I stopped teaching Clock Pose - Here's why! - The Anatomy of the Shoulder Girdle & What to do instead

For years, I taught a shoulder mobility practice I called “clock pose.” I did it myself all the time, I loved the sensation of it.

Now? I never do it.

Not only that but I don’t allow it to be taught in the yoga studio either.

This video explains why: what I learned about the shoulder girdle, why intense “stretchy” shoulder practices can actually destabilise the joint over time, and what I recommend instead if you want real, lasting change (without hanging out of your joints).

What is “Clock Pose”?

Clock pose is shoulder rotation practice using the wall. The idea is simple:

  • Stand side-on to a wall.

  • Place your hand against the wall at “12 o’clock” (arm up).

  • Then circle the arm around like a clock: 12 → 9 → 6 → 3.

It is also done using a doorway, “the Titanic” hands on the door frame, body sinking forward into that big, satisfying front-body/shoulder stretch.

And yes… it can feel amazing.

That “ahhh” sensation is exactly why so many of us do it.

BUT feeling a stretch may actually be damaging the shoulder.


The Shoulder isn’t “Just” a ball and socket

Your “shoulder” is really the whole shoulder girdle, including:

  • Shoulder blade (scapula)

  • Collar bone (clavicle)

  • Upper arm bone (humerus)

  • Plus the muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia—and the relationship with your ribcage and spine.


This is the integrated approach to anatomy that we take on our 300hr Advanced Embodied Somatic Yoga Teacher Training.

If you want to understand the body as a whole and how it all connects and layers, check out our 300hr

Learn more

The Core Problem: Hanging Out of the Joint

This is the biggest reason I stopped teaching clock pose.

Clock pose encourages people to push into end range with external support (wall/door frame) and chase a stretch sensation, leading to “Hanging out of the joint.”

In other words:

  • You’ve taken the shoulder to the edge of its range

  • The structure is no longer well supported

  • The load is no longer travelling through a clean, stable pathway

  • And instead, stress dumps into delicate tissues that weren’t meant to be strained like that

This can look subtle. It’s not always dramatic. Often it’s just slightly off-centre, slightly too far, slightly too long. But it can do a lot of long term damage.

Why It’s Risky (Even If Nobody Gets Hurt in Class)

Micro-tears over time are far more common than a big in-the-moment injury. Tiny pulls in fascia and connective tissue from repeated, uncontained stress. And then one day someone does something totally normal—lifting shopping, reaching awkwardly, moving quickly and their shoulder “goes.”

What I Teach Instead: Slow Somatic Shoulder Work

If you watch the second half of the video, I demonstrate something I love teaching for shoulders:

Side roll (and variations)

Because when you’re lying down:

  • your body is supported

  • you can feel the shoulder blade more clearly

  • and it’s easier to stay in a contained range

The key is this:

  1. Start where movement feels easy and supported

  2. Let the shoulder girdle glide (not yank)

  3. If you feel strain or “hanging,” shorten the arm

  4. As the system settles, you may naturally find more range—without forcing it

It can look a bit like “clock”… but without the wall, without the leverage, and without the uncontained pressure.

You have all the mobility you want, with none of the destabilising strain.

Here’s an in depth look at Somatics for Shoulders designed for Yoga Teachers

Clock pose for Yoga Teachers | Somatic Yoga | Embodied Yoga | 300hr Yoga Teacher Training | Shoulder anatomy for Yoga Teachers | Somatic Yoga Teacher Training | Blogs for Yoga Teachers

Laura Wynne