what communication, boundaries, yoga adjustments, and physical & mental support have in common

Posted: May 30, 2024 by sasha nelson

an analogy for life and giving / receiving

Have you ever been in a yoga or movement or sports class – whatever activity you fancy – and the teacher uses physical touch (in a safe, supportive, non-invasive way) to help you better understand what you’re doing?

As a teacher and student, I know how this type of offering can be enlightening and wonderful, yet also sometimes unfortunately ineffective, uncomfortable, or unwanted.

Whoever you are and whatever you do, it is important to understand how to be the giver of support and how to receive the support that is offered – whether said support is yoga, business insights, advice to a friend, etc.

It is also especially important to be aware of how you communicate whether you desire to give or receive said support or not. Getting our point across via physical and verbal communication is not always something we will effectively execute (see: emotions!), but when we aim to communicate as clearly and compassionately as possible, the results can be powerful for both giver and receiver.

If and when executed thoughtfully, effective adjustments in a yoga class (or whatever form of support you tend to offer people) can create a safe, collaborative, nourishing, exploratory, and educational space for the student; they have the ability to offer the receiver the experience and benefits of a pose they might not be able to attain without additional support.

Practicing adjustments in this way can simultaneously enhance a teacher’s (person’s) pedagogical skills, comprehension, and confidence when offering adjustments (support) to a variety of students (people) during classes or in private sessions (life).

*We will explore these and other components of manual adjustments – like when, why, and how – in a 10-hour yoga teacher training (in French) at Studio Gérard Arnaud in Paris the weekend of 5-7 July, 2024.

When executed without much consideration or background knowledge, however, manual adjustments and [insert your form of physical or mental support] can unfortunately end up feeling intrusive, undesirable, offensive, uncomfortable, discombobulating, or [insert however it made or might make you feel].

As a teacher [of whatever subject], leader [in work or family or groups], or student [of yoga or other subjects or life in general], it can be useful to consider the following when offering things like manual adjustments, or other various versions of verbal or physical support :

*This is coming from the lens of a yoga class – feel free to use this as an analogy for whatever makes the most sense for your life.

Click here to read more about giving and receiving support in the form of manual adjustments as both a student and teacher (permission & boundaries; personalization & communication; steadiness & receptivity; exploration & feedback).

*A variety of yoga and wellness tools and products can be found on my website with discount codes, or on my curated Amazon storefront (I receive a small commission).

Reach out with any questions; work with me one-on-one as a student or teacher (or business!) to evolve and enhance your unique skills or personal wellbeing.

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