Last weekend, the Yoga Journal held one of their yoga conferences in Colorado; a scenic and pleasant 45 minutes drive from my home --pleasant, provided one is not driving in a mountain white-out as I did one evening after a nice long day of yoga and meditation. Care for a little white-knuckled, stress reducing deep breathing?
So, there I was in my first hatha yoga class of the conference, doing a fairly good job of holding steady in tree pose. I was just about to go for it and raise my hands above my head when something, maybe, touched my hip. My first thought was that a damp fly had landed on me. Then, after a moment or two of heightened attention, I figured out that an assistant had slid in behind me and was ever so lightly attempting to get my hip to.... Do what?
For the life of me I could not tell what was being asked of me -- what the "invitation" was, to use current jargon. I made an educated guess and shifted that hip back. my vaporous friend moved on. Or did she? I wasn't sure. The assistant had so successfully moved into my "personal" space without my knowing it, maybe she was still right behind me. I was unnerved. My balance went. I lost my tree pose. She wasn't there. It was creepy.
This was not an isolated incident. Now let me stop right here and say the conference was wonderful. I took a variety of classes, I learned a lot and enjoyed all. I'm just getting to something here. Anyway, in other classes, taught by teachers from differing traditions with different assistants, again I experienced the oh-so-gentle-I-don't-know-what-to-do correction.
I imagined that somewhere along the line someone gave a workshop or teacher training where there was a big emphasis on how to gently move into a students space. Which is a nice idea, but now it had gone too far and run amok. I haven't had this kind of experience in a Pilates classes, yet (have you? comments below). Maybe I'm mentioning it because I know enough teachers who do both Pilates and yoga that I'm afraid we could get an infiltration at any moment.
What I have experienced in Pilates is the other side of the coin. The overly directed touch. For example, I've had teachers put their hands on either side of my hips and press inward as hard as they can. Poor things. It does no good. The correction I needed to make was, as always, from inside. In that case to pull up through my inner thighs, pelvic floor and on through my midline and no amount of pushing from the outside was going to teach me that. I usually see overdone corrections like that as acts of desperation on a teachers part.
I'm talking about exceptional cases here. Hands on cuing is an art form and I am happy to say that I have been blessed to experience many a teacher, in both Pilates and yoga, who was very skillful at it. I find that tactile cuing helps me find things in my body that would take a whole heap of explaining otherwise.
I did get some very helpful hands-on cues at the conference, many. Still, my experience with the "ever so light" corrections had me in a very receptive state when I went into the market area and found yoga flipchips. They are wooden discs that say "assist"on one side and not on the other. They look a little like coasters. You set them by your mat, or in our case maybe Pilates equipment, to let an instructor know whether you want an assist or not. I took the photo above and gushed for quite a while over what a great idea they were.
Actually, my chip would almost always be up. I usually appreciate hands on corrections, and I use them in my lessons as well (with permission). But not everyone does like them and that's O.K. Some people have had bad experiences and often people prefer not to be touched for other reasons. Sometimes we are in large classes and we don't know the teacher. Sometimes it's a gender issue. Sometimes we just want to be left alone. The list could get quite long.
At many yoga and Pilates studios hands on cues are a given unless you request not to be touched. Others will ask you when you sign up, or the teacher will give you an opportunity to tell him or her whether or not you want to be touched. In any case, it is entirely your right to make your wishes known whether you are asked or not.
How do you feel about hands on corrections? Please share your thoughts. If you are a teacher, do you use them? Why? Why not? If you are a student, how do you feel about being touched? When do you think it's appropriate? Or is it never appropriate for you? Feel free to comment below.
Related Reading:
Yoga and Pilates Connection
7 Yoga Poses for Pilates workouts
Yoga vs Pilates Exercises
As I currently teach classes and privates in a resort setting where guests may come only once or at most 2 weeks, I always do a verbal intake of each and every guest when i greet them. One question is ‘Do you mind if I manually correct you?’ 99% of the time the answer is yes.
I find manual correction is excellent feedback, both for the guest to release or access what Im asking for within a movement, and for me to see if they are ‘getting it’.
An effective lesson for me has been as a student taking a class with other experienced teachers, and see /feel how they do tactile cueing.
I think hands on corrections are necessary. I don’t like to teach when I can’t use them. But I also understand that there are good reasons why people don’t feel comfortable being touched and I respect that. It is easier for people to work like that in a smaller studio where you get to know the teacher and work with them consistently than in a gym or super big studio.
I think many yoga teachers have gotten super gentle with their adjustments, so much so that, as you experienced, it’s hard to tell what they want you to do. Actually, it’s pretty hard to get a manual adjustment at all in a yoga class these days because everyone is so freaked out about causing injury, especially new teachers. I love getting a strong adjustment, but it needs to come from someone who really knows what they are doing.
Like you said, Marguerite, we have to work from the inside out, whether that is in yoga or Pilates. We can correct most misalignments with words without ‘stepping on a student’s toes’. Only occasionally do I help someone get deeper into a pose, only if I know the student well and they’re familiar with the pose and they know their edge. I feel similarly about vague adjustments. What’s the point. There are a few general tips for physical adjustments that work well in my experience: 1. Place a hand/palm or finger on a persons body part (i.e. the crown of the head in Cobra) and ask them to press into your hand or place a hand in front of a student’s belly (no touch required) and ask them to stay away from your hand.
A lot of the times teachers actually throw students off their balance. Why would you (as a teacher) adjust someone physically, when it disturbs their practice?
Marguerite – I was also at the YJ conference. Sorry I did not know you were there. It would have been great to meet you in person. I, too, have had problems with some of the assistants in large yoga classes. In teacher training programs there seems to be an emphasis on hands-on adjustment. Some of the assistants (who are often teacher trainees) seem to feel compelled to demonstrate their lessons simply for the sake of demonstration. This makes it seem more for the benefit of the adjustor rather than the adjustee. I work with alot of older adults who need to modify postures to accommodate a variety of limitations. Some may never achieve the “classical” form of the pose. That, of course, does not mean they can’t experience the benefits. But what is “right” for them may not be “right” in the classical sense. Without knowing the participant and their specific issues, adjustments can be uncomfortable at best and even harmful at worst. I have known of students who have left classes never to return because they hated being adjusted. Having said all of that, there were some assistants in some of the classes at this conference that were particularly good – sensitive to the person they were adjusting and very tuned in to the instructor’s methods and goals. I made a point of mentioning this to the instructor whenever the assistants were particularly good. Bottom line is that my feelings are mixed on this subject. I think ultimately verbal cues are best because they help the participant to begin really focus on their own bodies. Everyone is different, though. I think an instructor should always ask before touching a participant in a class.
I think this might be the first comment from a male instructor.
I teach both Pilates and Yoga.
I’ve been doing this for about six years and can count on one hand the number of male participants I’ve had. So my classes are predominantly female of all ages.
I decided early on for me to gain credibility and trust in my classes that I must be 110% professional. Included with that decision is my choice to not do physical adjusting. Any touching I do is below the knees or above the waist on the back. I don’t go anywhere else.
I do not feel the quality of my classes has been compromised at all by avoioding touching. I think very well thought out and descriptive cues can go a long way toward causing necessary corrections to happen..
I have been doing pIlates on and off for almost 30 yrs now and have a variety of instructors. my present one, whom I have had for over three years now, is hands on and I dont mind at all. It may depend on the instructor and the pupil. I’m sure there are some who do not want hands on in anything but to me it it helps get a proper correction while doing certain Pilates techniques. I think i is up to the instructor to mention this with a new student if that is how she teaches.
I have been teaching pilates now for quite a few years. I have all my clients sign a waiver Permission to Touch.
I use my words more than actually touch a person. If that fails, I demonstrate it one more time.
If it still isn’t clear, I will go and gently help them get into position.
Not right to place a person in the position just because the class is doing it, they could have reasons and being incapable of doing so.
I try not to single people out, and I am always telling them its not competiive and go at your own pace.
I took a course called Ethical touch and really learned that there are ways of directing people without ever touching them.
Far safer that way.
i love that comment. the correction has to come from inside me so no amount of outside adjustment helps. I struggle with this constantly! I do correct people with my hands. I do ask. I am not sure if they like it or not. I am afraid they are afraid to say no. My mentors who are man and wife have the complete opposite approach from each other. She…touches all the time. He…has the amazing skill of verbal corrections. I admire both. I have to find a good balance for myself and my clients. thanks for the post it is giving me food for thought. PS I do NOT like to be corrected in Yoga, I dont know why, I think usually its to go deeper into a pose and I am pretty much there so dont like that extra push “into” my muscles.
As a Pilates teacher I am a little wary of hands on teaching and yet feel that is needed in certain circumstances but sometimes get the feeling that a client does not want my intrusion and thus will leave them alone. At other times maybe a person would want more. I have to say that when I teach my daughters aged 18 and 15 I will use my hands more and feel that it helps to show them where they may be wrongly aligned while they are lying on their backs etc. This can take awhile to get across to a client if you are using only verbal cues.
My own instructor, a well known and respected teacher in the UK, is very hands on, almost to an extreme but then she is often teaching other teachers, so there is the understanding but she also has new clients. I really appreciate this and know when I go to her I am getting the best for my body that I could. She takes no prisoners and that would not be for everyone. I think for that you have to be very into pushing yourself and getting the most from your body and for some of my clients that is not what they are looking for and they may have back issues etc. We are all different and that is the problem but yes if you speak about it up front with a new client and start with that discussion it helps. As usual Marguerite your newsletters are just what I was wondering about and I find them so helpful. Thank you
I teach a Vinyasa flow class & a Hatha yoga class at a community center.
I usually get down on the floor next to student & demonstrate the pose then ask if they mind if I guide them manually. I am very careful not to push their limbs. I always ask if they can move a certain limb more deeply.