| Opinions about the importance of physically assisting | | | | our backs toward our students. |
| students, during Yoga posture (asana) practice, vary. | | | | Granted, some teachers have exceptional cueing skills, |
| Some styles, such as Iyengar, Restorative, Anusara, | | | | but when we are tempted to take our eyes off our |
| and Viniyoga, place much emphasis on proper | | | | students, that is the time to work the room. There are |
| alignment, props, and physical assisting. Most Yoga | | | | other issues, in regard to assisting and adjusting. Be |
| teacher training programs focus on physical assists, | | | | sure you have asked for permission before adjusting |
| which guide a student toward proper alignment. | | | | anyone. |
| Yet, many students attend classes where a teacher | | | | Some students do not like to be assisted. If this is the |
| may not look at them for the entire class. Needless to | | | | case, there is no need to ask why. They may feel that |
| say, there are no physical assists in these same | | | | an assist is an invasion of their space. In a case where |
| classes. Why? Some teachers feel very | | | | a student wants to be left alone, there is no need to |
| uncomfortable physically adjusting their student's | | | | push the matter further. |
| posture. Some teachers are not trained to physically | | | | Recently, a Hatha Yoga teacher told me that physical |
| assist students during asana practice. | | | | adjustments were highly over rated. Curious about |
| There is also another factor to be considered: There | | | | what was on his mind - I asked him to explain. His |
| are Yoga teachers who will not get off their mats. | | | | opinion was that while teachers "tinker" with a few |
| They do not walk around and monitor the room after | | | | students, who have improper alignment, the rest are |
| demonstrating. Sometimes, we refer to this as: | | | | made to suffer by holding postures for minutes at a |
| "working the room." | | | | time. |
| One may think of "working the room" as it is related to | | | | While there is a ring of truth in the above-mentioned |
| a social butterfly, who constantly works on public | | | | viewpoint, there is a reward of strength in holding |
| relations. Assisting is a bond between teacher and | | | | postures beyond 20 seconds. There is also a method |
| student. Physical adjustments help any student to feel | | | | to avoid having students hold postures forever. |
| where he or she should be aligned, and to be present | | | | The method is to disguise repetition, by holding a |
| in the moment, while practicing asana. | | | | posture for five breaths, on each side, and coming |
| However, if we are in Downward Dog, with our backs | | | | back to the same, or a much similar posture, later in |
| to our students, how will we know if their posture is | | | | the class. In this way, students are getting the most out |
| correct? It is obvious that we cannot see if our | | | | of a session. |
| students are in good or poor alignment when we turn | | | | |