WELCOME TO MONTHLY THROUGH LINES

Hey all – it’s Simon here from Chromatic Yoga. It’s April 2026. Spring is in full bloom… longer, brighter days, fresh green growth, and that unmistakable feeling of renewal and expansion. After the inward focus of winter, many of us are ready to open up, reach out, and move with greater freedom and lightness.

This seasonal shift naturally draws attention to the shoulders—the expressive, mobile joints that connect our arms to our torso and play a starring role in nearly every yoga pose. Tight or unstable shoulders can create tension in the neck and upper back; mobile, strong, and intelligently controlled shoulders help us feel open, capable, and supported in everything from Downward Dog and Chaturanga to backbends, inversions, and arm balances.

This is the perfect time for our practice to become the ultimate shoulder reset, especially when we get precise about the primary actions that govern shoulder mobility and stability.

And that’s where CHROMATIC MONTHLY THROUGH LINES comes in!

In Chromatic Yoga, we keep things straightforward. That’s why we’ve launched this “Monthly Through Line” community initiative. It’s designed to help you—our Chromatic Teachers—focus and intelligently design your classes to best support your students. If you’re not a Chromatic Teacher yet, and are simply here to practice, that’s great too. You’ll be able to apply these through-lines to gain deeper insight into body biomechanics and potentially access the poses you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t fully unlocked yet.

How it Works:

1. On the first of every month, we announce the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line. We zoom in on one body part (or joint action) and explore all the ways it affects our yoga practice throughout the month.
2. We highlight a Physical Through Line (PTL) you can incorporate into your classes each week, along with pose suggestions and cueing techniques.
3. Share how you’ve used the PTL by tagging us on IG and in our Global WhatsApp Group!

For April, the Chromatic Monthly Through-Line will be based on…

the shoulders — the dynamic gateway connecting arms to torso, stability to expression.

We often talk about “shoulder openers,” but true shoulder freedom comes from understanding and strengthening the four cardinal actions at the shoulder joint (humerus moving relative to the scapula and torso). Master these, and you upgrade shoulder mobility, upper-back ease, neck comfort, posture, and the integrity of poses from Downward Dog to Handstand and Wheel.

Let’s dive in this month looking through the Chromatic lens on shoulder joint actions. The shoulders are highly mobile ball-and-socket joints capable of multi-plane movement, directly influencing the scapulae, spine, neck, and arms. Flexion lifts the arms forward/up; extension draws them back; abduction opens them out to the sides; adduction draws them in toward the midline. The magic? You can access these from proximal (scapula/torso-driven) or distal (arm-driven) cues, building different layers of control and strength.

This month we’ll explore the four primary actions of the shoulders so let’s welcome spring with shoulders that feel open, strong, and intelligently controlled.

Week 1: FLEXION

What It Is: The arms lift forward and upward toward or overhead (humerus moving anteriorly in the sagittal plane).

Key Muscles: Anterior deltoid, pectoralis major (clavicular head), coracobrachialis, with support from serratus anterior and trapezius for scapular upward rotation.

Why It Matters: Powers overhead reaching, arm balances, and forward actions while helping build healthy scapulohumeral rhythm and reducing compensatory neck tension.

This week: Play with it in High Plank to Downward Dog transitions, Warrior I with arms reaching forward then up, and poses like Hand-to-Big-Toe or Standing Forward Fold variations. Explore controlled flexion without dumping into the lower back or gripping the neck.

Week 2: EXTENSION

What It Is: The arms move backward behind the torso (humerus moving posteriorly).

Key Muscles: Posterior deltoid, latissimus dorsi, teres major, with support from the lower trapezius.

Why It Matters: Essential for healthy backbends, opening the front body, improving posture, and creating balance after lots of forward-reaching movements in daily life.

This week: Refine it in Locust Pose, Camel, Bridge variations. Discover how conscious extension creates spaciousness across the chest and front shoulders without over-compressing the low back.

Week 3: ABDUCTION

What It Is: The arms move away from the midline out to the sides or overhead (often combined with upward rotation of the scapula).

Key Muscles: Middle deltoid, supraspinatus (initial range), serratus anterior and trapezius for scapular support.

Why It Matters: Builds lateral strength and stability, supports wide-arm poses and inversions, and helps prevent impingement by encouraging proper scapular movement.

This week: Explore it in Goddess Pose with cactus arms, Wide-Armed Forward Fold, Side Plank variations, and Star Pose. Feel how abduction creates width and lift when paired with good scapular positioning.

Week 4: ADDUCTION

What It Is: The arms draw toward or across the midline (humerus moving medially).

Key Muscles: Pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, with support from the rhomboids and middle trapezius for scapular retraction.

Why It Matters: Develops inner shoulder and upper-back strength, improves posture, stabilizes the shoulders in binding poses and arm balances, and counters the tendency to let shoulders drift forward.

This week: Isolate it in Eagle Pose arms, Cow Face arms, Bound poses, and Hugging-Knee variations. Move from the shoulder blades for clean adduction rather than just squeezing the arms in.

Simon’s RECAP AND TIPS

THE INTERPLAY OF SHOULDER ACTIONS IN ASANA

Shoulders are a complex joint that link the arm bones to the torso. They function through four primary actions that constantly interact in every pose: flexion lifts the arms forward and overhead, extension draws them backward, abduction moves them away from the midline, and adduction pulls them toward or across the midline.

These actions rarely work alone. In Warrior I, flexion drives the front arm upward while extension and adduction stabilize the back shoulder. Downward Dog combines flexion with scapular upward rotation for clean alignment. Chaturanga relies on controlled flexion paired with adduction to keep the elbows in and shoulders stable. Handstand demands strong flexion and abduction with precise scapular control, while Wheel Pose benefits from extension and adduction to create chest opening without letting the shoulders roll forward.

Getting these relationships right prevents common issues — neck tension, upper back gripping, or unstable arm balances and inversions. Balancing opposites is key: adduction supports wide abduction, and extension counters excessive flexion. When the actions work together, poses feel more stable, mobile, and sustainable.

POSES TO EXPLORE THIS MONTH:

Week 1: Flexion – arms reaching forward and lifting overhead High Plank to Downward Dog transitions, Warrior I with focused arm reach, Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose, active Forward Fold variations, Dolphin Pose.

Week 2: Extension – arms moving backward behind the torso Locust Pose, Camel Pose, Bridge variations.

Week 3: Abduction – arms opening out to the sides with scapular support Goddess Pose with cactus arms, Wide-Armed Forward Fold, Side Plank variations, Star Pose, Extended Side Angle.

Week 4: Adduction – arms drawing in or across the midline Eagle arms, Cow Face arms, bound variations, hugging-knee drills, Thread-the-Needle with shoulder adduction focus.

FOR TEACHERS: VERBAL CUES

• In Warrior I (Flexion): Inhale, reach your arms forward, then lift them overhead, this movement is called “shoulder flexion”
• In Camel or Locust (Extension): “Draw the arms back behind by engaging the posterior shoulders and lats — this is called “shoulder extension”
• In Goddess with Cactus Arms (Abduction): “Find shoulder abduction by reaching the arms wide apart from one another .”
• In Eagle Arms (Adduction): “Drawing the arms toward the midline — adduct your arms/shoulder — and then wrap one arm under the other.

FOR CHROMATIC STUDENTS: These shoulder actions and their variations appear regularly in Chromatic classes. Use them in your personal practice to develop clearer awareness and better control in poses.

CHROMATIC TEACHERS: Share your experience with this month’s through-line. Which peak poses did you build using these actions? What cues or sequences helped students understand the interplay? Post in the Global WhatsApp Group — the best drills, breakthroughs, and teaching ideas come from all of us working together.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SHOULDER ACTIONS

April focused on the shoulders as the key joint connecting arms to torso, directly affecting mobility, stability, and upper body alignment. The four actions — flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction — determine whether Downward Dog feels supported, backbends feel open, or arm balances hold steady.

Take these principles off the mat:

1. Shoulder function is relational — the humerus, scapula, and torso must coordinate.
2. Daily patterns and many poses emphasize flexion and abduction; extension and adduction provide necessary balance.
3. Use opposites deliberately — subtle adduction can stabilize abduction, extension can counter forward dominance.
4. Shoulders influence the entire upper chain: neck, upper back, posture, and breath.
5. In any pose, check the balance: Are the actions integrated? Can you refine them slightly for better efficiency?

When the actions coordinate well, the practice becomes more precise and effective. April gave us the framework for smarter shoulder work. Keep applying these four actions with attention to their interplay.

Reach forward and up. Draw back. Open wide. Hug in.

Tag your practice explorations on Instagram and share what worked in the group. The more we exchange cues and sequences, the stronger our teaching and practice become.

See you in the flow,

~Simon Darroch

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