During my Animal Flow Level 2 workshop, the instruction to elevate the shoulders in Bear made me revisit familiar yoga cues. How does that fit with keeping the neck comfortable in downward dog? The answer begins with the position of the arms and the purpose of the movement. Bear and downward dog share important shoulder mechanics, even when we describe them differently.
The shoulder blades can slide and rotate together. The shoulder joint includes the head of the upper-arm bone and a shallow socket in the shoulder blade. The socket moves with the blade. Muscles support the joint while the shoulder blade moves over the ribs; stability does not require fixing the blade in one position. [1]
Elevation moves the blade toward the head; depression moves it toward the hips. Protraction moves it away from the spine along the ribs; retraction moves it toward the spine. Upward rotation turns the socket toward the overhead arm as the bottom tip of the blade swings outward. A blade can slide outward and rotate upward at the same time. [2]
When teachers say “wrap the shoulder blades around the ribs,” they usually mean allowing some protraction while maintaining contact with the rib cage. This does not require rounding the entire spine. Elevation is also distinct from upward rotation: one describes a slide, the other a turn.
Downward dog
Although the hands are on the floor, the arms reach overhead relative to the torso. The blades rotate upward, with some elevation and protraction. Pulling them forcefully down or pinching them together can interfere with that coordinated movement. A comfortable neck does not require depressed shoulder blades. [2]
Teaching cue: “Press through your hands and reach your hips away from them. Let your shoulder blades follow your arms, with your neck and jaw relaxed.”
Bear in Animal Flow
Bear is the hips-high form described here, rather than Static Beast. Animal Flow’s Level 2 manual instructs practitioners to raise the heels, bring the head between the arms and reduce the shoulder-to-ear gap. Elevation is an intentional part of the technique. [3]
My teaching interpretation is that this emphasizes active support during a compact position and, when traveling, during changing hand support. It does not mean downward dog requires the opposite action or that every student should force a maximal shrug.
Teaching cue: “Keep your heels high and press the floor away. Bring your shoulders toward your ears while keeping your head relaxed between your arms.”
Handstand
In a straight-arm handstand, the arms are overhead and the hands support the body. Active elevation, together with upward rotation, supports a long shoulder line. Animal Flow’s pike and tuck-balance preparations explicitly train elevation and a reduced shoulder-to-ear gap. [3]
Teaching cue: “Push the floor away and grow tall through your arms. Let your shoulder blades lift toward your ears without jutting your head forward.”
For a full handstand, this is a teaching application of the overhead-support principle, not a demand that every practitioner achieve the same shoulder angle.
Side crow
Side crow changes the task: the torso twists, the elbows bend, and the arms are in front of the body rather than fully overhead. Shoulder support includes the serratus anterior broadening the blades and the rotator cuff stabilizing the upper-arm bones. [4] The emphasis is resisting collapse while controlling the twist; handstand-style maximal elevation is not a universal requirement.
Teaching cue: “Press through both hands, broaden across your shoulder blades and keep your chest supported as you shift forward.”
The twist and the chosen variation can make the two sides work differently. These cues describe the shoulder task; they are not complete instructions for entering an advanced arm balance.
Comparing the teaching emphasis
| Position | Shoulder emphasis | Simple cue |
| Downward dog | Overhead reach with upward rotation and adaptable elevation | Press through the hands; lengthen toward the hips. |
| Bear | Overhead support with deliberate elevation | Keep heels high; press away and reduce the shoulder gap. |
| Handstand | Overhead support with active elevation and upward rotation | Push the floor away; grow tall through the arms. |
| Side crow | Bent-arm support with broadening and control of the twist | Broaden the blades; keep the chest supported. |
Choose a cue for the task
I can keep the useful intention behind my familiar cues while making the wording clearer. “Relax your neck” can coexist with “press the floor away.” Rather than using “shoulders down in their sockets,” I can describe the action I want students to perform and observe whether it improves their support. Arm position, load and individual capacity guide the instruction—not simply whether the body is inverted.
Pain, pinching or a feeling of instability calls for modification and individual assessment, rather than a stronger cue.
References
1. AAOS OrthoInfo — Shoulder Dislocation
2. ACE — Yoga Straps for Scapular Strength