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Hands on touch can provide incredible healing, support, connection and grounding. It can aid us as teachers in providing precisely the experience that we're hoping to generate for our students. Yet developing the 'right touch', a touch that emits loving kindness, compassion, mindfulness, and sensitivity, is a skill and an art.
Developing the 'right touch', a touch that emits loving kindness, compassion, mindfulness, and sensitivity, is a skill and an art.
The skin is our largest organ and covers on average a total of 20 square feet. When someone touches our skin information is sent to the nerve endings which are attached to the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the ten cranial nerves that interfaces with the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of resting, restoring and renewing the body.
When we receive a simple momentary touch, nerve endings tell the heart to slow down and blood pressure decreases.
Now, this is simply from skin touching skin. If we provide a little more contact, as in a hug or even an adjustment in a yoga class, suddenly cortisol (a stress hormone) is reduced, oxytocin (a hormone that provides feelings of love and trust) is increased and we experience feelings of happiness, connectedness, unity or 'yoga'.
Finally, there is also an area that sits just above our eye sockets that is called the orbital frontal cortex. This area is related to our personal reward centre and lights up when we receive touch from another. This means our brain is registering human contact as a reward.
There are different kinds of touch that can be provided in a yoga class and there are also different ways in which we can apply those touch. No matter what kind of touch we're apply in our classes, 'The Art of Touch' is always: consensual, optional and done with professionalism and presence.
There are a variety of different kinds of touch that a Yoga Teacher can provide in their asana class.
Learn the ‘Art of Touch’ so that you feel empowered and equipped to provide healing touch to your students and clients.
Register for our free Intro Course to our 200hr Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training here:
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