blind vote and ask students to raise their hand if they do not want to be
touched. Just as the student can request not to be adjusted, we teachers
can also say no to giving one. Back to the Ashtanga room: there would
be large men begging for me to push on them harder. Even using all my
body weight and leveraging, I was not strong enough to give certain ad-
justments and the more I exerted, the more I put my own body at risk.
The number one rule of adjustments is to protect your own body first!
A sensation junky may ask for more and it is tempting to want to give
in (many of us teach for a living because we are people-pleasers), but as
yoga teachers our body and our health are priority. Never risk your body
to adjust another!
Continue to evolve: The physical practice of yoga is constantly trans-
forming. Different schools have different beliefs and ways of doing things.
Teachers shift how they teach with age. Continue to study anatomy and
injury management, as it changes with time and science. We are nowhere
near finished with learning after a 200-hour training. It is just the beginning.
Take trainings and workshops with teachers that you respect and look up
to, but more importantly who continue to learn themselves. Read books.
One of my favorites is the Anatomy Coloring Book. I have learned so much
about the body by taking the time to color in muscles and bones. Many
local colleges offer introductory Anatomy courses. Above all, never stop
practicing. The most important adjustments are the ones we give ourselves
when we take the time to find space for breath through alignment.
It is not our job to fix anyone. I know, I know. We’re teachers. We’re
there to teach people. And sometimes a pose looks so messy that we are
moderately convinced a student may kill themselves; but even as teachers
we are not there to “fix” anyone. We are guides. We are there to awaken
a student’s innate knowledge. To help people realize that they don’t need
fixing, because their innermost nature is perfect. We are there to remind stu-
dents that the poses are merely tools to steady the mind. Of course, we need
to protect our student’s bodies and re-align them if something is wildly un-
safe, but if we go into the class with the idea that we’re there to fix people,
that energy will be conveyed in our adjustments. Instead, let your intention
be to guide your students toward space and breath. Remember that every
time we hands-on-assist it is an honor to place our hands on another human
being. An adjustment can bring a student to life. Let our intention be to help
a yogi find freedom. After all, is that not yoga?Sarah Ezrin is a San Francisco based yoga teacher and teacher trainer, who is trying
to change the world teaching self-love, one person at a time: sarahezrinyoga.com
For full references, read this story onlineRemember that every time we hands-on-assist
it is an honor to place our hands on another human being.