Changes in Latitude

Strengthen weak latissimus dorsi (the lats) and feel your shoulders open for Upward Dog and Pendant Pose.

By Julie Gudmestad

Chest Protector
If left to their own devices, the lats tend to roll the shoulders down and forward and close the chest when they lift the weight of the torso. This is undesirable in Upward Dog, and indeed in almost all yoga poses. To counter that tendency, activate the back muscles below your shoulder blades, including the lower trapezius, which will pull your shoulder blades down and help open your chest.

To experience this, sit again in Dandasana with your palms on blocks beside your hips. Lift your breastbone and pull your shoulder blades down toward the back of your waist. Keep the breastbone lifted as you gradually press your hands into the blocks and lift your torso and hips off the floor. You’ll need these actions for Upward Dog: the lats lifting your spine and torso up while the lower trapezius keeps the chest open.

Posture Proof
As you might guess from the above example, the lats can be a powerful influence on your posture. If they’re strong and tight from regular strengthening activities like swimming or rowing, or weak and tight from too little stretching or strengthening, the tightness will roll the shoulders forward and down toward the chest, contributing to a collapsed chest. Pulling the shoulder blades down and back in most of your yoga poses will help strengthen the muscles that oppose the lats, especially the middle and lower trapezius. These same muscles will also be strengthened if you practice Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and Salabhasana (Locust Pose) and focus on lifting and opening the chest.

Motion Control
Tight lats can cause another big problem for yoga practitioners; they can reduce the range of motion in shoulder flexion (that is, when you bring your arm forward and up overhead). You need shoulder flexion in many poses, including Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), Vrksasana (Tree Pose) with the arms overhead, and Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I). You especially need full shoulder flexion, which is 180 degrees between the torso and humerus, in Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Downward-Facing Tree Pose, more often called Handstand). Without full shoulder flexion, your back has to over-arch to compensate.

Long Lats
There are many ways to stretch the lats and improve your shoulder flexion, but a good method is to lie on your back with a rolled towel across your upper shoulder blades, at the base of your neck but not actually under your neck. Bending your knees and placing your feet flat on the floor, lift your pelvis and move your buttocks toward your heels, then bring your pelvis back to the ground. This lengthening is necessary because one of the lats’ many actions is to extend (backbend) the lower spine; to stretch the lats, you need to counter that tendency. Next, stretch your arms up toward the ceiling and then overhead toward the floor. Keep your elbows straight and lengthen the lats from your waist, across the side ribs, and into the armpits.

If you feel pain in your shoulders, use a block or other object to support your hands at a height where you feel a stretch but no pain. Hold this position for two to three minutes, breathing smoothly and evenly. Over time, your lats will lengthen. When they do, you may be able to use a bigger roll under your upper back. As the height of the prop increases, most students need to use a little support under the head to avoid hyperextending (overarching) the neck.

Page 1 2 3

See All Anatomy Articles »