Dear yoga teachers,
Please, touch me. 🙏🏽 We have become so conservative in general as a society in the US. So afraid of offending...someone in someway...that we often seek guidance from some external authority to approve or validate what kind of touch is okay, and when and where.... With me you don’t need a waiver signed or other such documentation of informed consent. My presence in your class is me asking for your touch.
When I come to your class I am seeking a break from all of that proper PC BS. To quiet my mind and practice listening to the wisdom within my body. To breathe and to be led deeper into my asana practice through guiding and deepening touches and assists from you, my instructor.
Please do not just call out poses and walk about the room eyeballing us. Please do not only touch those students who are newer and need major alignment adjustments in order to prevent injury. Touch me ! Your intermediate to advanced student..so that I know you see me too. So we connect energetically, human to human. Push me gently deeper into a forward fold than I’m able to go on my own. Open my shoulder in triangle pose so that I can FEEL where I might be able to go one day in that posture all on my own. Get me out of my head and into my body and into the moment through physical connection. And hell, get out of YOUR head and into your body...read me energetically.
Please, remember to touch me.
Grateful,
Your Student
When I was teaching I was terrified of doing adjustments and assists to anyone except my regular students who I knew wouldn't report me to God knows who for invading their bubble or even worse file some bogus lawsuit. I was teaching at gyms though so it was a bit different than yoga at a studio where most people actually know what they're doing.
It's largely the culture in America that has created this problem--teachers are afraid of many things and they have a good reason to be. Ultimately I was very limited by my (part time) employer in what difficulty level I could even teach because they were so afraid I'd scare new people away, even if I offered easy easy alternatives to harder poses. And that is the main reason I QUIT teaching yoga several years ago. I have sadly never regretted that decision to quit teaching. It sure as hell didn't hurt my income much either because what they paid me was a joke when compared to my ability level (vs some of the other "yoga teachers" they had working there at the time).
Started to respond to you so many times and wanted to have time to be thorough...causing delay. You know when I was teaching yoga I struggled to make adjustments as well. Not for the same reasons as you...I didn’t have a boss warning me be careful where I touch or to dumb it down, but it was just my own lack of confidence on HOW to do it. It’s a different experience being adjusted and then being able to translate that thru your own hands onto a student. You know?
And then I found I had no idea what to do with a student more advanced than my own postures. Such students caused me anxiety and doubt that I should even be teaching. I was too much in my head back then...it’s better now.
Thank you for commenting. I know u have significant experience in teaching. Your comments are valuable to me. 🙏🏽
I am a teacher or Martial Arts as well as healing bodywork and even have a book published on using nerve manipulation for intimacy enhancement. I also have 8other books out on several other body manipulation methods for Law Enforcement, Chinese yoga, health and of course intimacy as mentioned above.
You are absolutely right on with this article, people are too afraid to be people and engage in people stuff like touch or speaking their emotions.
I believe people in modern times are so devoid (stripped) of people stuff, they don’t even know what it is anymore.
Thanks again for your cry in the wilderness for people to embrace their peopleness!
I know that you know your stuff, @kyusho. Thank you so much for your support of my message here! Yes, in our effort to bring a sense of safety , order and control sometimes folks get confused that not all touch is bad touch.
I’d be very interested in your book on nerve manipulation for intimacy enhancement! How do I find that?
The book now is out of print, it sold out and reprinted in 7 languages, before I let it expire (learned a lot since then). Here are some sources:
https://steemit.com/health/@kyusho/intimacy-enhancement https://www.amazon.com/Kyusho-Intimacy-Enhancement-Program%C2%A9-ebook/dp/B004XR56M8 http://www.bizzkom.com/product/kyusho-sex-points-for-sex-enhancement
Thanks for the links. I got it for kindle! :)
Enjoy
And I love your last line, “...people to embrace their peopleness!” ✌🏾✊🏽
I have an article to expand coming tomorrow, thanks for the interest...all the best.
Looking good, try to lengtende you spine... It's more important then reach your head to your knee... The alignment is always the same any asana you ending up in.. Lengtende your spine, take your shoulder away from your ears.. Brooding your chest a bit... Means shoulder from your ears and the shoulder blades a little bit into your upper spin.. To support and open your chest... Getting your head to your knees nor important at all... Just look cool right? And always use your bhandas.. Mola and uddiyana... Mola is like stop peeing easily way to explain.. Uddiyana is tuck you belly into the lower spine and up to your heart... Looking good by the way.. It will keep you light and strong 💪 namaste sister 🙏bless you
Thanks for the tips and the resteem 🙏🏽
Happy weekend 🙏
awesome post
Are your yoga teachers on steemit as well ??
I wish they read it !!
But I don't think anybody would mind touching girls :P
great tips for yoga student
You are agreat teacher explaining every thing where to touch and where to not,Infact when i will in a mood of yoga i willl follow your instructions
Good afternoon @steemed-open
Well, I'm just learning about these conservative attitude.
I pray the message gets across so that the connection required can be established, or wait are they scared that you're already too advanced?
Anyways I believe this situation can be resolved.
It's been a long time out. My regards to you and the family. Stay amazing as always. Remain blessed.
I really hope this does not fall on deaf ears, and that they take your plight seriously. I will keep an eye on the situation as to best time my entry into becoming a yoga teacher, I think you might just inspire a whole new breed of hopefully still gentleman or ladylike teachers but with a freaky side.
Sincerely,
Interested in Yoga now.
This is a wonderful message :)
your spirit is great in learning, happy to read it
I agree, you go to learn and improve and all these rules are just wrong. Amazing that you get to do Yoga on the beach!
In so are beautiful. All your photos are so Sunny, you seem to live in Paradise. And the amazing tattoo)))
My first yoga teacher was this fiery South African woman, and she'd call you out by name! "FRANK! NO!.." "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"... Of course she was just being playful and joyful but to your point, she'd run up right on you, grab you, jerk your body into into position, push your back straight, whatever... Kind of old school, but she was super pc/liberal in other ways... Great post lol ;)
Never thought this would be a problem, but i guess with time people have gone further and have abused , then consequences come then we have this, when people is actually afraid.
Little gift for you....I hope you like it @steemed-open
Yes, people are cocooned. It wasn't always that way. The culture has changed. The 60's and 70's weren't that way. And I'm sad for what we lost.
Joe
science fiction, fantasy, erotica
haven't seen you around in quite a while
why not stop at my blog and say hi? @joe.nobel
Until now I did not find a real teacher for yoga/pilates.. I do not understand why are we so afraid
One of the reasons I don't touch my students a lot is because I believe they need withdrawl of the senses to align with the 8 limbs of Yoga and find their way to Samadhi. Touching is a sense that can bring people out of their inward and insightful looking. It takes them outside of themselves. But I do see what you're saying. I just prefer hugs before or after class. :)
I can understand that approach. But most of us are so “in our heads” that we need the touch to bring us back in connection with our bodies. Something physical to focus upon...Kind of like dharana before dhyana.
I totally agreee with this though i love touch and touching!
Oh i love being touched in class. Its so part of the way i connect. Amd as a teacher... i love touching, as a way of caring.... compassion... but i can see its no everyones thing too...
I'm not a Yoga teacher, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. :) Glad to see you are doing well. Hands-on is always best.