Dear Meredith, great class. I have a question about the shoulder opening/rotation toward the end. As your shoulder socket rotates it almost looks double jointed, my own shoulder seems incapable of doing this rotation , it feels extremely unnatural. Perhaps due to internally rotated shoulders. Can you suggest a modification or sequence that would help build up to this exercise? As I cannot do it , I feel I must really need it so would like to work toward success. As a BASI comprehensive student with little support in Asia, you and the others at pilatesanytime are a valuable source of guidance and inspiration. Thanks for your support and all the wonderful classes and instruction.
Hi Tova, I'll bet you can do it. First start by positioning the body towards the back of the mat and the hand toward the front of the bar, making as much space as possible between the shoulder joint and the hand. You can also move slightly back from the push through bar as well. Keep in mind that this exercise has a few steps... *You want to start in maximum external rotation of the shoulder *The arm starts turning and then the scapula moves out and down towards the mat *On the way back the scapula adducts first then the arm rotates back to the maximum position at the top The gliding of the scapula is an important piece!
Also, if you are prone to hyperextension in your elbows, that could be a cause of your limitation. If the elbow is in hyperextension it is in a "locked" position blocking the pathway for the shoulder and hand to work in a straight line. This is a more complicated situation to work with but, try, when you feel "blocked" try bending at the elbow a bit and see if that helps. It is difficult to give advice without seeing you in the movement but see if any of those tips help. Please keep me posted!!