When Should A Yoga Teacher Make A Physical Adjustment?

By Bhavan Kumar

Do you wonder about when you should make physical adjustments? Luckily, I spend a lot of time talking with trainers of Yoga teachers. It is generally agreed that you should walk around the room when you can't see students. Afterward, you will see angles

Get Permission First

While a yoga instructor is teaching a class or providing one-on-one instruction, there are times when a student is having problems replicating a pose based on the verbal instructions. The instructor may instinctively want to fix the student’s pose manually with a physical adjustment, but there are times when this is not suitable. There are individuals who do not welcome touches from anyone and will have a negative feeling about the physical adjustment. It is important for a yoga teacher to think carefully about how to approach physical adjustments of a student’s body to create an accurate pose. A student who has stated that touching is acceptable may still not want to have an adjustment made on certain parts of his or her body.

Avoid Angering Students

There are students engaging in yoga classes who have a bad experience in the past with a physical assault, and they have enrolled in yoga in order to overcome this difficult trauma. Having someone that they barely know touching any part of their body can lead to intense feelings of anger. This means that it is a good idea to discuss physical adjustments with a student before making one. If a student agrees to a physical adjustment during a particular class, then do not assume that they will accept a touch in a new session at a later time.

Consider Other Alternatives

There are alternatives to physical adjustments such as showing the student how they can improve a movement by completing the action at the front of the classroom. A student may also see how a more advanced student is completing a movement or pose in order to understand how to make changes. In some cases, a student is unable to make a pose due to problem such as a previous injury or congenital abnormality and forcing them into a particular position can lead to discomfort. When yoga instructors are permitted to perform physical adjustments, it is imperative to learn how to place the hands on a student’s body to avoid making them feel violated by an inappropriate touch.

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