Shoulder Clock ATM Lesson

By Stacey Barrows, GCFP

1. Lie on your right side and support your head with a pillow or your right arm. Rest your left hand on the floor in front of you with your elbow slightly bent. Bend your knees slightly to rest comfortably on your side.
2. Observe where your shoulder blade is and feel how it responds to your breath. Does it move with your breath and how does it move?
3. Imagine a clock on the ceiling with 12:00 in the direction of your head and 6:00 in the direction of your feet. Gently slide your shoulder blade in the direction of 12:00, and back to where you started. How easily does it move? Does it move in a straight line or does it meander around? How smooth is the movement? Don’t try to over-do and instead do the movement gently to observe the quality of your motion.
4. Move the shoulder blade in the opposite direction, to 6:00. How does this compare? How does your breath move, and how does it relate to the movement of your shoulder blade?
5. Slide your shoulder blade in the forward direction, toward 3:00 on your imaginary clock. Does your body roll forward or back with this movement?
6. Slide the shoulder blade in the opposite direction, toward 9:00. Which is the easier direction, 3:00 or 9:00?
7. Gently move your shoulder blade in a circle clockwise, traveling from 12:00 to 3:00 to 6:00 to 9:00 and back up to 12:00.
8. Reverse the direction. Observe how you are breathing, the ease of your movement and how the rest of you moves.
9. Sit up and compare the two sides of your body. What differences do you notice between the two sides?
10. Lie on your left side and follow the directions, but this time just do the movements in your imagination. Are you able to do the movements gently and without holding your breath?
11. Sit up again and compare the two sides of your body. What differences do you feel now?
12. Stand up and walk around and feel how your arms move as you walk. Do you feel your arms swing with a new sense of ease as you walk?

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