This is a huge topic that deserves to be written and discussed many times over, however, for my friends who read this blog, I want to just
Thank you.
Touch is a way to focus awareness and attention. Physical touch turns on receptors in the skin which sends a signal to the brain which elicits
As a yoga student, my teachers gave me physical adjustments to ensure that I practiced correctly at home. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner so touch works for me. I am a kinesthetic and auditory teacher. I give clear yet gentle physical cues to help my students embody their own learning.
I believe that hands-on adjustments are necessary when the teacher is highly skilled and trained to give specific, direct, precise physical adjustments. Any modality can be over-used and abused. It is up to the teacher and the student to clearly define their rules for engagement. As a student please speak up if you are given any adjustment that doesn’t work for you. As a teacher, please be extremely aware when touching ANYBODY, especially in a teaching capacity where every move counts and actions often speak louder than words.
When I give physical adjustments is it only to those students who come regularly and who I know well and I sense that they are ready to receive more in-depth instruction through strong alignment.
For the same reason we want hands-on adjustment in order to clearly and directly heighten our awareness and gain more insight into our own movements, is also why we use props in the yoga classroom: a mat, the floor, blocks, strap/belt, the wall, blankets. Although we can do yoga without a yoga mat or hardwood floor, these are great tools for learning more about our own bodies.
Thank you. And please know that when I give a physical adjustment it is because you are ready to receive a higher level of teaching/learning, never because you’re “doing something wrong.”