoulder socket and out the arms. And of course, pay close attention to how the collarbones support the arms in the shoulder socket, and support even greater mobility of the arms when gliding over the ribs.
The Voice-O-Meter Sound of the Week: The Triple Warmer - HHHHAAWWWWWWW
This is a supine, lie on your back, lesson. Have any support you might want for lying on your back for the duration of the lesson. If you need a little head support, be sure it will allow you to glide your head. A very soft pillow will get in the way.
The Grand Horizontals - 4 - Swing like a WPGA Pro
Annika Sorenstam tees off on the seventh hole during the second round of the Ginn Open at Reunion Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports.png
This lesson riffs on a classic lesson - “Flexors and Extensors” for those who like to know - designed to strengthen and release the spine. The collar bones are the featured soloists who hold the entire shoulder girdle together.
Lie on your back, with your legs crossed. Then come the triangle arms, extending to the sky, opening the spine between the shoulder blades. Reaching with one arm, then both, pin attention to the collar bones as they expand outward and down to hold the entire torso together as one. The grand finale is a much-needed rolling self-hug with a focus on the collarbones to help lift the chest and undo habitual slumping.
The Voice-O-Meter sounds this week:
Lung Sound - SSSSSSSSSSSS - the sound of wind in dried leaves - releasing grief and making space for courage
Heart Sound - HAAAAAAAA - the sound of a sigh of relief or a giggle - releasing hate and impatience and making space for love
The Grand Horizontals - 5 - Circle Like Serena
Variations on the “Arm Circles” lesson
Serena serving by flickr user Dave Hogg - flickr on wikipedia.
Arm circles are a part of daily life - from reaching into the back seat of the car to reaching that can on the top shelf. If you do stick sports like golf, tennis, softball, kayaking, etc. this lesson will enrich your practice. Serena takes it to a whole different level, but we have the same skeleton and can learn from her!
The lesson begins, familiarly, on the side with knees drawn up and arms extended in front. The “top” upper arm gently rolls in the shoulder socket as the hand draws an arc from hip to overhead, with attention to that moment when the arm “flips” to go overhead. It feels so good to get into that full upper back arch as the circling hand reaches down to the opposite hip.
The plot thickens with the challenge of having the “bottom” arm complete a circle from underneath. Hint: the spring-like coiling and uncoiling of the ribs and a little support from the upper hand make this possible. Truly! And keeping a focus on the collar bones helps maintain a connected spine.
The Voice-O-Meter sounds this week:
Lung Sound - SSSSSSSSSSSS - the sound of wind in dried leaves - releasing grief and making space for courage
Kidney Sound - CHOOOOOO - the sound of breath echoing through a long tube - forcing out cold, fearful energy and making space for gentleness and generosity
Read the Full Post
The Grand Horizontals - 6 - Center Like A Blue Ribbon Equestrian
Variations on the “Minimal Lifting/4 Corners” Lesson
Matthew Roy, Matthew Roy Stables
This lesson hones in on the same-side (homolateral) and opposite-corner (diagonal) connections between the collar bones and hips in the front-back plane. When the connections are clear, you don’t oversteer or fall off the horse, stay perfectly positioned with your dance partner’s feet (hips and shoulders), transmit the full impact of your backswing onto the ball, and hold a clean line in the water.
Try the imagery for this low impact, subtle lesson: bungee cords or energy lines pulling the clavicles and hips together and apart to tune attention on alignment. Feel when the shoulder extends further from the center than the hip. Sense the height of a lifted hip relative to its opposite shoulder.Hold the center easily, yet compactly, and feel the connected energy flow from stirrup to reins - or club to ball.
The Voice-O-Meter sounds this week, chosen for their connection to corners:
Lung Sound - SSSSSSSSSSSS - the sound of wind in dried leaves - releasing grief and making space for courage
Kidney Sound - CHOOOOOO - the sound of breath echoing through a long tube - forcing out cold, fearful energy and making space for gentleness and generosity
The Grand Horizontals - 6 - Corner Like Cowgirl
Variations on the “Half Ass” lesson
How to you hold your corner as your horse digs deep into the sawdust to round the barrel without knocking it over. And then go full gallop down the line to finish your run in under 15 seconds? Those deep-turning maneuvers demand side-bending flexibility and hip-to-clavicle alignment: all in the service of balancing on, while steering, a 1000-pound animal galloping at top speed.
You’ll want a stool or low chair for this lesson. (The saddle is optional.) The lesson explores leaving the comfort of the seat, one '‘cheek’ at a time. How do you balance with different alignments of the shoulder and clavicle: with the dropping hip, opposite the dropping hip, clavicles with and opposite the lifting hip.
The lesson is colloquially called the “Half Ass” lesson. It can be a bit of a workout. An alternative is to have a small pad on hand. Rather than drop one ‘cheek’ off the edge of your chair, lift the opposite hip with your pad and continue with the group. But if you are going to indulge your inner cowgirl barrel rider, it’s worth challenging those obliques and glutes.
Our Voice-O-Meter sounds: HEEEEEEEE (triple warmer). HAAAAAA (heart)
Jordan Briggs - 2021 Barrel Race Champion - cowgirlmagazine.com.png
The Grand Horizontals - 8 - Ring Bell From Heart
Variations on the “Dominant Hand” lesson
Dr. Feldenkrais embraced the mindful qualities of balance and equanimity. His method gives students choices of how to react, with resilience to come from center to respond to any challenge with minimal effort. We use slow, tiny gestures to allow our consciousness to become aware of how we move, and give the nervous system time to relax into even easier movements.
Mindfully relaxing into grace is the theme of this lesson. The tiniest gesture of lifting and lowering the hand is an invitation to find deep, full body relaxation. The lesson progresses into turning the wrist and focusing on individual fingers, grouped fingers, and even a moment of the Buddhi mudra to enhance intuitive communication.
To feel how the humerus (upper arm) bone seats in the shoulder socket, extend the arm outward and circle in the socket. Finally, a strange position of the hands on the chest bring awareness to the shoulder blades’ relationship to the wrists. All the while tuning into the clavicle, which links the arm to the skeletal whole.
Set Up: This is an extreme low-effort lesson that can be done lying on the floor or sitting in a chair with a way to support the forearm so that it is parallel to the floor. Have anything you might need to be comfortable lying or sitting for the entire session: blankets for warmth, padding for under knees, hips, wherever you know you need it.
If you have a gong, singing bowl, chime, or wine glass and knife, bring them.
The Grand Horizontals - Bonus - What’s New? A Full Body Survey
A variation of AY 60
The Feldenkrais Method® is all about taking note of changes. This lesson is a full body survey of all the moving parts; neck, arms in the shoulder sockets, legs in the hip sockets. shoulder blades, left and right side of pelvis, and finally the entire spine.
This lesson begins on the back and has an optional segment on the belly. If that isn’t available to you, no problem. The lesson is very adjustable.
Track changes, pay attention to what is the same, and make notes of what you want to concentrate on moving forward. Includes all the healing sounds.
