I broke the rules. I suppose it was just a matter of time. It wasn't like I required practice or it was something new. I have a long, familiar and fond association with breaking rules. A great deal of my fondest and most formative memories came from not quite doing things the way I was taught or told. In my last job I started from the beginning by deviating from the official curriculum. While initially my methods were viewed with skepticism and doubt by official minds, eventually I was invited by state officials to present at state conferences on how I broke the rules and how much better that was than the old programs. At times, in formal classroom settings, I even teach kids to break rules. I teach them to break the three rules of dysfunctional families:
The first time I broke the no-contact rule, it was a matter of necessity. I was teaching a Yoga Calm (yogacalm.org) class. One resident, who might be slightly dyslexic, had twisted his body into an uncomfortable mutation of triangle pose. My attempts to "verbally adjust" his asana had only been met with frustration on his part so I simply asked if I could physically adjust him. I generally refrain from physical adjustments but this time it was the best option. He thanked me from his much more comfortable pose.
A week later I found myself with more residents in my yoga class. We had been doing pretty much the same flow for several weeks now and I wanted to shake things up a little. I inserted "Tree Challenge" into the routine. During Tree Challenge, two people stand in tree pose and while pressing palms against each other attempt to get their opponent to put the other foot on the ground.
After that it was easy. By the next week, several had been on work crew and were asking for poses that might relieve shoulder pain. I showed them my personal "one cord of wood asana." Then before I knew it I was asking them how they felt about doing partner stretches. All were in agreement so we just moved forward into Lynea and Jim Gillen's series of partner shoulder stretches. It might get worse this week. Stay tuned!
- Don't talk
- Don't trust
- Don't feel
The first time I broke the no-contact rule, it was a matter of necessity. I was teaching a Yoga Calm (yogacalm.org) class. One resident, who might be slightly dyslexic, had twisted his body into an uncomfortable mutation of triangle pose. My attempts to "verbally adjust" his asana had only been met with frustration on his part so I simply asked if I could physically adjust him. I generally refrain from physical adjustments but this time it was the best option. He thanked me from his much more comfortable pose.
A week later I found myself with more residents in my yoga class. We had been doing pretty much the same flow for several weeks now and I wanted to shake things up a little. I inserted "Tree Challenge" into the routine. During Tree Challenge, two people stand in tree pose and while pressing palms against each other attempt to get their opponent to put the other foot on the ground.
After that it was easy. By the next week, several had been on work crew and were asking for poses that might relieve shoulder pain. I showed them my personal "one cord of wood asana." Then before I knew it I was asking them how they felt about doing partner stretches. All were in agreement so we just moved forward into Lynea and Jim Gillen's series of partner shoulder stretches. It might get worse this week. Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment