The Essential Guide to Skillful Hands-On Assists and Verbal Communication

Description

The definitive guide to effective and appropriate communication through words and touch between yoga teachers and their students. Clear, effective verbal communication and judicious touch are two skills that Judith Hanson Lasater feels are essential for every yoga teacher. In Teaching Yoga with Intention, she gives pointed advice on how to interact verbally with students in class and how to appropriately use touch to make corrections. Drawing from her fifty years of yoga experience and her training in Nonviolent Communication, Lasater trains yoga teachers to effectively communicate not only technique, but also the more subtle lessons of respect, empathy, and compassion. She also shines an unflinching light on the use of touch in yoga. Teachers often use touch to create understanding and awareness in the poses. But this is a subtle art, and Lasater gives clear guidance on how, where, and when the use of touch can be used appropriately to further a student's development. In this book, Lasater also empowers students by encouraging them to take ownership of and responsibility for their practice. She covers myriad topics that can be difficult for students at any level to navigate, such as how and when to say "no" to an adjustment; keeping boundaries; when to leave a class; helping your teacher understand your needs; how to communicate your appreciation to your yoga teacher; and if and when to report a teacher's behavior. The skills that Lasater offers help create a safe environment for students to "own" their learning process, and to progress technically at their own speed. Acknowledgments Introduction: Why I Wrote This Book PART ONE: To Be a Teacher Is to Be a Communicator Introduction Speaking in a Yoga Class Basic Premises of Nonviolent Communication Learning to Hear No Encouragement, Not Authority The Importance of Mutuality Everyone Has Autonomy Empathy before Education Listen with Your Heart, Speak from Your Wisdom Trust Yourself First Important Points to Remember from Part One Creating the Habit of Empathy: Practical Exercises PART Two: The Use of Touch in Yoga: When, Where and How Introduction Why Touch Can Help Students in a Yoga Class Asking Permission to Touch and Why It Matters When to Touch, When Not To How to Touch Your Students in Yoga Class General Guidelines for Using Touch during Yoga Class PART THREE: Specific Techniques for Using Touch in a Yoga Class Introduction Touching the Student When They Are Lying Down The Head and Neck The Shoulders The Upper Arm The Forearm, Wrist, and Hand The Calf, Ankle, and Foot Touching the Student When They Are Standing The Pelvis The Abdomen The Thighs The Teacher’s Body Position When Touching Students Important Points to Remember from Part Three PART FOUR: Becoming an Educated Student Introduction Becoming an Educated Student Boundaries in a Yoga Class: Physical, Emotional, and Mental The Primary Job of a Yoga Teacher When Your Boundaries Are Crossed in a Yoga Class Help Your Teacher Help You Choosing Your Yoga Teacher Important Points to Remember from Part Four Epilogue: A Last Word for Teachers—Letting Go of Your Students E-mail Sign-Up