Knowing where you are as a student of yoga isn't always easy when you land on the mat. As a teacher of yoga, to offer assists and adjustments means you are stepping into someone else's world. Permission is a must, tender care outside of ego is essential. Gifting the student with the power to say no may be the best experience they take away from the class.
It was years ago, while in yoga class the teacher chopped behind my knee saying, don't lock out your leg...
So, here's the thing. I'm a natural knee locker, I know my edge, but you didn't speak to any students before class and I was there that day carrying a lot more than my body weight on that leg. When you decided to come into my space from an angle where I couldn't see you, without asking and chop me down, it took months for me to recommit to my practice... and let's remember that some days my practice is all I feel like I have.
I've taken from that experience and share it now with my soon to be yoga teachers. To offer an assist or an adjustment is not about you being some star teacher. It's about offering students a choice and the reality of our world is that for some, that choice may be the only one they get that day. THAT is the magic of yoga!
As a teacher, how do you tactfully assist without causing harm? As a student, how do you reclaim your power and your voice?