Deborah VOGEL on dancers not believing stretching works! If your student has so embraced the belief that stretching is not going to help her – then there is a strong possibility she won’t get the results she wants. You can ask her to pay attention to her own stretching efforts and tell you when she feels most successful. Is there a certain time of day? Temperature that she likes to stretch in? After a shower? After using the pinkie ball? Using breath? How often is she stretching – how long does she hold each stretch? Ask her to watch and pay attention to small changes – to where she is feeling the stretch and how strongly. . The goal with her is to shift her own relationship with stretching and have her take ownership of her efforts and results. The truth is – we can only guide and educate – we can’t do the stretching for them. My hope is that with encouragement she will find her way to release muscular tension and increase flexibility. So often we sabotage ourselves by how we are thinking and feeling. Maybe she is angry at herself for not getting the results the other girls are – or is a negative thinking in general – has low self confidence – could be a multitude of reasons that are underneath her difficult personality. . The difficult student has a way of stretching us as a teacher… and when we have done all that we can do – to the best of our ability – then I often send out the intention that the ‘right’ person for this student will appear to help them grow. . I’m not saying that her lack of stretching efforts are all in her head – what I am saying is that how she is thinking and feeling will always influence her physical results. That is true for us all. . So… bottom line – there isn’t a disorder that comes to mind that is keeping her from improving her flexibility – but I am hoping that she will begin to soften her attitude and in doing so begin to figure out – with your help – what might help her stretching efforts. .
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 13:36:26 +0000