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| I'm a real novice, and know that yoga is not a physical activity, but are there any form of touching or interaction between student and instructor and/or student with student? |
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| Well, are you asking if it's intrinsically a part of yoga (no) or commonplace in class (yes)? If you have issues with being touched, please tell your instructor in private before class. If you feel that you're being touched inappropriately, handle it as you would any potential harrassment issue.
Personally, I'm not a touchy-feely guy, but I appreciate getting good adjustments in class - from male or female instructors - and it's usually easier if the teacher gently guides your body into the correct alignment to figure out what you're doing wrong. |
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| First, of course yoga is a physical activity. You're using your body, working the muscles, controlling the breath, building strength and stamina. It's definitely physical, and definitely an activity.
Secondly, yes, there is physical interaction between teachers and students, and sometimes students and students. Teachers will frequently make adjustments to your pose, helping you get a little bit farther, or tweaking our alignment. Some styles do this more aggressively than others. Every now and again you may run into a teacher who has students pair up for certain poses - it doesn't seem to be too often, and you can always opt not to participate if you are uncomfortable - if the teacher doesn't like that, you can always leave. The same goes for the teacher/student adjustment - if you would prefer no physical contact, make it clear to the teacher, but make sure that if it's an alignment issue that you get the verbal instruction to correct it. |
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| Which form has the greatest contact? |
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| I was thinking about VINYASA FLOW or HOT HATHA. Are there interaction involved specific to these? |
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| Lulu_xox - 2005-01-19 4:09 PM
I was thinking about VINYASA FLOW or HOT HATHA. Are there interaction involved specific to these?
Hot hatha? What is that nonsense?!?!?!?!
Go try a few classes and see. Each teacher is different and each style is different (especially when it is some mixed up hybrid like "hot hatha"). Some teachers will leave you alone and others will pay a lot of attention to you.
IMHO:
Yeah you can say to the teacher that you don't want to be touched, but in reality you should get over it. Most teachers have to touch people at least a little because most people don't know their left from their right (laugh all you want, I have at least one person in every class that can't follow simple left and right directions!!!) and don't know bent from straight or up from down.
First and foremost an instructor is looking to weed out misalignment and unsafe practices. So if they are touching you it is often times FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. All people are different, some people can learn by watching and respond to visual cues. Some people can learn through audio cues. Some people respond to neither audio nor visual cues and have no sense of what their body is actually doing. You tell them to step their right leg forward and bend their knee and they watch everybody in the class do it and then step the wrong leg forward and don't bend the knee. I usually ask them 2 or 3 times trying to say it differently, but eventually I'll have to come over and physically move them into the pose.
Then there are the deepening adjustments where the instructor helps move you deeper into the pose. Some people feel those are unnecessary and others LOVE them. I figure if you don't need them and don't want them, that frees me, the teacher, to give them to students that appreciate them. That's fine.
If you are a serious yogi, at some point you are going to need to be adjusted. You build a relationship with a teacher and they guide you. The asana practice is physical and at some point your teacher will need to put their hands on you. We have this ridiculous notion that touching is inappropriate, but in yoga touching/adjusting is more than copping a feel. Through the touch, through the adjustment, the teacher passes knowledge to the student. Sometimes the deepest adjustments are just a touch of the finger combined with a simple direction "move this" or "breathe into this spot." It can focus the student's attention and they can rediscover a pose with the teacher's help and guidance.
Finally, because each person is slightly different, I often learn things by adjusting different people. Different people respond to the same adjustment differently, so sometimes I am forced to find new ways to do things. I think that makes me a better teacher, because after I have seen you and adjusted you, I get a sense of what you can and can't do and how your body works and I can help you more.
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| Ok, Lulu, you have a fellow "I hate to be touched" yogi here. Here is my suggestion:
1) Ask the teacher what kind of adjustments they tend to give. Do they like to be hands on, push the student as far as the body will go?
2) Tell the teacher "I do not like to be touched, so please back off where ever possible". If you have physical limitations - tell the teacher beforehand, and expect to have to remind them.
3) get used to it.
I prefer Ashtanga, where there is little to no adjustment b/c the philosophy is that "you are where you are supposed to be". IMO, if you are a beginner, Ashtanga is not for you. I started in Iyengar, where the teachers have gone from the hands off to the hands on. One teacher used me to improve her spoken guidance (it was interesting for both of us), and another got to the point where she would use the pointer fingers on both hands and essentially, poke me into a pose. After a while w/ my teachers, they can pretty much do what they want to me... they know me and I know them and there's a certain level of trust I have had to hand over to them... a good thing for me and my practice.
I have also attended a bunch of Anusara classes which I find to be rather hands on - and the instructor is pretty heavy handed with me b/c he is a friend.... for the most part, however, I know Anusara is supposed to be pretty gentle.
Yogaguy's response is spot on. No one is going to lay on top of you to help you get further into seated forward bend, unless you say it's ok - and ofcourse, you have to be able to go that far 
Also, you have to not be afraid to say "stop". |
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| Thanks for your prompt response to my posting, but would you happen to know amount of contact involved for:
Vinyasa Flow,
Hatha,
Hot Power Flow, and
Ashtanga.
Again, thanks!
Gruvemom - 2005-01-19 8:56 PM
Ok, Lulu, you have a fellow "I hate to be touched" yogi here. Here is my suggestion:
1 ) Ask the teacher what kind of adjustments they tend to give. Do they like to be hands on, push the student as far as the body will go?
2 ) Tell the teacher "I do not like to be touched, so please back off where ever possible". If you have physical limitations - tell the teacher beforehand, and expect to have to remind them.
3 ) get used to it.
I prefer Ashtanga, where there is little to no adjustment b/c the philosophy is that "you are where you are supposed to be". IMO, if you are a beginner, Ashtanga is not for you. I started in Iyengar, where the teachers have gone from the hands off to the hands on. One teacher used me to improve her spoken guidance (it was interesting for both of us ), and another got to the point where she would use the pointer fingers on both hands and essentially, poke me into a pose. After a while w/ my teachers, they can pretty much do what they want to me... they know me and I know them and there's a certain level of trust I have had to hand over to them... a good thing for me and my practice.
I have also attended a bunch of Anusara classes which I find to be rather hands on - and the instructor is pretty heavy handed with me b/c he is a friend.... for the most part, however, I know Anusara is supposed to be pretty gentle.
Yogaguy's response is spot on. No one is going to lay on top of you to help you get further into seated forward bend, unless you say it's ok - and ofcourse, you have to be able to go that far
Also, you have to not be afraid to say "stop". |
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| Lulu_xox - 2005-01-21 12:35 PM
Thanks for your prompt response to my posting, but would you happen to know amount of contact involved for:
Vinyasa Flow,
Hatha,
Hot Power Flow, and
Ashtanga.
Again, thanks!
lulu: you will find that the amount of contact depends on the teacher and the abilities of the student. re-read the above posts. what is your concern? are you looking for a non-contact form of yoga...just talk to the teacher. they are the only one who can tell you how much contact is involved. |
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| Easternsun, you've said it spot on.
For myself, I'm glad my teacher's started giving me a bit more advice on alignment recently as I tend to lose track of where my body is in certain poses. For example, if your practise room is without mirrors, how can you tell if your arms and head are in a line in the right-angle pose or not unless your teacher guides you into it and you then know what it should feel like?
Fee |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Lulu - the names you have listed are not clear cut "brands" with specific rules and limits that are followed like say, driving rules. People make up these names like "hot power flow" like they make up names for aerobics classes like "step power funk". You get a basic IDEA that it will be a challenging step class with funk music but the rest is all up to the instructor. In fact, you could get there and find out that the teacher thinks "funk" means old 70's disco music - that's how broad the terms are.
Tell us more about your reasons for not being touched (we are assuming you don't want to be touched, is that correct?) and we can maybe help you more. Honestly, if you are dealing with an injury or some specific area where you SHOULDN'T be touched, just tell the teacher. If you have deep psychological issues about touch, I suggest you find either a very specialised class where you can get in depth, personal instruction or maybe wait until you have worked through some more issues with other health people before you hit the yoga class. |
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| Acutally I'm not so adverse to touching, but am concern that my b/f may enjoy the touching - if you get what I'm getting at?
Since he came by one of my classes, he noticed an inordinate number of ladies in tight sexy outfits, and I'm a little concerned that he wants to join my yoga class for visual stimulus.
My concern for touching is that he may actually want/like the lady instructor to touch him. Also, if there's interaction with other students, he may be paired up with another girl if I don't go with him.
Also, since he's decided on wearing spandex (and is of the norm for men), I may feel a little embarassed should he be aroused.
Thanks for all your comments, and I really appreciate your help for ease of mind.
tourist - 2005-01-20 10:10 AM
Lulu - the names you have listed are not clear cut "brands" with specific rules and limits that are followed like say, driving rules. People make up these names like "hot power flow" like they make up names for aerobics classes like "step power funk". You get a basic IDEA that it will be a challenging step class with funk music but the rest is all up to the instructor. In fact, you could get there and find out that the teacher thinks "funk" means old 70's disco music - that's how broad the terms are.
Tell us more about your reasons for not being touched (we are assuming you don't want to be touched, is that correct?) and we can maybe help you more. Honestly, if you are dealing with an injury or some specific area where you SHOULDN'T be touched, just tell the teacher. If you have deep psychological issues about touch, I suggest you find either a very specialised class where you can get in depth, personal instruction or maybe wait until you have worked through some more issues with other health people before you hit the yoga class. |
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| If yout tutor's anything like mine, correction is usually verbal or a quick prod with the end of an index finger - hardly arousing, especially if you happen to be balancing on one foot at the time 
As for the visual stimulus..... I think he'll find he's too busy trying not to look a right idiot in front of the girls to notice their figures. You're also assuming that he'll not notice that you've signed him up for the OAP's class
As for his gear.... I suspect he'd be more embarrassed than you and wear his shorts over the spandex next class.
Fee |
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| Don't worry. Men don't get aroused in class, regardless of the skimpiness of the attire, because the postures force the blood in other directions. Of course, you could just take him to a class with a male teacher if you think he couldn't handle a female teacher adjusting him. But if he's serious about his practice, he's going to be a lot more concerned about himself than others, regardless of how attractive they may be. |
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| This person is clearly a troll lookin' to get turned on. This topic should be closed.
PS Your husband is guaranteed to have a boner from lookin' at all the hot yoga chix in '80s spandex yoga gear. |
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| I agree, something doesn't quite seem right about this thread....
And, if it is real, allow me to play devil's advocate here, and say that perhaps being that worried about someone else's arousal signals other problems. Maybe personal insecurities? Doubts about the relationship in general? Something to think about. If this is the case, it has nothing to do with yoga and the boy should neverl leave the house.  |
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| I agree w/ LauraB, except maybe the boy should just plain leave the house FOREVA! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | ShaktiGrrl - 2005-01-20 1:51 PM
This person is clearly a troll lookin' to get turned on. This topic should be closed.
PS Your husband is guaranteed to have a boner from lookin' at all the hot yoga chix in '80s spandex yoga gear.
The whole thing seems disingenuous to me. Is there a really question here, or is this
supposed to lead to some stupid confessional stuff about erotic yoga? |
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| The inquiry and concern is genuine. You are right, I should not be so uptight regarding my b/f.
Erotic yoga? That's funny.
Bay Guy - 2005-01-20 4:13 PM
ShaktiGrrl - 2005-01-20 1:51 PM
This person is clearly a troll lookin' to get turned on. This topic should be closed.
PS Your husband is guaranteed to have a boner from lookin' at all the hot yoga chix in '80s spandex yoga gear.
The whole thing seems disingenuous to me. Is there a really question here, or is this
supposed to lead to some stupid confessional stuff about erotic yoga? |
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| 
I think its just being very possessive.. Not a good thing though .......
BTW just off the topic ..
If anybody like Indian +Western movies, "Bride and Prejudice" is a nice movie.
(By the same director who did “Bend It Like Beckham” )
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| I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but I seem to have become alot more comfortable with touch since I started regular yoga classes.
I guess this comes with the increased comfort I feel within myself and my body!
Personally, I just melt when I'm adjusted properly! I live for a gentle nudge or press where I really need it! Then again, I can imagine why people would find it uncomfortable.
There are also teachers who don't seem all that comfortable touching. I went to a few yoga classes with an instructor who kicked people rather than put her hands on them. It was awful! Needless to say, I ain't goin to those classes no mo! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | Thushara - 2005-01-20 10:32 PM
I think its just being very possessive.. Not a good thing though .......
BTW just off the topic ..
If anybody like Indian +Western movies, "Bride and Prejudice" is a nice movie.
(By the same director who did “Bend It Like Beckham” )
I saw "Bend it like Beckham" recently and I really enjoyed it. The others I have not seen.
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| You will like "Bride and Prejudice" for sure ! Its quite nice.
Edited by Thushara 2005-01-21 7:51 AM
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| Lakhesis - 2005-01-21 1:15 AM
I went to a few yoga classes with an instructor who kicked people rather than put her hands on them. It was awful! Needless to say, I ain't goin to those classes no mo!
For real? I know a few creative instructors like myself that will do adjustments with their feet but KICKING??? That seems a little much. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
I've been adjusted by teachers feet more than once, but never so that I'd call
it a kick. Then again, I'm used to people showing me the soles of their shoes....for
them, I put my thumb to my nose. |
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Is touching involved in yoga?
