Yoga Glossary · Muscles
Rhomboids
Small muscles between the spine and shoulder blades that draw the blades together.
The rhomboids run diagonally from the upper spine to the inner borders of the shoulder blades. Their job is retraction — squeezing the blades toward the spine — plus a share of downward rotation and stability whenever the arms load the shoulders.
They are the counterbalance to the chest: when the rhomboids are weak and the pectorals tight, the upper back rounds and the shoulders roll in. In practice they work in every pose that asks the blades to hug the back — Cobra, Locust and Bow — and they stretch when the arms reach forward and apart, as in Child's Pose and Eagle arms.
In practice
- Cobra and Locust switch the rhomboids on as the chest lifts and blades draw together.
- The 'pinch a pencil between your shoulder blades' image is rhomboid work.
- They stretch when you round the upper back and reach the arms long in Child's Pose.
Poses that engage it
Poses that lengthen it
Related terms
Test yourself
Pose IQ's Anatomy rounds quiz this term and its neighbours — ten questions, explanations after every answer.
The Yoga Glossary is an educational study reference. Definitions are standard yoga and anatomy knowledge in plain language; nothing here is medical advice.