Here’s a good opportunity to see how far the collarbones and shoulder blades place the glenohumeral joint away from the ribs. Look at how much space there is for the ribs to move up and out with the breath. Notice how the right humerus (on the left) is further away from the ribs and hangs down, whereas the left humerus (on the right) looks pulled in angling the bone out to the side. It’s possible this is purely due this particular person’s natural asymmetry, but I wonder if the right arm is mapped correctly and the left map is off a little bit. There’s no way to know for sure, but I would explore this difference with a client to see if there’s more space, ease and movement options to be found. There’s often more ease and space to be found.
When the arms arm mapped correctly, they hang down easily. When they are mismapped, the upper arm bones may angle out, putting unnecessary strain on the tissues of the neck, shoulders, chest and upper back while limiting breathing space. You may be able to stretch your way out of this, but correcting the map will help you find the forgotten ease you’re looking for.
Tomorrow we’ll look at how the space between the ribs and arms change when we move the collarbones upward.