3/29/07- Scapular Wax- Kinesiology

Michelle Black

3/29/07

Journal #4

Scapular Wax

            “Imagine the shoulder blade to be made of beeswax. Visualize the lower shoulder blade melting downward. First, the inferior tip turns into soft drops of molten wax, and then the entire lower section melts. The drops fall down toward the sitz bones. Smell the honey-like aroma of the wax as it glides down your back.” (page 219)

            I had a very difficult time with this image. The funniest part was that I knew what it was trying to accomplish, and every time I remembered to think about the image, I started trying to force it to happen. I tried to stay in an upright position, which isn’t comfortable for me to begin with. My rhomboid area became tighter, and I found it easier to go into an anterior pelvic tilt. I had to consciously be aware of what my lower back was doing so as to avoid this tilt. Also, since my focus was on the inferior half of my scapula, my “wing” felt even more prominent than usual.

            I had the same reaction when I attempted this image in technique class. I found that I became tighter in my entire upper body. My natural reaction to keep my back straight to let the wax drip down my back was overpowering. If I let myself slouch or become more mobile in my upper-body, I could no longer visualize the wax.

            That’s not to say this image was a complete waste of time. I did have some success with it. The best time for me to work with this image was when I was walking around campus with my book bag over both shoulders. Somehow, the weight on my shoulders gave me an extra sense of letting go. Though I still felt like my “wings” were protruding, my shoulders seemed to let go of more tension. They felt lower than they normally feel. I also felt like my upper chest was wider than normal.

This last observation holds particular interest for me because I have been working lately with my pectoralis minor syndrome. I frequently receive feedback in technique class on my forward shoulders. Forward shoulders feel normal to me, but when I felt this stretch in my upper chest, I felt more confident. I have yet to be able to implement that same feeling into my technique without forcing my shoulders back and tightening my rhomboids.