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KISSing, Texting and Cheese  (not in that order)

The title of this post is totally outlandish, I know, but I hope it’s grabbed your attention. I’ve had several small and wonderful breakthroughs to share that I believe will not only encourage you but fuel a bit of inspiration for working with your students.

First, a question or two.

For you:

As a Pilates teacher do you ever find that you overcomplicate your own fitness, movement or exercise program particularly if you are trying to “solve” a challenge in your body?

For your students:

Do you ever notice how your students only hear things when they are ready? For months you will tell a student to do x or remember y, giving them some valuable tidbit to help exponentially improve their health and well-being. However, they don’t seem to listen. Then one day they come to you and can’t wait to share an epiphany they’ve had! Turns out they’ve finally discovered, on their own, the exact thing you’ve been trying to instill in them all this time. Geeze!

Does any of this seem familiar?

Yes, I bet it does, especially the latter scenario. Or at least that has been my experience.

Here’s the breakthrough:

I am now a firm believer in the acronym KISS: “Keep it simple stupid.” Whereas in the past I’ve given in the obligatory head-nod, today I am willing to bet money on the fact that if you were to do an experiment that KISS is ALWAYS the straightest line to success!

Here’s why:

Our egos are troublesome things. By nature they want us to feel smart, important, valued, looked up to, admired, thought well of, known for our skill, and always able to fix the problem (I’m thinking specifically of our roles as teachers).

Although there is certainly nothing wrong with all of that, as teachers I believe we fall into a trap, the trap of over thinking, making our programming overly complicated, often too lofty, fancy, and BIG in order to satiate our desire to seem smart, in command, and like we always have the answer.

My recent and direct experience of this is threefold:

One, I’ve been working diligently to get back into pre-baby shape. My back has been a source of severe fatigue and weakness so I crafted a Pilates and yoga program to help me strengthen my back.

On the surface it was not too complex, but it assumed a great deal. For instance that my back needs strengthening and is not injured. It included beginning and intermediate level Pilates exercises on the reformer and chair that focused on neutral stability and extension strength. I was at it 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time.

After several weeks of feeling like I wasn’t progressing and experiencing greater strain I consulted a fellow teacher, Jo Braden, who is a pre- and post-natal specialist

Her advice: Five minutes a few times a day doing cat/cow, tail wags, thread a needle, and some single leg lifts in a couple of different positions. Simple, simple, simple!!

Why didn’t this occur to me? Because I wanted to go straight to complex. I wanted to show off a little, to prove myself to myself. It sounds silly, but I think you probably know what I’m talking about.

The bottom line is that after a week of doing this I feel GREAT!

Two, last week a long-time student said to me that she recently made a tremendous discovery about how to alleviate some of the physical strain of her work – she owns very successful Mexican restaurant and is constantly standing and cooking. For two years we’ve been making great progress in different areas of her body, but her neck and shoulder pain often returned with long stints of stressful work.

Last week when she came into the studio she reported that instead of her regular headache/neck ache she felt great. “What did you do different,” I asked.

“I moved the cheese!”

No matter how many times we had talked about moving her cooking station or reorganizing her process, standing differently or resting at regular intervals, it was a SUPER SIMPLE shift based on her own growing self-awareness that made ALL the difference. It took time and was the easiest thing in the world.

And finally three, the Text Message Exercise Program! Some of you may have heard me talk about this or post about it on Facebook, but I’m telling you I’ve been doing this simple, silly little workout trick for almost two weeks and it really is AMAZING.

Created by Z-health founder Dr. Eric Cobb, the TMEP requires Es braucht nicht allzu viel Fantasie, um das Setting dieses book-of-ra-kostenlos.com slots durch den Namen zu errraten. you to do some form of movement/exercise every time you send or receive a text message. At first glance I thought it was never anything I would do because what kind of effect was it really going to have anyway? I thought it was clever and cute, but probably not really sticky.

I love when I’m wrong (about these kinds of things)… After mentioning it to a friend in conjunction with another accountability practice we were helping each other with we decided to try it. The first 12 hours were HILARIOUS!!

I was moving doing pushups, tricep presses, squats and butt squeezes constantly and laughing every time a new message came in and required my response. My friend and I were sending one another text messages with updates forgetting that that meant more exercise. Then we started doing it on purpose: pictures of ourselves exercising in restaurants or precarious places at home…It was truly a blast. And I felt great. These little bursts of movement are not only making me feel energetic, but truly strong all day long. Now my back is not aching at 7:30 pm as I try to rock little Cydney to sleep.

Simplicity.

Simplicity. It’s beautiful, stress-free, organic, flowing, and opens us up to see so much more both in our work and in our lives. This little breakthrough has made me realize how fuzzy and murky my life can get when I’m striving and trying too hard to be, to do, to achieve, to get somewhere. Instead cultivating a sense of simplicity in our teaching in fact allows us to be more present, more creative and more available for those triumphant moments we are always looking for.

Practice simply being…Practicing simplicity.

Here are some suggestions for your teaching this week:

1. Go back to the fundamentals. In each session or class this week peel back your teaching and refocus your students on the deep foundational skills we are always and forever trying to cultivate and instill in our bodies. Play with one to three fundamental concepts and see how you can weave a deeper awareness into a variety of exercises that your students may be working on. Go slow, hold positions and encourage students to go inward and notice how fundamental concepts like breath, ease, flow, precision, balance apply to every movement.

2. Simplify your language. In one of your sessions or classes this week either record yourself or take mental note of all the extra words you use to fill the silence. Notice things like “um”, “and then”, “we’re going to/you’re going to…”, “go ahead and…” etc. Notice when you say good or nice or beautiful for no specific reason. For the remainder of the week work to take those words out and perhaps (I just took out the word “just” here) experience classes with a bit more silence, but also with a ton more clarity! Work to say “move your leg” instead of “now you’re gonna move your leg” or instead of saying “nice” randomly either choose to not say anything or be specific with something like “nice job stabilizing your pelvis, Sarah.”

3. Lower your expectations. I mean this in the best most encouraging way and I believe it will be the key to not only your immediate and ongoing success but your students’ as well. When you consider your expectations for your self-practice think of your ultimate goal and then cut it by two-thirds. When you consider the home-program you’d like to give to your student, cut it by two-thirds first. Consider very closely and at length how much your life will actually allow for (and either do this with your student directly in conversation or by what you know about their life). What we want for ourselves, what we expect of ourselves is rarely what we will be able to immediately achieve. And this is not a fatalistic or nihilistic belief, it is about starting from where you, I, we are NOW.

   The problem for most of us is we are overly optimistic, which sets us up for failure. Repeated failure then becomes a serious motivation sieve because we either stress ourselves out (or our students) trying to achieve unrealistic goals or we just literally cannot possibly do all the things we set out to do! Period.

   Once you and your student have experienced repeated success with easy two-third goals or expectations then you can take a look at where you may be able to raise the bar. This way you have a history of success and motivation on your side and you can truthfully analyze what you may have to give up in order to increase your self-practice, their home-practice or whatever it may be.

I hope you enjoy these little tidbits. Feel free to comment here on the Skillful Teaching blog! I always love to hear from you!

What are you inspired to do?

We all dream of doing work that means something; work that contributes to the greater good. If we didn’t it’s not likely that we’d be teaching. But the hard question is how do we do that? No matter if we already know what cause we want to support or whether or not we want to make a big impact or give back in small ways having the idea to do so is very different than actually doing it.

When I started teaching I truly felt that teaching itself was a gift not only one that was given to me but one that I was giving back to all of those people who I worked with. As my business grew and I spent more time teaching the desire to do more crept in and I started to wonder how I could make a bigger impact. After I opened my second studio the desire turned into a need and I knew it was time to add something to my current work life that really made an impact on my community and on me.

Sometimes it’s like that. Sometimes you know there is an element missing in your work and you can pinpoint what it is pretty easily. Sometimes you are inspired and absolutely compelled to use your work for a specific purpose or cause as did Bay Area teacher Amy Lynch.

Amy Lynch is the founder of the non-profit ARM of Care, an organization that uses movement, art and recreational therapy to work with victims of human trafficking. *Listen to Amy’s awesome interview and learn more about her program and her journey to creating ARM of Care.* For Amy it was one of those things that she just knew she had to do. Through her own experience with body trauma and her studies in recreational therapy and somatics she talks about being absolutely compelled to get involved. And that’s just what she did.

Another teacher I know and admire, Shelley Ballestrazze, did the same thing after she was diagnosed, and survived, breast cancer. She started a non-profit that provided low to no cost Pilates for women dealing with breast cancer. Shelley gathered her resources, recruited teachers and community members and made a significant impact on many students throughout the Bay Area.

So, it is possible. And it also might not look like the complex creation of a whole new organization. It might be simple and meaningful.

To give you a taste of what I mean here are two examples that we’ve implemented that are both simple and meaningful:

1. Seva or “service” sessions: At our studio I wanted to have a way for those people who most needed movement in their lives but could least afford it to get it. I simply pitched the idea to my teachers and asked for volunteers to donate up to 10 sessions per quarter to a student in need at no cost. Once I knew who was willing I could then establish how many spots I had available.I wanted our students to be the ones to recommend or refer others they thought were in need. To do so we put out an announcement, built a page on our website telling about the program, and made some fliers for the studio and the practitioners we worked with. We gave a simple list of criteria, but kept it pretty loose. Once the word was out we were able to help students who could not otherwise afford the work get much needed movement back in their lives or at least start on the right track.
2. Community Day: Twice a year we do a day of classes that are all donation based. Typically we highlight at least one of every class we offer or new classes we are thinking of offering so new students get a taste of what we do and existing students get to try new classes they’ve never taken.Each time we host a Community Day we’ve added different little perks. We’ve had free chair massage, snacks, music and raffles to make the day fun. But here’s the really fun part: every Community Day we pick a different local charity to donate the proceeds too.This is a great way to reach out to your community and to build your business. It’s fun, it shows your support of the organizations that are doing good things in your city or town, and it gives you a chance to showcase your business and generate new leads.

Creating inspired work and building in ways to reach out to your community can be big or small, simple or complex what’s most important is that you are “compelled” to do it. Therefore the most pertinent question becomes What are you compelled to do?

• What do you love?
• Who do you think needs the work that you do but can’t access it or afford it?
• What lines up with your vision and core values as a teacher or business owner?
• Is there a special population that is in need in your community and do you have something to offer them?

Give this some real thought before you decide to implement any program or develop a project because the likelihood is that it’s only going to be a success if you believe in it.

Here are some ideas for how to get started:

• Borrow from others: Talk to other teachers or studio owners, visit their websites, search around and see what other teachers are up to in the way of outreach. If there is something that resonates with you think of how you might implement a similar idea into your own teaching practice or studio.
• Partner with others: Joining forces with other teachers, studios or with existing non-profit organizations can help you cut down on the work of implementing a new idea and brining in other people can spur creativity. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Don’t be afraid to build on something that’s already there. Think about these possibilities:
  • Senior center
  • Homeless shelter
  • Battered woman’s shelter
  • Disabled kids or group homes
  • Veterans organizations
  • Food banks
  • Youth organizations
  • Rotaries
  • Literacy groups
• Keep it simple: Starting small can make a big impact and will give you a chance to test the waters. Creating small half-day or one-day events or donating your time or money can be a way to see how it feels to be engaged in your community and give you a chance to get to know some of the organizations in your town or city.
• If you go big, ask for help: If you want to take on a bigger project or create something entirely new be sure to talk to people who have done similar things and know what you are getting into. Just like every successful business starts from a clear vision and plan so does creating community-based programming. Do your research and take your time to put together the details. Rally your troops and make sure you have the support you need before diving in. And once you do, dive in fully! It’s totally worth it!

Breath, Belly, Butt, and Back: The Power of the “Bs”

(And perhaps some insights on marrying classical and contemporary Pilates…they make better bedfellow than you might think 😉

You know how when you go through your training there are certain phrases, concepts, or experiences that just stick? Those things that for some inexplicable reason resonate more strongly and make greater sense to you then all the other stuff you’re trying to learn. That’s what the Bs are for me. They’ve stuck with me over the years and although they’ve lost some of their impact I find that they inadvertently surface in a myriad of teaching moments as if bubbling up on their own. I can’t get rid of them and I love that!

Lately the Bs – breath, belly, butt, and back — have surfaced because of my exploration of the Long Stretch Series for our Manual Cueing Series. The first time I ever heard the Bs talked about was while learning from Carol Appel how to teach the Long Stretch Series. They’ve also been on my mind because of the time I spent with Amy Taylor Alpers this summer. Both Carol and Amy being direct descendants of Romana Kryaznowska I suppose the tendrils of my classic training have begun to peek back through. The beautiful thing is they don’t seem to oppose the more contemporary style I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. Quite the contrary! Pleasantly, I’m finding that with some thoughtful questioning and personal exploration the two together are hot in the sack!

BREATH – Where movement begins:

In all honesty, I don’t think breath came first in Carol’s original cueing, but I feel like it deserves the honor for multiple reasons.

For starters breath is where all movement is initiated — effective, well-balanced movement that this; movement that engages the nervous system in an organized and organic way facilitating the equitability of ease and effort as well as activating the musculoskeletal structure that lends support to the spine, pelvis and ribcage.

From the breath we expand and open, elongate and prepare the body and mind to move. The muscles and fascia stretch and are primed for the work they must do to accomplish any given task be it big or small. And as we know there is often, if not always, a delicate balance of both in the practice of Pilates and yoga.

On the out breath Joseph Pilates encourages us to squeeze out every atom of air not only cleansing the lungs but also preparing them to fill to a renewed “capaciousness.” This is my new favorite word taken from Amy. Capacious means the ability to hold much. It is the job of the lungs to be capacious and our job to promote rather than hinder that capaciousness. (Try it. It’s a fun word to say!)

As we exhale we have an opportunity to go deeper and connect more fully with the inner unit of core support as explained by Diane Lee as the transversus abdominus, multifidi, diaphragm, and pelvic floor. When these muscles synergistically participate they offer a great deal of connection to our center improving awareness, stability, balance, and efficiency in our movements.

BELLY – The natural partner of breath:

If we use the breath as above then we are already more than halfway to the activation we want through the abdominal core. After all 80% of our respiratory muscles are also our core support muscles.

Let’s review: Inhaling engages the external intercostals, the internal obliques and the diaphragm. The psoas elongates helping to lengthen the low back. Exhaling engages the internal intercostals, the external obliques, and the rectus abdominus. The transverse abdominus contracts and helps to activate the multifidi creating a deep support for the body’s center.

With the right training we can accentuate the natural process of breathing to strengthen all of these muscles and build elasticity and support in the pelvic floor, which completes the inner unit.

The Bs could be used in any order depending on what you want to achieve, however, beginning with breath and belly sets the student up for extending out of a very stable and strong center where much is possible.

BUTT – The underutilized muscle of contemporary Pilates! A champion of classical Pilates:

I can, as is always the case, only speak from my own experience and perspective. Let that be a caveat for this short discourse on the use of the glutes in classical versus contemporary Pilates and do with it what you will.

From the beginning I have always had a notion that overuse of the glutes was a common and detrimental habit of most of the population. That clenching the butt unnecessarily and as a compensatory pattern for the lack of hamstring and adductor strength was rampant.

I have, in fact, been witness to this truth in many bodies, but ultimately my mistake over the years has been to make a rule of it. That the glutes are always culprits to be hindered, disengaged, let go of and essentially ignored is neither an objective nor observant assessment that I would recommend using.

Working with Amy and looking back on the way I was taught I realize that any cue, intention or focus can be malleable with the right amount of thoughtfulness on the teacher’s part. Looking at cueing the glutes more aggressively or regularly as is the way at The Pilates Center (“pinch your butt”) I became acutely aware of innate value of focusing on the glutes as a way of connecting the legs into the pelvis and helping to support the holistic movement that we aim to teach in Pilates.

The catch is this: ANY cue can be detrimental. ANY focus or overly promoted aspect of contraction or action can be a hindrance. WHAT MATTERS is that we know EXACTLY what kind of result we want — understanding anatomy and physiology and movement patterns is key in this regard — and we can watch with unbiased eyes.

I found so much value in working with the glutes and Amy’s “pinch your butt” direction that I am convinced of its place in our work. It seems simple or perhaps even ridiculous, but the lovely thing about going down this path with Amy is that she is endlessly thoughtful and CLEAR about what her words do and she is SURE of what she wants. If using the glutes too much creates disproportionate tucking or locking down in the hips then she adjusts. She is still extremely conscientious how the body in front of her responds and is dedicated to reconnecting the body as a whole.

Amen to the glutes! They are a crucial part of piecing the whole back together and unifying are too often segmented parts. Especially in long stretch and other less supported exercises they are one of our most valuable assets (I couldn’t resist) when used in proper conjunction with the rest of our central supporting muscles.

BACK – Don’t miss out on what you can’t see:

The Bs are a great way to help us and our students quickly and effectively check-in with several of the most important components of moving successfully. Whether they are practicing a challenging exercise or lifting a heavy grandchild or grocery bag any way we can help them succinctly access the key players we are empowering their success in and out of the studio.

The back can be a difficult piece for our students to relate to, to organize, and to incorporate. Because we have such prevalent low back weakness and instability coupled with ubiquitous computer posture, the back body is not only a mystery (faint and dim) it is not uncommonly a source of pain or discomfort that students purposefully disconnect from.

By adding it into this particular mix we can give students a chance to see that the back is a part of a wonderful system of strength, energy and integrity. When used with the breath, butt, and belly, the back becomes like the mast of a ship, confident and steady.

I find that by using the 4 Bs with just a bit of consistency that students begin to pull themselves together quickly and well. Of course this takes some coaching in the beginning to define the pieces and give the student a chance to experience how they fit

together in a “felt” way. Students do need to have the inner knowledge of what it means to manifest this type of stability not just know the words.
The great thing about the back is that we can teach this one simple word to encompass what we want most from the multifidi, the erector spinae, the lats, the lower and mid traps, the rhomboids, the serratus anterior, and the posterior shoulder stabilizers.

Voila! Just like that (with a high level of skillful instruction on the matter of course) we have a powerful partnership for students to have at hand.

Skillful Teaching was founded on one fundamental idea: That there is more to teaching than technique. That we have an opportunity to become the best we can be, which requires expanding beyond technical skill and diving into the real-life challenges of relating to people, blending professionalism with intuition, developing empathy, and doing the inner work required for us to reach out to our students and relate to them with authenticity, integrity, and a greater perspective on our role as teacher…and as eternal student.

So, when I was introduced to the idea of Vinyasa Krama and how it could be applied to our daily lives I knew right away that it was a tool that could also bring us closer to skillfulness in teaching.

Yoga teacher Lori Gasper writes this about Vinyasa Krama:

“The word vinyasa can be broken down into its Sanskrit roots to assist us in finding its meaning. Nyasa means “to place” and vi means “in a special way.” One common interpretation of vinyasa then is a breath-synchronized movement; breath and movement are seamlessly united in such a way that each action encourages the other. For each movement, there is a corresponding breath. Krama is the “steps” one takes “to place in a special way.” It is the intelligent sequencing of a personal yoga practice designed with a specific intention or goal.

The concept of vinyasa krama can also be applied to our everyday life, whether it is as simple as deciding what to make for dinner or as daunting as deciding on a new career–and then taking the necessary steps toward achieving that goal.”

Vinyasa Krama was further explained to me by yoga teacher Cori Martinez, owner of Asha Yoga and creator of the Asha Yoga Advanced Studies and Teacher Training program in Sacramento, CA, as a moment to moment opportunity to be guided by a path that we have identified and made a commitment to.

For instance, if we are dedicated to being vegetarian then each time we make a food choice we are guided by that commitment. We choose non-meat products to eat even when it”s inconvenient, challenging or frustrating. (The reason we can do this is because our commitment is founded on something bigger than just calling ourselves vegetarian because it”s what we are supposed to do or because it”s trendy. Or…we aren”t guided by such commitments.) If our intention is not clear or our commitment haphazard and half-assed then perhaps we do eat meat when being vegetarian is inconvenient, challenging or frustrating. This, in and of itself, seems like reason to pause and reflect on our “reasons” and notice that we are not living Vinyasa Krama, we are, in fact, living an inauthentic life.

We don”t simply decide to grab a burger because we are out with meat-eating friends and it”s easy, or more to the point we don”t proclaim to be vegetarians one day and not the next. It doesn”t make sense, it doesn”t line up, there is no flow or connection to our greater intention. When not following Vinyasa Krama there exists wasted energy, potential apathy, stuck-ness, and a feeling of discomfort and disconnection to purpose.

To use a more relevant teaching scenario we can look at how to decide our next level of training. I know this comes up for all of us A LOT because once we settle into our teaching, or sometimes even before, we are compelled to learn more, be more, specialize, find our niche etc. There can be a lot of pressure both from the outside and from ourselves to be somewhere “out there” where we are better than we are now and it”s often a confusing place with lots of options and lots of people”s opinions Because it received little play at that time, let’s recirculate a rumor recommended a week ago by David McKee’s ‘Stiffs And Georges’ blog the Atlantic Club is really a takeover target of horseracing, casino online an internet-based gambling operator Churchill Downs Corporation. trying to influence us.

For this and other conundrums we face in teaching Vinyasa Krama can be a foundational skill, one that helps us to move toward not just a goal, but a purpose, a vision, and a mission — our higher life/work balance. Once we have clarified our core commitments and crafted our teaching vision and mission — a topic we”ve discussed extensively since the launch of ST —  (and which is an ongoing process or re-evaluation over time) we can use Vinyasa Krama as the structure for keeping us on track.

It can become the way in which we frame questions about our teaching paths, our teaching selves, and the skills that we are either developing or deciding to develop.
Let”s look at the more physical definition of Vinyasa Krama and you will perhaps see more specifically what I mean.

The most basic understanding of Vinyasa Krama refers to sequencing of yoga asanas; the way in which each is placed and connected through breath. Qualities of Vinyasa Krama in this regard include: (taken from sultanyoga.com)

• Emphasis on stability and comfort in any asana (pose)
• Slow, soft and smooth ujjayi breathing 
• Breath-movement synchronization
• Hundreds of asanas tweaked to practitioner”s individual needs
• Arrangement of asanas in specific sequences (vinyasas)
• Preparatory asanas before major asanas (e.g., desk pose before shoulderstand; shoulderstand before headstand)
• Counterposes to remove asana side effects while keeping their value
• Pranayama (breath control) exercises following asana practice to prepare the mind for meditation
• Smooth progression in asana and pranayama difficulty level

Therefore the questions we can ask to move us toward achieving skillfulness in teaching are these:

• Does this action/what I”m about to say/this thought or thought pattern:
  • …emphasize or support greater stability and comfort  toward my core commitment/vision/mission?
  • …enable me to stay connected to my center/my breath/my greater intention?
  • …synchronize with a sense of ease/flow/peacefulness or lack of resistance?
  • …reflect my individual needs/present-moment reality/current situation authentically?
  • …feel like a natural progression in my path?
  • …have I prepared for it/does it make sense now/have I built up to it?
  • …keep me in balance? OR
    • …am I allowing for the natural ebb and flow of effort and ease with this action/words/thought?
      (This question is about allowing ourselves to have moments of intensity followed by moments of ease or rest so that we may not only honor our natural flow, but also give ourselves opportunities to replenish and restore. The duration of these periods is very individual.)

Because skillfulness in teaching is such a deeply complex and endless process following the precepts of Vinyasa Krama can come in very handy for helping us navigate our way no matter where we are on our path.

What I love about Vinyasa Krama, too, is that from the physical perspective of progression and breath integration it looks exactly like Pilates: the well-taught and thoughtful teaching of Pilates, which is what I strive to achieve and teach my teachers in training to work toward. In this way, it becomes very obvious that at least Hatha yoga shares the same heart as Pilates. This just tickles me! (Look for the follow up article “Pilates and Yoga – Sharing The Same Heart.”)

In any case, I hope that having an understanding of this delightful and relevant yoga concept will help you infuse your teaching paths with greater presence, intention, and more substantial results. I know that already I find myself using it not only in regards to my teaching, but in my life as well.

Enjoy the path and practice of teaching. You have the potential to be great! Don”t forget it.

— c

Hello fellow teachers,

We have a lot of exciting stuff going on at ST these days and many of them revolve around our new Manual Cueing Video Series that will start launching on Friday, May 24th!

This post is meant to give you a little more insight both into how to begin to look at your current manual cueing skills, start to build a framework for understanding how to effectively or more effectively use touch as well as give you a little peak into what the Manual Cueing Video Series will be addressing.

Creating a Framework for Manual Cueing in the Pilates Environment

Purpose

• To offer a framework for understanding our scope of practice using touch, and to better craft how, when and why we use touch in our work so that we can be more effective and our students achieve greater lasting results.
• Framework/Learning Objectives: So that we can always use touch with a clear intention, objective, and goal in mind.
  • Why – to touch
  • When – to touch
  • How – to touch

WHY to Touch

• Established the “Why” in our Scope of Practice:
  • To Inform
  • To Assist/or Spot
  • To Connect

WHEN  to Touch

• When you have permission
• When you have a clear intention, goal or objective
  • Have had an experience with this type of touch, practiced it or have a clear idea of the outcome it will produce
• In order to establish a baseline of what is effective touch for a particular body/student
• When you can use an established and effective form of touch (established either by you or another trusted teacher)

HOW to Touch – The biggest one of all!

• A closed hand touch (almost always recommended!!)
  • Used in assisting movement, spotting or for informing complex movement sequences
  • Used in encouraging prolonged activation or fullness of movement:
    • Breath work
    • Stretching
    • Elongating
      • Used by the student to help them cue in to an action, perception or correction

• A firm touch
  • Used in helping to activate stability or stronger muscle activation
    • Used by the student as a form of self-correcting

• A light or delicate touch/resting touch
  • Used to infuse ease, soften, encourage letting go or proprioceptive awareness
  • Used to insight the teacher as to the level of activation, responsiveness, recruitment
    • Used by the student as a way of feeling externally the level of activation that’s happening internally

• A direct, single point touch (sometimes the “poke”)
  • Used lightly or barely at all to bring attention to a small action or area
  • Used to articulate or isolate a movement or action
  • Used to zero in or hone in on an area:
    • Can be used jokingly or to add emphasis if done with kindness and intention and with the “right” client.

Excerpt From Moving Beyond Technique Companion Newsletter:

Demystifying Touch – Unraveling An Underused Tool

Greetings fellow teachers,