On Hands on Adjusting - What I learnt from posting the last blog.

On hands on adjusting. What I've learnt from your responses in my post below, and also from private messages from people (mostly trauma survivors) who chose to not join the discussion. 

• Yoga teachers don't get to draw the line as to what is respectful or disrespectful when it comes to trauma informed teaching. It's the individual trauma survivors who get to draw the line, and we need to listen. 
• Yoga teachers today feel that asking permission is being respectful and mindful, yet to a survivor, having to say yes or no can be very uncomfortable. This also includes putting your hand on your belly when nobody is watching. I'm told now that trauma survivors (and non trauma survivors) still find it hard to say no. 
• Some people, who have never experienced trauma, also don't want to be touched in a yoga class. 
• Many students enjoy hands on assists/adjustments and touch from their teacher, and attend yoga to receive this. This needs to be acknowledged. 
• Having specific classes which state 'hands on assisting/adjusting may be offered' written on the website or in an email will give a student the power and choice to attend. If people are aware of this before walking into a yoga class, they have more power. 
• It doesn't matter if your 'traditions' taught otherwise. Yoga has evolved. Remember, if we stuck with traditions, most of us in this conversation (women) wouldn't be teaching yoga. 

I don't think it's an all or nothing situation. As yoga is non-regulated, and there are so many approaches, it's hard for me to make any bold opinions like 'yoga teachers should or should not be hands on'. I do think however, that there needs to be more education involved and we need to be more open minded to insights and opinions which aren't ours. There are professionals out there, who know about this stuff. I'm not one of them. Ask me about yoga history / philosophy and I'm all over it. That's my thing. Ask me about trauma informed teaching, i'm a beginner. I think more senior yoga teachers need to admit this and be okay with it. 
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I consider myself so very blessed to be part of such an awesome community. Love youssssssss.