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| Study of Hands by Albrecht Durer |
I was wondering how you (or any of the bloggers) feel about yoga teachers giving hands-on adjustments in a group setting? I have been teaching for 13 years but I do not feel comfortable giving adjustments. It just strikes me as too risky because I can't possibly know what's appropriate for any student's body. I'd much rather rely on detailed verbal cues and a slow-to-moderate pace that allows students to align and adjust their own bodies. Occasionally, I give a light touch if I see that a student is not getting the verbal cues and if I'm concerned that his/her alignment looks dangerous.
Now, just yesterday, I took a class from another teacher in a studio I'd never visited. A friend of mine recommended this teacher. Toward the end of class, without asking my permission, she came over and pushed me deeper into a supine twist. She did this to half the class on one side of the body and the other half of the class on the other side of the body. Afterwards, I just felt a bit lopsided. However, today I noticed that my spine was definitely out of alignment and went to the chiropractor for an adjustment. I still have some residual discomfort. This experience has reinforced my idea that hands-on adjustments in group classes are not very wise. Comments?
To start, I have a very simple answer for this reader, who obviously prefers not to receive or give adjustments. For you I’d say that you should not give adjustments to your students (except the rare light ones you do now). No teacher who isn’t comfortable using manual adjustments should use them. And if you don’t like receiving adjustments or don’t trust teachers to give them to you, then you should inform your teachers that you do not wish to receive them.
But rather than just dismiss the topic with that simple answer, I thought I’d address it in general, because quite frankly I love manual adjustments, both receiving and giving them. I find that they are an extremely effective form of communication, one that can’t quite be replicated with words (and I’m a writer). In my teacher training and apprenticeships, I was trained in the use of manual adjustments, so I’ve always been comfortable using them. And when I was teaching a group of international graduate students and their spouses, I found using my hands to communicate was particularly important because my students typically did not understand subtle, anatomical instructions. I must say, however, that I never give adjustments to “push” anyone deeper into a pose, but rather to communicate a direction of movement or relaxation that I feel will help the student find more freedom in the pose.
As far as receiving adjustments goes, some of my best insights have come from the touch of a teacher’s hand. As I practice at home, I sometimes have a distinct visceral memory of a teacher’s hands guiding my body into opening or relaxing, even years after the original experience. I have had one negative experience when I was trying a new style of yoga and the teacher’s assistant, wanting me to “melt my heart” in a Downward-Facing Dog, pushed quite firmly on my spine (apparently my Iyengar style alignment was not going over well) in a way that made me quite upset. That just put me off that particular teacher—and maybe that style of yoga—but not adjustments in general. Obviously—and we say this all the time on our blog—we need to use discernment in choosing the teachers we study with. Because improper use of adjustments could be potentially injurious, how our teachers use manual adjustments (if they do) should certainly be one of the criteria we use to choose who we study with. So I’d say go with your gut: if you’re uncomfortable in any way with how the teacher uses his or her hands, find another teacher.
But since this is a rather controversial topic, rather than just going on my own experience, I decided to consult some experts. Of course, I just happen to have a few experts on staff, including two who are medical doctors! But everyone on the staff except Brad teaches yoga so I thought it would be interesting and valuable to ask them all. To make it easy, I asked everyone all the same three questions.
DR. BAXTER BELL:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Sometimes, if they know what they are doing.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Sometimes, if the setting is appropriate: I know the students, they are agreeable.
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? It seems that certain styles of yoga may do a better job of training their teachers in the measured and appropriate use of adjustments. Done well, they can be enlightening for the student; done poorly, injurious.
DR. TIMOTHY MCCALL:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? When it’s from a teacher I trust yes. But there have been times where I have not allowed a teacher to adjust me. I also think there is a crucial difference between gently guiding someone in the right direction, and taking your hands and bring them to the position. I have experienced the latter, and while (when done well) it can feel great, the risk of injury is much higher.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, in the gentler style mentioned above.
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Done skillfully they can be great. Done unskillfully it’s a craps shoot.
RAM RAO:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Yes.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, I always declare before the start of the class that I will be making fine adjustments that require for me to place my hands. If they are not comfortable with me touching, they need to tell me.
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Manual adjustments are transmitting a message across from the teacher to the student through the hands. How you do it can be interpreted in so many ways:
PROS
A) Helps a student move into the pose
B) Helps a student find his or her balance
C) With manual adjustments a person may achieve new sensations or experience
D) Manual adjustments help the student to go deeper into the pose
E) Helps develop a long-standing teacher-student (guru-sishya) relationship
CONS
A) Genuine intentions of the teacher to adjust can also misinterpreted
B) Weak students or beginners can injure themselves
SHARI SER:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? I like receiving adjustments. It tells me the teacher is looking at me and assisting me in my stuck or over-used areas. It is a key to awareness.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? I give adjustments as a teaching tool to encourage the student to direct attention to an area that either is vulnerable or is where they are working too hard.
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Adjustments are tricky. You're aren't doing the student's yoga—it has to be their yoga. You are just the guide to keep someone safe. Also, how you learn to touch is very important. Touch has to be non-invasive, minimal and respectful. A lot of people don't want to be touched, and you need to respect that. Judith Lasater always asks the student for their permission to touch, which is extremely important, especially when it is a new student in the class. If these precepts are respected, then there is no con and it is all pro.
BRIDGET FREDERICK:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? I love manual adjustments, but my teachers are superb. I realize that not all teachers have the same finesse. There is a way to gently suggest an energy flow without really manhandling someone.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? Yes, because in my own practice I find the adjustments invaluable. Often, with my students, some touch is necessary to get them to find the release or extension I'm seeking. Students can get lost in a pose—connecting words to anatomical movement can be confusing. Often a directional touch can suggest more than a whole paragraph of explanation. But if I'm working with a group of students I do not know, I'll announce at the beginning of class that I tend to be pretty hands-on and that if this is not welcome, to just let me know.
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? Manual adjustments are energetic and learned over time. Getting adjustments from a skilled teacher is incredible. Bad manual adjustments can be unpleasant, or even cause injury.
BRAD GIBSON:
Do you like receiving manual adjustments from your teachers? Yes, I find this really instructive. It also gives a more personalized feel to a class—especially if it's a large one.
When you teach (if you do), do you like to GIVE manual adjustments to your students? N/A
Optional: Very briefly, do you have anything to say about the pros and cons of manual adjustments? I almost always appreciate the extra instruction of manual adjustments. I suppose the only downside is when this happens from an assistant and I find myself (sometimes) out of sync with the rest of the class.
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