Live Online Lecture/Workshop Intensives

November 7 - November 17, 2022

This fall, the Dimon Institute is offering an intensive series of classes in kinesthetic education taught by Dr. Ted Dimon. The Shoulder and Arm will be the fourth two-week module and will meet 2 hours per day, Monday through Thursday, 10:00AM-12:00PM EST (with recordings available for those who cannot attend live). This module will also include optional Developmental Movement, Review, and Discussion classes. 

 

Module 4: The Shoulder and Arm

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The shoulder girdle is a powerful yet highly mobile cross-piece for supporting the levers of the arms. Two groups of muscles support and move the shoulder—the scapula and rotator cuff muscles in back and the pectoral muscles in front. When we use our hands to do things, we must actively use the flexors, which enable us to grasp and manipulate objects. But this is not the most basic function of the shoulders and arms, which served, in our four-footed ancestors, as forelimbs that supported us above the ground by extending away from the trunk with the hands or paws opening onto the ground. Although we no longer use our arms primarily in this way, this function is still essential to the proper use of the arms, which are linked into, and gain their support from, the extensor muscles of the back and shoulders, even when we are grasping and manipulating objects. When working properly, the shoulders widen apart to support the arms, and the extensors of the back and shoulders maintain this support even when we flex the arms or grasp with the fingers. This balanced use of the shoulders and arms can easily be seen in young children, whose shoulders and backs are broadly expansive even when they are grasping and manipulating objects. 

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In adults, however, the flexor function tends to dominate and interfere with this extensor function, causing us to habitually tighten the back muscles, narrow across the shoulders, and overuse the flexors of the arms when using our hands and arms. To overcome this, we must restore the natural support of the trunk and shoulders and learn to use the arms in such a way that we do not narrow across the shoulders. This allows the shoulders to spread apart and the back to work more fully. 

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In this module, we will look at shoulder girdle and how it works, the extensors that support and move the shoulder, the flexors that narrow the shoulders, and the extensor and flexor spirals of the arms. We’ll also explore ways of restoring the widened use of shoulders.

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Pricing:

• Cost per module: $100 early bird (by August 21); $120 regular

• Cost for full term (all five modules): $450 early bird (by August 21); $525 regular
   

• Student Discount - 20% off early bird and regular rates. All students currently enrolled in any professional certification or degree program are invited to register at a discounted rate. Please register here to receive a student coupon code.

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• The Dimon Institute Scholarship Fund is able to offer a limited number of full and partial need-based scholarships to those in financial need. Please complete this form by August 16th to apply.