Sarah. I'm a knew teacher and reluctant to assist, although I'm thinking about the how to of assisting. Your comments were quite helpful and your 'truth' clear. Thank you for taking the time! I look forward to more tips down the way!
Glad it was helpful jacquelyn! Physical touch is a great tool - when used correctly so don't let fear get in the way. Try practicing with a family member or close friend first so you get a sense of how the body feels under tension etc - honestly it will talk to you when enough is enough in terms of pressure. Thank you for being here
I always offer assists and adjustments as an invitation to feel or go into a version that fits the student's body. Therefore I let my regular classes fill out a questionnaire before the first class and keep up to date with the physical needs, regularly asking if anything has changed. Also I have little stones with a hand printed on one side and a crossed hand on the other side allowing each individual to signalize wether they want to be touched or not at any given moment depending on which side of the stone faces up on their mat. I accompany assists mostly with questions like "how does it feel when you...?"/"Does this create more freedom or do you feel you need to change something else?"/... putting the focus on the feeling. But I do think that less is more and it's all about the intention. I do not want anyone feel like I am correcting them as that is not what this is about. To me it is important to always reflect whether this particular assist is necessary or if I do it out of a habit. Observing and precise cueing are way more important.
Sarah. I'm a knew teacher and reluctant to assist, although I'm thinking about the how to of assisting. Your comments were quite helpful and your 'truth' clear. Thank you for taking the time! I look forward to more tips down the way!
Glad it was helpful jacquelyn! Physical touch is a great tool - when used correctly so don't let fear get in the way. Try practicing with a family member or close friend first so you get a sense of how the body feels under tension etc - honestly it will talk to you when enough is enough in terms of pressure. Thank you for being here
I always offer assists and adjustments as an invitation to feel or go into a version that fits the student's body. Therefore I let my regular classes fill out a questionnaire before the first class and keep up to date with the physical needs, regularly asking if anything has changed. Also I have little stones with a hand printed on one side and a crossed hand on the other side allowing each individual to signalize wether they want to be touched or not at any given moment depending on which side of the stone faces up on their mat. I accompany assists mostly with questions like "how does it feel when you...?"/"Does this create more freedom or do you feel you need to change something else?"/... putting the focus on the feeling. But I do think that less is more and it's all about the intention. I do not want anyone feel like I am correcting them as that is not what this is about. To me it is important to always reflect whether this particular assist is necessary or if I do it out of a habit. Observing and precise cueing are way more important.