“Nothing emphasizes a teacher’s presence to the student
like a hand’s on adjustment to the pose they are in.”
Today, having taken more handson adjustment workshops since
and completing my Principle
Certification with Navina TM
Thai Yoga Therapy, I am much
more confident in adding this
new dimension of touch to the
practice.
Whereas I was once apprehensive
about stepping into the space of
a student to make an adjustment,
I now confidently move in
(asking permission of course)
and intuitively guide students
through the language of touch.
It is like teaching in a kind of
sign language - silent, yet full of
meaning and intention.
Nothing emphasizes a teacher’s
Presence to the student like a
hand’s on adjustment to the pose
they are in. The student is made to
feel noticed and important.
Where words sometimes fail to
express a certain alignment cue,
touch will inexorably come to the
rescue, leaving behind a path
that takes the student further into
their body than a verbal cue ever
could.
Looking back at my early years
as an instructor I can see that I’ve
always associated leadership
with speech, tone of voice
and posture, but now I see that
confident touch in a hands-on
adjustment plays a vital role in it
as well. Touch has become my
new voice now.