Expert Support
Shoulder Clock
(A great stretch and release for shoulders and along the front of your chest)
Stand next to a wall on your right side (ensure you have chosen a wall with enough space to extend an arm up, in front and behind you along the wall). Stand about a foot away from the wall. Let your arms relax at your sides, feel length in your spine, while your gaze and feet are pointing forward. Enjoy a few deep breaths, sensing the length in your entire body.
On an inhale, slowly raise your right arm up and gently press your palm against the wall. Imagine your fingers are pointing up at 12 o’clock as shown in figure a.
Ensure your shoulders are relaxed and your spine has remained straight; keep gaze forward and calm. Enjoy five long deep breaths here. On an inhale move your right palm behind you so you can imagine it is pointing at 1 o’clock as shown in figure b.
Try to keep your chest and hips pointing forward even though your arm is stretched behind you. Again, enjoy five breaths here.
During your next inhale stretch your arm back even further as if the fingers are pointing at 2 o’clock (bend your elbow slightly if you need to – figure c).
Again, take five deep breaths. Finally on another inhale, move your palm back one more time to 3 o’clock as shown in figure d.
Breath into the stretch five times. On your final exhale, relax your right arm down to your side and enjoy a few breaths here. Now for fun go look at yourself in a mirror—do you notice one arm longer than the other?
Repeat this whole exercise with the left side of your body against the wall. Imagine the movement is 12 o’clock, 11, 10 and 9 for the left arm (figure e, f, g, h).
The length in your arms should appear equal now if you were to look in a mirror.
Contraindication: if you have a shoulder injury or pain, exercise with caution and maybe practice with the elbow bent to relieve any strain
