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| It really amazes me sometimes how much information you can get just going to take class with a new teacher. I drove to a much farther studio the other day to try a class there, basically because I had the time for a change and had been wanting to try it out for quite some time. It was a more advanced level class than I had realized it would be, two hours in length with two teachers, and the first half hour was purely lecture, what a wonderful surprise. But the most amazing learning happened for me in the asana part of class, which as I said, was much more intense than I've previously experienced. Downward dog, maybe one vinyasa, parsvottanasana and then straight into ardha chandrasana. Is that how more advanced level classes get, in that less physical warming-up is done with the body before you get to typically tougher poses? The next poses were inversions already, handstand and forearm balance. Totally blew me away. Though my hugest eye-opener (and the reason for this post in the first place) was an adjustment one of the teachers gave me in a very basic pose, low lunge (right leg forward). Even though my hips were sufficiently high in that pose, and my legs firmly engaged, she took firm hold of my upper left thigh and really yanked it to internally rotate the femur, lifting me up a smidge even higher. I actually had to look back under me to see, that even though it felt that way, my left heel had NOT been pushed out to the left along with that leg's deep inner rotation. In fact, I really looked nicely parallel. I felt sensations in the front of my left leg I had never felt before: engagement of my quad! How could I have been doing it wrong all this time? And moreover, my work has always been in aligning my hips to be parallel (based on the instructions and adjustments I've received), not in internally rotating so much that it felt almost too far. Seems as if now I've got to learn what "parallel" means all over again. Amazing. It's been two days and my quads and outer thighs are still sore. I can't tell you the last time I had sensation like that. I'm even feeling my calves. If any of you have read my posts before, you know I've been forever struggling with an unstable S/I joint, and as much as I've been applying muscular engagement in my torso and legs, I still have some difficulties in the asymmetrical standing poses (the worst being parsvakonasana, left leg forward, though it's improving). Though I think the lesson here is that muscular engagement without direction isn't enough. Rotation on its own isn't enough either. And even though I've always known that, I guess I just haven't been successful in applying both at the same time with such maintained intensity. Perhaps being naturally strong in the legs has made me not need to use them as much, or in the proper way? Who knew? Anyway, I'm still not sure if I'll go back to that class next week, because in spite of how much I learned, it really was quite intimidating. Heh, learning lessons here all around.  |
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| the sequence you describe is one i often use early in practice--though usually after 5 minutes of warm up and another 5 of sun salutations. then we just jump right in. many of my classes are only 55 minutes, so i don't have much choice--i gotta get to things quickly. and, inversions heat the body fast!
it's so funny what you say about that adjustment too--it's probably my most common adjustment in lunging postures (including warrior I). i'm continually correcting the weight distribution, the rotation, the muscular engagement. many of my clients will say that they have no clue where their hips are in space. i get that, i really do. there's always a bit of tweaking to do.
what is also interesting is that my form of adjusting--which i've been doing for years--is very much out of vogue in my area. a well known teacher came through a few years ago and taught a workshop about "nonviolence and nonviolent communication" and insisted that any touching of a student in a classroom setting was "violent." she wouldn't allow discourse on this (as a group of us went to dinner and spoke about consent, kinds of touch, etc), and she basicly said she didn't want to defend her position so i let it drop. i guess you either agree with her, or you don't.
so what happens around here is that a lot of people take yoga classes with teachers who do not give adjustments at all--and then when they come into my class, they say "oh my god! i didn't know it was supposed to be/feel like that!"
i miss getting adjustments--it's partly why i don't practice around here often. |
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| Maybe "yank" wasn't exactly the right word.... but she did have a firm hold on my upper thigh with both hands, and trust me when I say there's a lot of upper thigh there for her to hold! Physical adjustments are considered violent? While I do agree that verbal cues are extremely important, sometimes a body just can't learn without the sensation of touch. In the sequencing section of the Anusara teacher's manual, it says that since a good amount of strength is required to hold handstand and forearm balance with proper alignment, they should be performed early in the class. Also, it says they prepare the body for other inversions, hand-balancings and backbends, by opening and strengthening the shoulders and upper back. Personally, I always thought I needed other opening and strengthening poses to prepare FOR these two poses, as opposed to considering these poses as preparatory for others. I can see the dilemma of waiting until you're more open -- you're also more tired as well. Maybe that's why in this class I was more successful with these inversions than I have been in my previous classes? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Yep - In Iyengar classes we often start with down dog and trikonasana as "warm ups." In Level IV classes, we frequently start with handstand, multiple times. That IS a warm up!  Strong physical adjustments, done well, can be amazing learning experiences, eh? |
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| it's funny, we usually do things like headstand (sirsasana I) and forearm balance towards the end of classes. i tend to prefer it closer to the end of my practice, as i seem to feel more 'light and fluid' then, and i'm not putting as much "push" or effort into the pose.
ah well, just different theories.  |
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| Sounds like my Iyengar classes too, especially when my teacher's 'on a mission'.
We do kneeling into extended child into D-F dog x 2, then Triangle, Warrior II, Pars-ouch-anasana, both sides every class. Warrior 1, ardachandransana (sp?) may then follow if this is to be standing poses class like last night's,
Any standing pose is highly dependent on internal thigh rotation for correct alignment. The adjustment you descibe is often done using a belt too.
Fee |
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| i find a stick is effective too. people get into alignment quick with pain reinforcement. HA!
actually, i had one student who stopped taking my classes (after her first and only yoga class) because she felt the adjustments were "too chiropractic"--i have no idea what that means considering i didn't do anything remotely like chiropractic work, or adjustments that look like chiropractic work.
sometimes, people just need to 'get out' you know. any excuse will ldo. her friend stayed with it and when she takes classes without adjustments, she says they're "rather boring." |
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| I love adjustments! I recently started taking class at Dharma Mittra here in NYC and the teacher is amazing. He would do these little bitty adjustments to me that had huge effects on my asanas. It was incredible! |
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| When did you say you were popping over to give me a 'private' again?
*LOL*
Fee
zoebird - 2007-09-13 5:17 PM
i find a stick is effective too. people get into alignment quick with pain reinforcement. HA!
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Fee - that comment was much more appropriate with your old avatar |
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| For Pinch Mayurasana I would agree with you. For Adho Mukha Vrksasana, less so.
And this only when working with level 3 students. For level I-II students I would absolutely prep for these poses.
And in that class obviously the full pose would fall later in the class. but so what. If they cannot hold the actions (becasue the preps were "too much") then they've no business doing the pose. Trying it, yes. So the construct of the class sequence would thus have varied from the ideal in the manual.
As for physical adjustments, I don't see how any yoga teacher who's studied the Gita could make a case that adjusting students in Asana was violent. Sometimes with some teacher it may be. But violence in an intention manifested as an action. It is not action alone.Therefore when you are alergic to bees and about to be stung by one, it is best to act accordingly. Likewise students may never "get" parsvakonasana until they are adjusted. Coming to a yoga class IS consent for touch. It is part of what we offer just as a doctor touches a patient, a massage practitioner touches a patient, an acupuncturist touches a patient, and so on and so forth.
OrangeMat - 2007-09-13 6:39 AM
...Personally, I always thought I needed other opening and strengthening poses to prepare FOR these two poses, as opposed to considering these poses as preparatory for others. I can see the dilemma of waiting until you're more open -- you're also more tired as well. Maybe that's why in this class I was more successful with these inversions than I have been in my previous classes? |
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| It's human nature to want feedback, of course. And that includes the positive as well as the negative. The least satisfying yoga class I could take would be if I received no adjustments at all, not even eye contact from the teacher. Otherwise, I might as well be just practicing by taking instruction from a DVD. |
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working with a new teacher
