Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Assisting Part III: The Conscious Adjuster

In Part I, I discussed the benefits of adjusting. In Part II, the disadvantages. So what is the balance? It is what I call the “Conscious Adjuster”. In conscious adjusting, we don’t just mindlessly walk around the class adjusting every student as we teach. We take a moment (and it only takes a moment the better you get at it) and assess whether the adjustment is necessary and whether it will truly help the student understand the point you are teaching. We don’t adjust for something we aren’t teaching, even if it might be useful. There is nothing more confusing for a student than adjusting the arms when you have been focusing on the feet all night.

The conscious adjuster also uses all three adjusting techniques (voice, light touch, and physical manipulation) with more emphasis on voice and light touch. Voice is telling the student what you want to see and is the best adjustment technique. It takes a great teacher to be able to use their voice that well. Voice is best because the adjustment is then entirely the student’s. She made the movement in her own body and has a better opportunity to be able to replicate it.

Light touch is another good adjustment technique. In light touch, you use one or two fingers, at most a flat palm. Light touch is good because it will bring attention for the student where you want her attention without adding too much of your own energy. A light touch often wakes up the brain to be able to identify the correct muscle to engage to create the movement so the action is almost entirely the student’s.

Last, but certainly not least, is physical manipulation, when you, the teacher, actually move your student into the position she needs. Although this technique may be all yours, it can get a student out of stuck consciousness place (See Part I) so it is definitely useful sometimes.

2 comments:

@MuseKaren said...

Thank you Laura! There is a fine balance when it comes to adjusting. I find I rely on words for the most part - always thinking I need to add in more "hands-on." I will bring the "conscious adjusting" mind with me to all future classes.

Denise said...

Laura: Thank you so much. I find that adjusting for me goes through spurts of using more words to actual physical adjustments. I love the rule of three times then let it go. I have had that come up for me and I always remember it. Sometimes when I walk around just noticing students energy in the class, what are they open to receiving?, sometimes their purpose is just an overall class experience and a physical adjustment would be intrusive to them. I have been using your light touch, with one or two fingers and find that my students like that much more, and it is more amazing to them because they have to work with their own awareness to get the message. Thank you for doing this in three parts. Wonderful!!